Moving to London? How to Register with a GP in Your First Week

Posted on 27/10/2026 at 3:51

Moving eats a fortnight. Tenancy, council tax, a hundred boxes to flatten. Registering with a GP slides down the list until the night you need antibiotics, or your repeat prescription runs out and your doctor is still 200 miles away.

It’s one of the quickest jobs on the list — genuinely about ten minutes. What takes longer is everything that happens after you press submit, and that’s the part nobody explains.

Quick answer: You can register with a GP in London as soon as you arrive, and you can do it online in about ten minutes. You do not need ID, proof of address, an NHS number or proof of immigration status, and you don’t need to contact your old surgery. Registration itself usually completes within five working days. Your medical records follow separately and take longer — which is why it’s worth registering before you run out of medication, not after.
Dr Anand Patel, GP at Binfield Road Surgery, says: “It’s super easy to register — you go onto the website, put in a few details, and you’re registered. There’s also a health questionnaire we’d be grateful if patients filled in, because people often register but don’t give us the other helpful information — allergies, medication they might be taking. So when they ring in saying ‘I need my medication’, if we don’t know about it and the computer systems haven’t linked yet, that’s an issue.”

Register before you move, not after

This is the single most useful piece of advice on this page and almost nobody gives it.

Dr Anand Patel, GP at Binfield Road Surgery, says: “You might even want to register just before you move, if you already know where you’re going because you’ve rented somewhere. Give us your details, and then there’s time for your notes to transfer to us.”

If you’ve signed a tenancy and you know where you’re going, you can register at that address before the van arrives. That way the administrative machinery — the record request, the transfer, the medication review — is already turning by the time you’re unpacking. It costs nothing and it removes the most common problem people hit, which is needing a prescription during the gap.

What you need to register — and what you really don’t

This is where most people get stuck, usually because of something a letting agent or a well-meaning colleague told them.

No ID, no proof of address, no NHS number

The NHS guidance on registering with a GP surgery is unambiguous:

“You do not need ID, proof of address or proof of immigration status.”

You’ll be asked for basic information — name, date of birth, address, contact details — and a few health questions. That’s it. The BMA is equally clear that practices have no contractual duty to seek evidence of identity, immigration status or address.

Practices sometimes ask for documents because it makes matching your old records easier, and bringing a tenancy agreement or a bank letter does speed things up. But not having one is not grounds to turn you away. If you’re between addresses, sofa-surfing, in temporary accommodation, or have no fixed address at all, you can still register.

This matters because it goes wrong often. A 2019 study of 100 London GP practice websites, published in the British Journal of General Practice, found that 75% asked for documentation — and only 12% explained what to do if you don’t have any. If you’re told you can’t register without ID, that’s a mistake, not a rule.

If a practice does refuse

A practice can only refuse for reasonable, non-discriminatory grounds — and under the regulations governing GP contracts, it must give you written notice of the refusal and the reasons for it within 14 days. Living outside the practice area is a lawful reason. Your appearance, disability, medical condition, race, religion, sexual orientation, immigration status or social class are not.

If it happens, your escalation routes are your integrated care board, Citizens Advice, Healthwatch, or the NHS England contact centre on 0300 311 22 33.

Never registered with an NHS GP before?

Then you won’t have an NHS number, and that’s fine — you get one by registering. Leave it blank. Your number appears on your record and in the NHS App once it’s issued.

How to register: the process in 2026

Two things have changed recently that most guides haven’t caught up with.

The national online service is now standard. Since October 2024, every GP practice in England has been required to offer the NHS “Register with a GP surgery” service. It’s now used by around 99.6% of practices, and over nine million registrations have gone through it. You reach it through Find a GP on the NHS website, through the NHS App, or directly from a practice’s own website.

The GMS1 form no longer exists. Almost every article on this topic still tells you to fill in a “GMS1”. That form was withdrawn at the end of October 2024 and replaced by a new national paper registration form. If you’d rather not register online, ask at reception for the paper form — but don’t go looking for a GMS1, and be a little wary of any guide that’s still telling you to.

At Binfield Road Surgery you can register with us online through the national route, or on paper at reception. Most people finish the online version in about ten minutes.

