Website of the Department of Health

What if I should need hospital treatment?

Under the current Regulations, anyone who comes to the UK to pursue a full-time course of study of not less than six months’ duration, or a course of study that is of any duration but is substantially funded by the UK Government, will be fully entitled to free NHS hospital treatment in England. This exemption will apply to your spouse, civil partner and children (under the age of 16, or 19 if in further education) if they are living permanently with you in the UK for the duration of your course. 

Students studying less than six months from countries with which the UK holds bilateral healthcare agreements

Students studying in the UK for less than six months from countries with which the UK holds bilateral healthcare agreements will only be entitled to free NHS hospital treatment that is needed promptly for a condition that arose after their arrival in the UK. This exemption will apply to your spouse, civil partner and children (under the age of 16, or 19 if in further education) if they are living permanently with you in the UK for the duration of your course.

For a full list of bilateral healthcare agreement countries, see the menu on the left-hand side.

If you are here to study for less than six months on a course that is not substantially funded by the UK Government and are from a country with which the UK does not hold a bilateral healthcare agreement, then you will be chargeable for any treatment you receive, unless you meet the criteria for one of the other exemptions.

In common with those ordinarily resident in the UK, anyone who meets the criteria of ordinary residence or is exempt from charges will have to pay statutory NHS charges, eg prescription charges, unless they also qualify for exemption from these, and will have to go onto waiting lists for treatment where appropriate.

If I should need hospital treatment what documents will I need?

The Regulations place a responsibility on individual hospitals to determine whether, in accordance with the Regulations, a patient is liable to be charged for treatment or not.  In order to establish entitlement, hospitals can ask you to provide documentation that supports your claim that you intend to study in the UK.  It is for you to decide what to supply, however examples of evidence could include:

• if not an EEA national or from Switzerland then you should have a valid student visa or;
• if EEA national or from Switzerland, proof of nationality – passport, EEA residence card;
• proof of attendance on a qualifying course of study, or that such a course of study has recently been completed
• confirmation from university or college or proof of attendance on a substantially UK government funded course –
• confirmation letter from government body confirming successful candidate and confirmation of attendance from university or college.

Am I entitled to access primary care services?

Any person living here lawfully and on a settled basis is regarded as resident in the UK and therefore entitled to free primary medical services. On taking up residence in the UK it is advisable to approach a GP practice and apply to register onto its list of NHS patients. The practice may choose to accept or decline your application. An application may be refused if the practice has reasonable grounds for doing so, such as if you are living outside their practice area. A practice would not be able to refuse your application on the grounds of race, gender, social class, age, religion, sexual orientation, appearance, disability or medical condition.

Do I have to pay for emergency treatment if I have an accident?

Regardless of residential status or nationality, emergency treatment given at primary care practices (a GP) or in Accident and Emergency departments or a Walk-in Centre providing services similar to those of a hospital Accident and Emergency department is free of charge. 

In the case of treatment given in an Accident and Emergency department or Walk-in Centre the exemption from charges will cease to apply once the patient is formally admitted as an in-patient (this will include emergency operations and admittance to High Dependency Units) or registered at an outpatient clinic.

Am I entitled to help with the costs of non-emergency NHS treatment?

Information about help with health costs is detailed in leaflet HC11 ‘ Are you entitled to help with health costs?’ which is available at:

• NHS costs and exemptions