Overseas visitors
Hospital treatment is free to people who live in the United Kingdom.
If you do not normally live here or are not included in one of the exemption categories listed below you will have to pay for any treatment needed. This is regardless of whether you are a British citizen, have lived or worked here in the past, or have been issued with a HC2 certificate.
The first question you need to ask yourself is:
Where have I lived for the past 12 months?
If the answer is the UK and you can show that you have the right to live here, then you will be exempt from charges.
If you are not covered by any of the exemption categories listed below then we advise that you ensure that you have adequate health insurance to cover the period of time that you are in the UK.
Exemption categories
- Treatment given only in an Accident and Emergency department, or an NHS walk-in centre providing similar services to those of A & E (excludes emergency treatment given elsewhere in the hospital)
- Persons employed in an EEA country and contributing compulsory UK national insurance (class I or II)
- Those who are a national of an EEA country, a refugee or survivor living in an EEA country for specified treatment with an EC form E112
If you are not exempt then the full cost of treatment you receive, including emergency treatment, given by staff at the hospital will be charged for.
You will be asked to sign an Undertaking to Pay form and 100% payment for anticipated treatment will be required in advance of any treatment commencing. Our preferred method of payment is by banker’s draft, although we do accept credit and debit cards or cash.
Patients with travel insurance will have to pay for treatment and reclaim it back from their insurance afterwards. If, for any reason, you require further treatment, additional charges will be made.
Exemption assessment
The law requires the hospital providing treatment to decide if each patient is entitled to free NHS treatment. A member of our Overseas and Private Patient team will ask you to provide evidence that confirms your eligibility for free treatment.
If it is decided that you can receive free NHS treatment you will still have to pay for statutory NHS charges such as prescription charges, unless you are otherwise exempt.
If it is decided that you are not entitled to free NHS treatment, in accordance with current overseas visitors hospital charging regulations, charges will apply and cannot be set aside. This will include the full cost of any prescribed medication, even if you have an HC2 exemption certificate.
Further information is available on the Department of Health website:
www.dh.gov.uk/