How long it takes: the NHS says you should be told you’ve been registered usually within five working days of the surgery receiving your details, though it can take longer.

Do fill in the health questions

They’re optional in the sense that nobody chases you, and consequential in the sense that they’re how we know what you take before your records arrive. Allergies, current medicines, long-term conditions, and who your previous GP was. Two minutes now saves a phone call later.

What actually happens to your medical records

Here’s the part that isn’t explained anywhere, and it’s the reason for most of the friction people hit in their first month.

The transfer itself

You don’t need to contact your old surgery. When you register, the request goes automatically through a system called GP2GP, and your old practice removes you from its list. Your electronic record — medications, allergies, consultations, repeat prescriptions, screening history, letters from specialists — transfers between practices, usually within days. Your paper notes, if you have any, travel separately and much more slowly.

Why your first prescription can be slower than you’d expect

When a record moves between two different clinical computer systems, some information doesn’t map cleanly across and arrives as free text that a person has to read and re-code by hand. These are known as “degraded” entries — and critically, medication cannot be prescribed while there are outstanding degraded drug allergies or sensitivities on your record.

So if your first repeat request takes a couple of days longer than you expected, this is usually why. It isn’t the practice being slow; it’s a safety check that has to be done by a human before anything can be prescribed. Knowing that in advance is worth a lot of frustration.

The practical answer is the same one Dr Patel gives: bring or upload a recent repeat prescription slip, or a photo of your medicine boxes. With that, we can issue what you need while the record catches up.

Hospital records — what your new GP can and can’t see

This is the detail that surprises people most.

Dr Anand Patel, GP at Binfield Road Surgery, says: “We can only see the hospital records of hospitals we’re linked to. If you’ve been seen in Northampton, I can’t see their hospital records — but I can see the records at Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s. Hopefully they’ve shared a letter with your GP, and I’ll be able to see that on the GP notes. But if you’re relying on something in a hospital letter to inform me, you’ll need to bring me that letter.”

The reason is structural. England doesn’t yet have one national medical record. Instead each region has its own shared care record, and London’s is the London Care Record. Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital and Lewisham and Greenwich are all partners in it, along with most London hospitals, GP practices, community services, the London Ambulance Service, NHS 111 and mental health services — as are several trusts outside London where Londoners commonly get specialist care, including Oxford and Milton Keynes. But Northamptonshire, for instance, runs an entirely separate record, and the two don’t talk to each other.

What this means for you if you’ve moved from outside London:

Your GP record transfers in full, including any hospital letters your old GP received.
Your new GP cannot see the hospital’s own notes, test results or scans from a trust outside the London network.
So bring the paperwork. A discharge summary, a clinic letter, a copy of a scan report, the name of the consultant and the hospital. If there’s something a doctor needs to know that lives in a hospital letter, the letter is the only thing that reliably brings it with you.
If you were under a hospital team and the care needs to continue, say so at the point of registration. Referrals don’t move automatically.

A national NHS record — the Single Patient Record — is in development and expected to reach patients through the NHS App around 2028. Until then, this gap is real, and it’s worth planning around.

Choosing a practice, and what “open practice” means

Look at four practical things: where it is relative to your home or your work, how you’re expected to get an appointment, what the appointment times are, and whether it’s currently accepting new patients. The NHS App and the NHS website show which practices are open to registrations before you apply.

Most practices have a catchment area — the postcodes they normally register from. Some practices also register patients who live outside that area, under an arrangement usually described as out-of-area registration without home visits.

Binfield Road Surgery registers patients from across London. We accept out-of-area registrations, so you can register with us whether you live in Stockwell, elsewhere in Lambeth, or further afield — the trade-off is explained below.

The honest trade-off if you register out of area

What you keep: appointments, prescriptions, referrals, vaccinations, screening, long-term condition reviews, online access — the full range of services, on exactly the same terms as anyone else, provided you can travel to the surgery.

What you give up: home visits, and urgent care at your home address from us.

What happens if you become too unwell to travel: contact us first. If you need to be seen face to face and can’t get here, you’ll be directed to NHS 111, which routes you to a locally commissioned service where you live — there is a specific NHS arrangement for exactly this situation. Out of hours, everyone uses NHS 111 regardless of where they’re registered.

