How to register with a GP

NHS England's guidance for GP practices is explicit: practices should not refuse registration because a person cannot produce proof of address, photographic identification, an NHS number, or evidence of immigration status. Nobody should be refused because they are homeless, an asylum seeker, an overseas visitor or without documents.

Practices can decline a registration only on reasonable non-discriminatory grounds — most commonly that their list is closed, or that you live outside their practice boundary and they are not accepting out-of-area patients. They must give the reason in writing if asked.

In practice, front-desk staff frequently ask for documents anyway. This is usually habit rather than policy, and the correct response is polite persistence: state that you understand documents are not required for registration and ask to complete the GMS1 form.

GP consultations are free to everyone in the UK regardless of status, including short-term visitors. Charging applies to some secondary care for people who are not ordinarily resident, but not to seeing a GP.

Use the NHS website's find-a-GP service, or the equivalent for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, to see which practices cover your postcode and which are accepting new patients.

Most practices in England now accept registration through the NHS 'Register with a GP surgery' online service, which takes about ten minutes. Others use their own online form or a paper GMS1 form at the surgery.

You will be asked for basic details: name, date of birth, address, previous GP if any, and a short medical history. Providing an address helps the practice confirm you are in their boundary, but the absence of documentary proof is not a barrier. If you have no fixed address, you can give a temporary address, a friend's address, or the surgery's own address.

You do not need to deregister from a previous practice — registering with a new one does it automatically, and your records are transferred.

Registration typically completes within a few days to a fortnight. You will be given an NHS number if you do not already have one.

Appointment systems vary enormously. Many practices operate a triage system where you complete an online form or speak to a receptionist who directs you to a GP, nurse, pharmacist or other professional. Receptionists asking what the problem is are following a clinical protocol, not being nosy — but you can say you would prefer to discuss it with a clinician.

Register for online services at the same time. The NHS App in England gives you appointment booking, repeat prescriptions, your GP record and test results. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own arrangements.

Community pharmacies now handle far more than they used to. In England, Pharmacy First allows pharmacists to assess and supply treatment for a defined list of conditions including sore throat, earache, urinary tract infections in women, sinusitis, impetigo, shingles and infected insect bites, without a GP appointment. Similar schemes operate in Scotland and Wales.

For urgent problems outside GP hours, NHS 111 provides free assessment and can book you into an urgent treatment centre. For anything life-threatening, call 999.

Ask for the reason in writing. Practices are expected to give written reasons for refusing a registration on request, and the requirement to justify it often resolves the matter.

Escalate to the practice manager rather than arguing at the desk. Managers are far more likely to know the registration guidance than reception staff.

If it is still refused, contact NHS England's customer contact centre, which can assign you to a practice. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the equivalent health board or trust performs the same function.

Healthwatch England and local Healthwatch organisations also assist with GP access problems, and the charity Doctors of the World runs a clinic and advice line specifically for people having difficulty registering.

If you need care while unregistered, you can be seen as a temporary resident at any practice for up to three months, and urgent treatment centres and NHS 111 do not require registration at all.