Public services and online portals

Key authorities

• UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI, Home Office): visas, EU Settlement Scheme, eVisa. Your status is digital: you view it in your UKVI account and generate a share code to prove your right to work or to rent.
• HMRC (HM Revenue and Customs): income tax, National Insurance (contributions), VAT, Child Benefit (family allowances). Your personal tax account (personal tax account) shows you your tax code, your income, your National Insurance number and your UTR.
• DWP (Department for Work and Pensions): the application for a National Insurance number, Jobcentre Plus, Universal Credit, the State Pension.
• NHS: health. You register directly with a general practice surgery (see UK-SANTE-TOUS-001).
• DVLA: driving licences and vehicle registration in Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales). Northern Ireland has its own procedure.
• Your local council (local council): council tax, electoral registration, waste collection, school place applications (see UK-ECOLE-TOUS-001).
• Companies House: the register of companies (see UK-ENTREPRISE-TOUS-002).
• Scotland: Scottish Government and the mygov.scot portal; Social Security Scotland pays the benefits devolved to Scotland (for example Scottish Child Payment, Adult Disability Payment); NHS Scotland and NHS inform for health; for most homes, council tax is billed together with Scottish Water's water charges.
• Northern Ireland: nidirect portal; no council tax but domestic rates (see UK-IMPOTS-TOUS-001); licences are handled separately.

Online services

• GOV.UK One Login: the government's single sign-in, which is meant to gradually replace the others (including Government Gateway). It does not yet work for every service (for example Universal Credit).
• Proving your identity online: with the GOV.UK One Login app (a recent phone with a camera) and an unexpired foreign biometric chip passport; or by entering your document on gov.uk and then going to a post office that carries out the check in person (foreign passport, European photocard driving licence or photo national identity card from an EU country, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein accepted). The European identity card is not on the app's list, only on the post office's list.
• eVisa and UKVI account: free, they replace physical residence permits.
• National Insurance number: online application, once you are in the United Kingdom (see UK-NIF-TOUS-001).
• HMRC tax account: tax estimate, Self Assessment return, refund, change of address.
• Electoral registration: online; you are asked for your National Insurance number, but you can register without it.

In what order

1. Before you leave: get your visa or your status, and create your UKVI account to access your eVisa.
2. When you arrive: find a home; in England, your landlord must check that you have the right to rent (right to rent); you prove your status to them with your eVisa.
3. Apply for your National Insurance number as soon as you work or look for a job.
4. Register with a GP near you: no ID, proof of address or proof of status is required.
5. Tell your local council for council tax (and ask for the 25% reduction if you live alone).
6. Open a bank account, then create your GOV.UK One Login and your HMRC tax account.
7. Register on the electoral register if you are entitled to, and look into exchanging your driving licence with the DVLA (online tool on gov.uk).

Common pitfalls

• Looking for the "town hall" to register your address. No declaration of residence is provided for; what counts is council tax, the GP and the electoral register.
• Paying an intermediary for a free service. The National Insurance number, the UKVI account, the eVisa and the basic identity check are free on gov.uk.
• Proving your identity in the app with your European identity card. The app does not accept it: plan to use your biometric passport, or go through a post office, which does accept it.
• Thinking you can vote everywhere. In England and Northern Ireland, an EU citizen can only register if they had a right of residence on 31 December 2020 (without interruption since), except for Danish, Luxembourgish, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish citizens, who can register if they have a right of residence. In Scotland and Wales, the rules are broader (anyone allowed to stay).
• Forgetting that Scotland has its own services. For health, schools and some family benefits, look on mygov.scot rather than gov.uk.

What changes by country of origin

• EU, EEA and Swiss citizens: eVisa required (EU Settlement Scheme status or visa); voting depends on the date of arrival and nationality (see above).
• Irish citizens: no eVisa needed thanks to the Common Travel Area; right to vote in parliamentary elections (general election: British, Irish or Commonwealth citizens meeting the conditions) and in local elections in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, once registered on the electoral registers (gov.uk, October 2026).