Overseas patients

You may be entitled to free NHS care if you are: 

• A student studying full time in the UK or an individual who has come to work in the UK on a relevant visa.  If you were required to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge as part of your visa application, please note free treatment does not include assisted conception.
• A refugee or an asylum seeker whose formal application to the UK Border Agency is being considered.  You will need to provide documentary evidence such as your Application Registration Card (ARC).  Please note that you will need to pay for any medication prescribed to you. 
• A citizen who normally lives in a country that is a member of the European Economic Area (EEA) and has a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) in their name.  This card covers emergency treatment only.  You must bring this card with you to hospital. 

  • Your EHIC also covers you for the treatment of pre-existing medical conditions and for routine maternity care, providing the reason for your visit is not specifically to give birth or receive treatment.

  • Your EHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance and it is advised that you should have both (where applicable) when travelling to the UK. 

• A citizen who normally lives in a country that has a reciprocal healthcare agreement with the UK.  This covers emergency treatment only and does not cover planned treatment.  Please note that if the agreement is withdrawn during your treatment you will become immediately responsible for the cost of the remainder of your course of treatment.

You may be NOT entitled to free NHS care if you are: 

• An individual without legal status at point of treatment including failed asylum seekers and illegal immigrants.
• A British national who now lives overseas (also called ex-pats)
• An individual with a Biometric Residency Permit (BRP) whose card is marked to confirm their “visitor” status.  This may include academic visitors and private medical visitors.

If you have received a request to bring your identification documents you should bring these to your first appointment.

To help us to check if you are entitled to free healthcare, you will need to bring two separate documents to your appointment – one to prove your identity and one to prove your address (residency). See below for which documents you can bring.

All patients admitted to our hospitals, whatever their nationality and residence status, are required to provide correct information when registering their details. If you are living lawfully with a settled purpose in the UK, or are a visitor in one of the categories above, you should be prepared to provide evidence.

List of identification documents

If your treatment is non-urgent, the full cost must be paid before treatment is provided.  This will include the cost of initial assessment and investigations to make a diagnosis. 

How to pay for your treatment [pdf] 108KB

We will always provide treatment that a clinician has assessed as immediately necessary or urgent.  All maternity treatment is regarded as immediately necessary.  Treatment is not free however by virtue of it being immediately necessary or urgent and you will still be charged.

If you have recieved an invoice from us and would like to pay it online, access the secure payment link here. 

If you have an unpaid debt, we are legally obliged to inform the Home Office through the Department of Health and Social Care.

We do not share information about your health.

For a list of what data is shared, please see the government's guidance. 

If you have private health insurance you will be required to cover the costs to the Trust for all treatment it provides and then subsequently seek reimbursement from your insurer.