Anyone who is coming to UK for employment with an employer who has his main place of business in the UK, or who is a self-employed person whose business is in the UK is fully exempt from National Health Service (NHS) hospital charges in England. This exemption applies to your spouse, civil partner and children (under the age of 16 or 19 if in further education) if they are living with you in the UK on a permanent basis.
Please note that to be exempt from NHS hospital charges on this basis you must be in employment at the time you receive treatment. If you are here on a work visa but currently unemployed you will be charged for your treatment, unless you are otherwise exempt from charges.
Also anyone employed on a ship or vessel registered in the UK or anyone working offshore on the UK sector of the Continental shelf would be fully exempt from NHS hospital charges in England.
In common with those ordinarily resident in the UK, anyone who meets the criteria of ordinary residence or is exempt from charges for hospital treatment 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.
Documents needed to get treatment in a Hospital
In order to know whether a particular person is entitled for free treatment, hospitals can ask you to provide documentation that supports your claim that you intend to engage in employment in the UK. The evidence could include:
- if not an EEA* national or Swiss national then must have a valid work permit or;
- if EEA national or Switzerland proof of nationality;
- proof that employment is based in UK, e.g confirmation from employer, or for self-employed invoices or receipts;
- proof of employment e.g. recent letter from employer or contract of employment or current wage slip, for self employed invoices or receipts.
* Nationals from Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia will also need to be registered on the workers registration scheme. Nationals from Bulgaria and Romania must also a valid work permit.
