Relocating to the UK as an NHS clinician: your first 30 days

The five things to sort first

These are the practical tasks almost every newly-arrived NHS clinician completes in the first few weeks. Two of them — registering with a GP and applying for a National Insurance number — are free.

1. 1

   Set up your UKVI account and eVisa

   Your UK immigration status is now held digitally as an eVisa, not a physical card. You prove your status by sharing a code from your online UKVI account.

   Physical biometric residence permits (BRPs) have been phased out — create a UKVI account so you can generate a share code for employers and landlords.

   Contains public sector information published by UK Home Office and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: GOV.UK — UKVI account and eVisa (July 2026).

2. 2

   Register with an NHS GP surgery

   Registering with a local GP surgery is how you access non-emergency NHS care and get an NHS number.

   You do not need proof of address, ID, an NHS number or any immigration status to register with a GP — a surgery cannot refuse you on those grounds, and registration is free.

   Source: NHS — How to register with a GP surgery (July 2026).

3. 3

   Apply for a National Insurance (NI) number

   Your NI number is a personal account number for the UK tax and benefits system. You apply for free online at GOV.UK once you are in the UK.

   You can start work before your NI number arrives — give your employer the number as soon as you receive it; you are never charged to apply.

   Contains public sector information published by HM Revenue & Customs / DWP and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: GOV.UK — Apply for a National Insurance number (July 2026).

4. 4

   Open a UK bank account

   You need a UK account to be paid by your NHS trust and to pay rent and bills. Banks ask for proof of identity and, usually, a UK address.

   If you have no UK address history yet, a basic bank account or an app-based bank aimed at newcomers can often be opened before you have a permanent address — compare fees first.

   Source: MoneyHelper — How to choose the right bank account (July 2026).

5. 5

   Sort council tax and utilities

   Council tax is a local charge on your home that funds local services; you also set up gas, electricity, water and broadband.

   Council tax is charged per household, not per person — and full-time students are exempt, so check whether anyone in your home qualifies for a discount.

   Contains public sector information published by UK Government and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: GOV.UK — Council Tax (July 2026).

What it costs to live here, and where NHS staff live

Housing is the single biggest cost. The Office for National Statistics puts the average private rent in England at about £1,390 a month, but the spread is wide — roughly £900 a month in the cheapest regions (North East) to well over £2,200 a month in London. To reflect that, NHS pay in and around London carries a high-cost-area supplement of 5% to 20% of basic pay in and around London (inner, outer and fringe zones). Most NHS staff live within a commute of their trust, often in cheaper commuter towns, and many trusts offer short-term accommodation while you find somewhere permanent — ask your trust’s international recruitment team, which usually knows the local areas and landlords.

Contains public sector information published by Office for National Statistics and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: ONS — Private rent and house prices, UK (year to April 2026).

Get the full first-30-days arrival checklist

Guides for your corridor

The practical steps above are the same for everyone. These guides add the corridor-specific detail — flight estimates, whether a TB test is usually required, and the English-evidence note — for the main permitted source regions.