GP on Fiance Visa

Hi there, I just wanted to check- my wife is currently on fiance visa. She is registered with the NHS but has had no treatment or GP visits yet.  She takes medicine (nothing serious) but doesn't have an endless supply. Hopefully we will get her FLR(M) visa soon, but if she needed to go to the doctor to be prescribed more medicine in the interim while still on fiance visa, is this OK? My understanding there is no charge for visiting the doctors, just for any actual treatment (eg blood tests) and such. She would pay for her prescription like I would as a British Citizen. Is it OK for her to do this while still on fiance visa?

She can use the NHS on a fiancé visa however, she will have to:
- pay for all treatment
- pay full price for all prescriptions (not the £8.60 subsidised NHS charge but the full cost of the medicine/prescription)

Does she have health/travel insurance to cover her during the fiancé visa?

If so, she will pay 100% of the cost of the treatment/prescriptions, but if she does not have insurance, she will be charged 150% of the cost.


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She can use the NHS on a fiancé visa however, she will have to:
- pay for all treatment
- pay full price for all prescriptions (not the £8.60 subsidised NHS charge but the full cost of the medicine/prescription)

Does she have health/travel insurance to cover her during the fiancé visa?

If so, she will pay 100% of the cost of the treatment/prescriptions, but if she does not have insurance, she will be charged 150% of the cost.


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Thanks for the information  I didn't know the 100 - 150% thing applied to paying for prescriptions. I think my wife's insurance covers her being here, but we need to double check. I don't want to waste money but I am wondering if it's possible to just ask to pay the 150% just to be safe. I take it she will just pay the subsidised £8.60 charge once she has FLR(M)?

Thanks for the information  I didn't know the 100 - 150% thing applied to paying for prescriptions.

As far as I am aware, it applies to any healthcare treatment received while in the UK. She is not entitled to use the NHS for ‘free’ therefore she is not entitled to the subsidised prescription charge either, because that comes under ‘free’ NHS care.

I think my wife's insurance covers her being here, but we need to double check. I don't want to waste money but I am wondering if it's possible to just ask to pay the 150% just to be safe.

That’s the first time I’ve heard of anyone wanting to pay the 150% . She will be asked to show she has health insurance - if she can provide that proof she will be charged 100%, if she can’t, she will be charged 150%.

It’s essentially a requirement of the fiancé visa that she has health insurance while in the UK on that visa, so it should have been one of the first things she made sure she had before even arriving.

I take it she will just pay the subsidised £8.60 charge once she has FLR(M)?

Yes, but she will be required to pay the £1,000 IHS surcharge as part of her FLR(M) application, in order to get her healthcare for ‘free’.



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Thanks very much for the answer  After speaking with my wife I am satisfied her insurance covers her here- we will get some evidence of her insurance sorted out so that if we need to collect a prescription it is straightforward.

If she was to visit the doctor after the FLR(M) was applied for but before a decision was made and passport returned, I am guessing there's no issues if she had answered "No" to the question about receiving healthcare in the UK. We're not trying to do anything below the radar etc, just checking in case it works out that way.

Thanks very much for the answer  After speaking with my wife I am satisfied her insurance covers her here- we will get some evidence of her insurance sorted out so that if we need to collect a prescription it is straightforward.

If she was to visit the doctor after the FLR(M) was applied for but before a decision was made and passport returned, I am guessing there's no issues if she had answered "No" to the question about receiving healthcare in the UK. We're not trying to do anything below the radar etc, just checking in case it works out that way.

She would still want to pay for any and all treatments prior to receiving her FLR(M).  Part of the application checks with the NHS (central records) to see if there has been any treatment.  So while  you would have been honest in saying no at the time of application, if there is a balance due, her visa has the potential of being refused.

This is one of the many reasons we recommend not taking the fiance visa route. 

She would still want to pay for any and all treatments prior to receiving her FLR(M).  Part of the application checks with the NHS (central records) to see if there has been any treatment.  So while  you would have been honest in saying no at the time of application, if there is a balance due, her visa has the potential of being refused.

This is one of the many reasons we recommend not taking the fiance visa route. 

Haha, fair enough. Thank you for the help. It is all rather complicated, but I appreciate the help here because it is important to us that we get this all right