GovWire

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You might be able to get a refund from the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) if you paid the immigration health surcharge (IHS) and youre a student from:

• the EU
• Switzerland
• Norway
• Iceland
• Liechtenstein

Eligibility

You must have paid IHS and all of the following must be true:

• youre in full-time higher education in the UK
• you have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) issued in an EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
• you live in the UK and have a UK address - this can be student accommodation

Your visa must have started on or after:

• 1 January 2021 - if your EHIC was issued in the EU or Norway
• 1 November 2021 - if your EHIC was issued in Switzerland
• 1 January 2024 - if your EHIC was issued in Iceland or Liechtenstein

If youre a student from Norway

If youre applying for a refund of IHS payments made between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2023, contact the NHSBSA for an application form. Youll need your passport.

If youre applying for a refund of payments made on or after 1 January 2024, you can apply online. Youll need to provide a valid EHIC.

If youre a student from Iceland or Liechtenstein

Your IHS refund will be backdated to 1 January 2024, even if your visa started earlier.

If youre a student from Denmark

There is a different way to get your IHS refund because youll have an EU-issued S1 certificate.

If you do not have an EU-issued S1 certificate youll need to ask the local authority in your country to give you one. You can either:

• contact them yourself
• contact the NHSBSA who can contact them for you

If you want to get a job while you study

You will not be eligible for a refund if you work or intend to work in the UK while you study. This is because if you start paid work your EHIC may become invalid and you will not be able to use it to access healthcare.

Dependants

Your partner and children (dependants) may be eligible for a refund if all of the following are true:

• they are in the UK on a visa that started on or after 1 January 2021
• they have a valid EHIC
• they do not work or intend to work in the UK

Your dependants may be eligible for a refund even if you are not.

What youll need to apply online

Youll need:

• your IHS number - you can find this in the confirmation email you received from Worldpay when you paid
• your share code to prove your immigration status
• your UK address
• your email address
• a copy of your EHIC
• copies of your documents to prove youre a student in full-time higher education

You can upload copies as a scan or a photo.

Documents you can use to prove youre in full-time higher education

Youll need a copy of either:

• the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from your course provider
• a letter confirming enrolment from your course provider

Apply online

If your application is successful, the NHSBSA will send the money within 3 months. It will be sent to the account that was used to pay for the IHS.

If you used a third party to pay for the IHS, the refund will go to their account.