Register With a GP in Westminster: No ID or Address Needed

To register with a GP in Westminster you need only your name, date of birth and an address. The NHS says plainly that you do not need ID, proof of address or proof of immigration status, and you do not need an NHS number. Most of the borough’s surgeries take registrations online, and if one turns you down it must write to you within 14 days to say why.

There are 35 GP practices with a Westminster postcode, and on 1 October 2026 they had 282,526 patients on their lists between them, according to NHS England’s monthly figures. That is far more than the 204,236 people the 2021 Census counted living in the borough, because students, people who work here and people who have moved away without changing GP all add to the lists. Here is how to get on one.

How to register online

1. Go to the NHS website’s register with a GP surgery page and search by your postcode.
2. Pick a surgery that offers online registration. Most people need to register with a surgery that covers where they live.
3. Fill in the form. The NHS says it takes about 15 minutes per person.
4. Wait to hear back. Registration usually happens within 5 days of the surgery getting your details, though it can take longer.

If you are already registered somewhere and have the NHS App, you can change surgery in the app instead. You do not need to tell your old surgery; it is told automatically.

You can also register on paper, either at the surgery’s front desk or by downloading the NHS registration form and taking it in, and some surgeries have their own online form.

What you will be asked for

The NHS lists only basic details: your name, date of birth and address, plus an emergency contact, your previous GP if you had one, and a carer if you have one. A surgery may sometimes ask for extra documents, for example to find your old medical records or to show you are the parent of a child you are registering. That is a request, not a condition of registering an adult.

No fixed address? The NHS says you can register using a temporary address, or the surgery’s own address. Westminster also has two specialist practices for homeless people: the Dr Hickey Surgery (SW1P) and the Great Chapel Street Medical Centre, which moved in 2022 from Great Chapel Street to the Soho Centre for Health and Social Care at 1 Frith Street, W1D. The NHS trust’s notice of the move describes it as a specialist GP practice commissioned to care for Westminster’s homeless population, and the Care Quality Commission lists it as run by Homeless Health CIC. Its NHS listing says it does not take online registrations, so phone the surgery.

Westminster’s GP practices

The 35 practices range from 469 patients to more than 24,000. Ten have 10,000 or more. The largest, from NHS England’s October 2026 figures:

List size tells you nothing about quality or whether a surgery is taking patients. For that, use the NHS search: each surgery’s page says whether it accepts new patients and online registration. All of the borough’s practices sit within NHS North West London, the integrated care board for Westminster.

Catchment areas and registering near work

Every practice has a boundary, and most people register with one that covers their home. You can also register permanently with a surgery outside your area, near your office for example, if it accepts out-of-area patients; the NHS search lets you filter for “Accepts out of area registrations”. With so many people working in Westminster, plenty of West End surgeries see this. The catch, says the NHS, is that it can affect home visits, out-of-hours urgent care, and community services like physiotherapy and midwifery, so ask the surgery how those work before you register.

Temporary registration

If you are in Westminster for a while but do not want to leave your home GP, for a work placement or a long visit, you can register as a temporary patient for up to 3 months using a temporary services form from the surgery. After 3 months you can reapply or register permanently. If temporary registration is refused, the NHS says you can still get any treatment you need immediately for up to 14 days.

Registering children and people you care for

Children under 16 are usually registered by a parent or guardian on a separate form. The surgery may ask you to show you are the parent, and may ask for the child’s ID and address, such as a birth certificate; bring the red book if you have it. You can also register someone you care for. If an adult cannot make decisions about their care, a relative, their main carer, an attorney or a court-appointed deputy can register them.

If a surgery refuses you

The NHS says a surgery may refuse to register you if it is not accepting new patients, if you live outside its area, or if you have been removed from its list before. It must write to you within 14 days to explain why. A surgery should not turn you away for lacking ID or proof of address.

If you cannot get registered anywhere, contact:

• NHS North West London, the integrated care board, which the NHS says to contact if you have problems registering;
• Healthwatch Westminster, the independent patient voice for the borough;
• Citizens Advice Westminster.

New to the area? Our guides to Westminster council tax bands and council tax discounts cover the other first things to sort out, and our report on the St Mary’s Hospital rebuild covers the plans for Paddington’s hospital.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need proof of address to register with a GP in Westminster? No. The NHS says you do not need ID, proof of address or proof of immigration status. You give your name, date of birth and an address, which can be temporary or the surgery’s own address if you have no fixed address.

Can I register with a GP near my work in Westminster? Yes, if the surgery accepts out-of-area registrations; filter for this on the NHS GP search. Ask how home visits, out-of-hours care and community services will work, as they can be affected.

How long does GP registration take? The NHS says it usually takes up to 5 days from the surgery receiving your details, though it can take longer. The online form takes about 15 minutes per person.

Can a GP surgery refuse to register me? Yes, if its list is closed, you live outside its area, or you have been removed from it before. It must write to you within 14 days giving the reason. If you cannot register anywhere, contact NHS North West London.

How many GP surgeries are there in Westminster? 35 practices had a Westminster postcode in NHS England’s October 2026 figures, with 282,526 registered patients between them. The largest is St John’s Wood Medical Practice with 24,184.

Is there a GP for homeless people in Westminster? Yes. The Great Chapel Street Medical Centre, now at the Soho Centre for Health and Social Care on Frith Street, is a specialist practice for homeless people, and the Dr Hickey Surgery in SW1P also serves homeless patients. Phone them to register.

Sources

NHS website, “Register with a GP surgery” (last reviewed 28 July 2025); NHS England, Patients Registered at a GP Practice, October 2026 (practice postcodes matched to Westminster with postcodes.io); NHS Organisation Data Service for practice names; ONS Census 2021 usual resident population for Westminster; Care Quality Commission and Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust on Great Chapel Street Medical Centre. Read 6 November 2026.