COVID-19: migrant health guide
Source: gov.uk (2025-03-31)

Advice and guidance for healthcare practitioners on the health needs of migrant patients.

No charges for COVID-19 testing, treatment and vaccination for inpatients in secondary care

Overseas visitors who are admitted and receiving secondary care in England, including anyone living in the UK without permission, will not be charged for:
- testing for COVID-19 (even if the test shows they do not have COVID-19)
- treatment for COVID-19, including for a related problem called multisystem inflammatory syndrome that affects some children
- vaccination against COVID-19, including boosters
No immigration checks are needed for overseas visitors if they are only tested, treated or vaccinated for COVID-19.

Overseas visitors are still expected to pay for certain charges that the resident population pay (for example, dental or prescription charges), unless exempt from those charges.

Charges for hospital treatment of secondary and subsequent illness

While COVID-19 testing and treatment is exempt from charges for those admitted to secondary care in England, this exemption is not intended to cover hospital treatment of any secondary or subsequent illness. Secondary or subsequent illness refers to:
- conditions or complications which arise from the initial COVID-19 infection, including long COVID
- any co-existing conditions a patient may have
These conditions remain chargeable, unless the individual is exempt. Under the charging regulations, the duty is on NHS trusts to assess, based on the views of clinicians, what treatment for COVID-19 is exempt or chargeable.

Accessing COVID-19 vaccination without an NHS number

Individuals do not require an NHS number or GP registration to receive the COVID-19 vaccination and should not be denied vaccination on this basis. Individuals who do not have an NHS number or are not registered with a GP are still entitled to free COVID-19 vaccinations.

While registration with a GP is encouraged to access the vaccine (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-entitlements-migrant-health-guide), individuals can access walk-in vaccinations or request to book COVID-19 vaccination appointments as an unregistered patient through a local GP practice.

Local outreach services are available in some areas to provide COVID-19 vaccination to those who are eligible (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/who-can-get-the-vaccine/) but have difficulties accessing vaccination.

If an individual has an NHS number, they can find it through this online tool (https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/online-services/find-nhs-number/).

NHS England and NHS Improvement have created a letter to help people without an NHS number access the COVID-19 vaccine and register with a GP (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccine-information-for-people-without-an-nhs-number). The letter is available in 25 languages and can be shared with service users and service providers.

If someone is denied care because they do not have an NHS number, they can contact NHS England’s customer contact centre (https://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/).

COVID-19 translated advice and guidance

The following resources are also available in various languages.

COVID-19 vaccination
- Doctors of the World guidance on how to register with a GP and book COVID-19 vaccines (https://www.doctorsoftheworld.org.uk/translated-health-information/?_gr=how-to-register-with-a-gp-and-book-a-vaccine)
- booking a COVID-19 vaccine appointment letter (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-booking-an-appointment-letter)
- what to expect after your vaccination (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-what-to-expect-after-vaccination)
- what your NHS COVID Pass letter tells you (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-your-nhs-covid-pass-letter-tells-you)
- COVID-19 vaccination: guide for adults (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-guide-for-older-adults)
- COVID-19 vaccination: a guide for all women of childbearing age, pregnant or breastfeeding (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-women-of-childbearing-age-currently-pregnant-planning-a-pregnancy-or-breastfeeding)
- COVID-19 vaccination: resources for children and young people (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-resources-for-children-and-young-people)
- COVID-19 vaccination and blood clotting (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-and-blood-clotting)
- COVID-19 vaccination information (https://www.healthpublications.gov.uk/ArticleSearch.html?sp=Sreset)
COVID-19 testing
- COVID-19 PCR home test kit instructions (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/testing-for-coronavirus-at-home)
- COVID-19 rapid lateral flow test kit instructions: throat and nose test (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/instructions-for-covid-19-self-test)
- COVID-19 rapid lateral flow test kit instructions: ACON Flowflex (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-rapid-lateral-flow-home-test-kit-instructions-for-nose-only-test-acon-flowflex)
- COVID-19 rapid lateral flow test kit instructions: Orient Gene (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-rapid-lateral-flow-home-test-kit-instructions-for-nose-only-test)
- COVID-19 rapid lateral flow test kit instructions: SureScreen (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-rapid-lateral-flow-test-kit-instructions-surescreen)
- COVID-19 antibody test kit guides (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-antibody-test-kit-guides-in-different-languages)
COVID-19 prevention and other information
- living safely with respiratory infections, including COVID-19 (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do)
- COVID-19: guidance for people whose immune system means they are at higher risk (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19)
- find help and support for individuals with long COVID (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-help-and-support-if-you-have-long-covid)
Shareable social media cards to promote uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations have been developed for use in digital campaigns nationally (https://www.healthpublications.gov.uk/ViewArticle.html?sp=Scovid19vaccinationsocialmediacards2021national) and in London (https://www.healthpublications.gov.uk/ViewArticle.html?sp=Scovid19vaccinationsocialmediacards2021london). Translations are available in 25 languages.

The British Society for Immunology has translated some public engagement resources (https://www.immunology.org/public-information/vaccine-resources-for-the-public-in-different-languages), including infographics, that explain how vaccines work and answer common questions about COVID-19 vaccines.

COVID-19 general advice and guidance

Health information and advice about COVID-19 (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/) is available on the NHS website.

Doctors of the World UK has produced a COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence Toolkit (https://www.doctorsoftheworld.org.uk/what-we-stand-for/supporting-medics/vaccine-confidence-toolkit/) to support communities and voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations to deliver their own vaccine confidence events.

COVID-19 guidance for providers of accommodation for asylum seekers

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has produced guidance on COVID-19 in accommodation for asylum seekers (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-outbreaks-in-prisons-refuges-and-other-higher-risk-accommodation-settings). It is aimed at all staff involved in providing support to asylum seekers in all accommodation settings.