How do I register with a GP surgery?

Registration is free and primary care is free to everyone in England regardless of status. The most common obstacle is being asked for documents that are not actually required — a practice may ask, but cannot refuse to register you solely because you do not have them. NHS England has published this repeatedly because the practice persists.

Step by step

1. Find practices that cover your address.Use the NHS website's find-a-GP service. Practices have catchment boundaries, and some accept out-of-area patients on the basis that home visits will not be provided.
2. Register online where the practice offers it.NHS England provides a standard online registration service that many practices use. Otherwise it is the GMS1 form, available at the practice or downloadable.
3. Provide your NHS number if you know it, but do not delay for it.It is on any previous prescription, hospital letter or in the NHS App. Without it, the practice traces your record from your name, date of birth and previous address. Registration proceeds either way.
4. Know what you do not have to provide.Proof of address, photographic identification, an NHS number, and immigration status are all things a practice may ask for and none of them is a condition of registration. Nobody may be refused on those grounds alone.
5. Understand the reasonable grounds for refusal.A formally closed list, living outside the boundary, or a previous removal for violence. A refusal must be for a reason that is not discriminatory, and the practice should tell you the reason in writing within a set period.
6. Complete the health questionnaire honestly.New patients are normally asked about existing conditions, medication, allergies and family history, and offered a new patient check. Getting repeat medication set up correctly depends on this being complete.
7. Move your repeat prescriptions across deliberately.Take a current repeat slip or a photograph of your medication boxes to the first appointment. Records transfer between practices but not instantly, and a gap in a repeat is the most common problem after moving.
8. Register the whole household at once.Children, and anyone you care for. Register children with the same practice unless there is a reason not to — it makes appointments and continuity far easier.
9. Escalate if you are turned away.Ask for the refusal and the reason in writing. If it is not resolved, contact NHS England's customer contact centre, which can assign you to a practice. Healthwatch and the practice's own PALS route can also help.

Common mistakes

• Accepting a refusal because you have no proof of address — It is not a lawful ground for refusal. Ask for the refusal in writing, then contact NHS England, which can assign you a practice.
• Deregistering from the old practice before registering with the new one — Registering with a new practice transfers you automatically. Deregistering first leaves a gap in which nobody holds your record.

Questions people ask