🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Open a UK Current Account at Barclays (traditional, app-first) or Monzo (challenger, app-only) — both free at the base tier. If you have no UK credit history, no standard ID, asylum seeker status, or no fixed address, you have a statutory right under Payment Accounts Regulations 2015 to a Basic Bank Account at any of nine designated banks. Deposits are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme up to £120,000 per person per banking licence (effective 1 December 2025).

Everyone in England can register with a GP surgery for free. You do not need ID, proof of address or proof of immigration status. This guide covers NHS England specifically; NHS Wales, NHS Scotland and NHS Northern Ireland have separate procedures.

Apply online through HMRC with a passport selfie. Lifelong NINO arrives within about 4 weeks.

Voter registration in the United Kingdom is administered through a single UK-wide entry-point service at gov.uk/register-to-vote, run on behalf of the Cabinet Office. One online form (about five minutes) routes the application to the local Electoral Registration Officer responsible for the address given. Registration is free and persists until you move, change name, or change nationality. Northern Ireland applications are routed to the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland.

Set up your UKVI account, view your eVisa — the digital record of your UK immigration status — and generate a share code. The share code proves your status to employers, landlords, and carriers. Setting up the account and accessing your eVisa is free.

DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) handles non-GB driving-licence exchanges in Great Britain. EU/EEA full driving licences may be used in GB without exchanging while in force. Full licences from a DVLA-designated country may be exchanged by post on form D1 (cars/motorbikes) or D2 (lorries/buses). Other foreign-licence holders cannot exchange and must apply for a GB provisional licence and pass the theory and practical tests. A 12-month window from residency applies to driving on a foreign licence — see step tip.