NHS healthcare if you're not English

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Hi there,

are there any non-EU citizens out there with advice on giving birth in England?

I'm Australian. I've been living in the UK for about 10 years and my partner is English. However, I am not officially a British citizen or resident as I'm here on an Ancestry visa.

I do have an NHS number and an NI number.

I think it should be fine, but I occasionally get a little nervous when I imagine being turned away! haha

Any experiences/advice on this?

You're fully entitled to use the NHS on such a visa.

this should be ok

when i had dd i had ilr (indefinite leave to remain), no problems with accessing NHS stuff during pregnancy and birth

i am v obviously not from here, but no mw or other hcp referred to it.

after the initial booking appointment, where details such as NHS number were taken, i was 'in the system' and it was never brought up again

i think if you have an NHS number and an NI number you are ok

congratulations on your pregnancy + good luck

There's a reciprical (sp?) health agreement between the two countries so you should have no problems.

I'm Australian as well and have had no problems at all. Congratulations!

Hi Notjustalawyer, do you mind if I ask what visa you are on? Also, is your partner English?

Also, do you know if we qualify for the £190 maternity grant?

I don't mean to be nosy, just trying to get a little advance warning if there are going to be any bureaucratic hurdles.

My partner is sponsored (he's also Aussie) and so I have the wonderfully named "dependency visa" (ie I am dependent on him holding on to his visa/job).

I don't think we qualify for the grant as I think it fits into benefits which we're not eligible for, but I could be wrong. I meant to ask the midwife at my 16 week appointment but totally forgot. If you hear differently please let me know! :)