Being blunt about it: out-of-area registration works well for commuters and for people who want continuity through a move. It’s a poor fit if you’re housebound, have significant mobility problems, or are in late pregnancy.

New to the UK? What NHS care costs

Registering with a GP, and seeing a GP, are free for everyone in England, whatever your immigration status. This is set out in government guidance on charging overseas visitors: primary medical care sits outside the charging regulations entirely.

Also free to everyone, regardless of status: A&E and urgent care, NHS 111, contraception and sexual health services, treatment for most infectious diseases including TB and HIV, and care following torture, female genital mutilation, domestic abuse or sexual violence.

Some hospital treatment can be chargeable if you’re not ordinarily resident in the UK. Many visa holders will have paid the immigration health surcharge with their application, which covers this.

One reassurance worth stating plainly, because it stops people registering: GP care generates no bill, so it generates no debt, so there is nothing to report to anybody. The arrangement that requires NHS bodies to report unpaid debts over £500 applies to hospital charges. It has no bearing on registering with a GP or seeing your doctor. Uncertainty about charges is never a reason to avoid seeing a doctor — register, and ask us.

Your first week: the five-minute list

Register — online, before or as soon as you move.
Fill in the health questions, especially allergies and current medicines.
Upload or bring a recent repeat prescription slip if you take anything regularly.
Download the NHS App and verify your identity. Then nominate a pharmacy near your new flat — this is the step people forget, and it’s why the first prescription goes to a chemist three postcodes away.
Dig out any hospital letters from outside London and bring them to your first appointment.
Flag anything time-sensitive: pregnancy, an ongoing hospital referral, medication that shouldn’t be interrupted, screening or vaccinations that are due.

What to expect at your first contact

Your first contact usually isn’t a face-to-face appointment. Most people start by describing the problem through AccurX online triage or by calling reception, and the team then books the right kind of appointment — phone, video, a face-to-face GP slot, or a nurse appointment — based on what you need and how urgent it is.

Bring a list of your medicines and any hospital letters. Say if you’d prefer a male or female clinician, if you need an interpreter, or if you need extra time.

When should I contact the surgery?

Get in touch as soon as you’ve registered — don’t wait for something to go wrong — if:

you take regular medication and have fewer than four weeks’ supply left
you’re pregnant, or think you might be, so maternity care can start
you have a long-term condition needing monitoring or repeat prescriptions
you were under a hospital team elsewhere and the care needs to follow you
you’re due screening or vaccinations — cervical screening, childhood immunisations, the autumn flu vaccine
you’ve had a new or worrying symptom since the move and have been putting off finding a doctor

If your registration is still being processed and you need care urgently, you can still be seen. Contact us and say so, use NHS 111, or speak to a pharmacist. Nobody has to wait for paperwork to get help.

Register or book an appointment: call Binfield Road Surgery on 020 7622 1424, contact the surgery, or register with us online.

Frequently asked questions

Can I register with a GP without proof of address? Yes. You don’t legally need proof of address, ID, an NHS number or proof of immigration status. Bringing something helps the practice match your old records, but it isn’t a requirement, and being unable to provide it is not a lawful reason to refuse you.

How long does it take to register with a GP in the UK? You should usually be told you’re registered within five working days. Your medical records transfer separately and can take longer, so bring a recent prescription slip if you take regular medication.

Do I still need to fill in a GMS1 form? No. The GMS1 was withdrawn at the end of October 2024 and replaced by a new national registration form. Most people now register through the NHS online service instead; a paper version is available if you’d prefer.

Will my new GP be able to see my hospital records? Only from hospitals connected to the same shared care record. A London GP can see records from London trusts such as Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s, but not from a hospital in another region — those areas run separate systems. Bring your hospital letters with you.

Do I need to deregister from my old GP surgery first? No. Registering with a new practice does it automatically.

Is GP care free if I’ve just moved to the UK? Yes. Registering with a GP and seeing a GP are free for everyone in England regardless of immigration status. Some hospital treatment can be chargeable if you’re not ordinarily resident.