Registering With a GP
Signing up with a general practice, which is the route into most other NHS care.
Last revised
Key takeaways
- Who can register: anyone living in England, free of charge, whatever their immigration status
- Proof of address: practices should not refuse you for lacking ID or a fixed address
- Most useful single change: Register as soon as you move rather than waiting until you are ill.
- Commonest mistake: Assuming you must stay with the practice you were registered with as a child.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to get help" below apply to you.
Why it matters
Almost everything else — referrals, screening invitations, repeat prescriptions — runs through a GP practice, so being unregistered quietly closes off the rest of the system.
The numbers, in one place
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Who can register | anyone living in England, free of charge, whatever their immigration status |
| Proof of address | practices should not refuse you for lacking ID or a fixed address |
| Which practice | any whose boundary covers where you live, or further afield if they agree |
| Changing practice | you do not need to tell your current one, or give a reason |
What helps
- Register as soon as you move rather than waiting until you are ill
- Ask to be registered even if you have no ID, no address or no immigration status
- Check the practice boundary before applying, since that is the usual reason for refusal
- Give a phone number and email so the practice can reach you about results and screening
What to avoid
- Assuming you must stay with the practice you were registered with as a child
- Leaving yourself unregistered while between addresses
- Using A&E for things a GP would handle, which is slower for you and for everyone waiting
Where to go next
- Making Sense of Registering With a GP
- Registering With a GP: A Practical Checklist
- When to Go to A&E: What the Evidence Actually Says
- Using NHS 111: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
When to get help
If a practice refuses to register you, ask for the reason in writing and contact NHS England, who can allocate you to a practice. If you are unwell while unregistered, you can still be seen by any practice as a temporary patient, and urgent and emergency care is never refused on registration grounds.
Where this comes from
- NHS — How to register with a GP surgery
- NHS England — Patient registration standard operating principles
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.