United Kingdom paperwork, step by step.
United Kingdom
34 guides
211 steps
149 documents listed
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One format: documents, offices, forms, waits, and costs — in the order you actually live them.
Taxes
Tax returns, refunds, tax IDs, and self-employment tax basics
6 guides
Immigration
Visas, permanent residence, citizenship, and status paperwork
4 guides
IDs & Licenses
Passports, driver's licenses, national ID numbers, vital records
6 guides
Benefits & Health
Public health coverage, disability and income benefits
4 guides
Business
Company registration, tax IDs, and starting a business the right way
6 guides
Accidents & Emergencies
Crashes, police reports, insurance claims, and replacing stolen documents
1 guides
Students
Student visas, study permits, loans, and study paperwork
2 guides
Civic Life
Voter registration, jury duty, and records requests
3 guides
All Guides
Every UK guide, start to finish
Each guide includes a document checklist, a step timeline, official links, and answers to the questions people actually ask.
Taxes
6 guides
How to File a UK Self Assessment Tax Return
If you are self-employed, a landlord, or have untaxed income, you must register for Self Assessment, get a UTR, and file by 31 January after the tax year. File online, pay by the deadline, and watch out for payments on account.
7 steps · 1–2 hours (plus registration wait)2025-Latest
How to Claim a Tax Refund in the UK
HMRC over-collects tax from millions of workers each year through emergency tax codes, mid-year job changes, and unclaimed reliefs. Check your Personal Tax Account — most refunds are claimed in 5 minutes online, and HMRC automatically posts P800 letters for many overpayments.
6 steps · 5 min check; refunds pay in 2–6 weeks2025-Latest
How to Claim a Tax Refund After Leaving a Job (Form P50)
Stopped working part-way through the tax year and paid too much tax? Form P50 asks HMRC to check and refund the overpayment — it takes 15 minutes online and repayments usually arrive within 4 weeks.
7 steps · 15 minutes2025-Latest
How to Claim a Pension Tax Refund (Forms P55, P53Z)
Took part of your pension as a flexible lump sum and got taxed at an emergency rate? Form P55 reclaims the overpayment — HMRC repays within about 4 weeks, and the average refund runs to hundreds of pounds.
6 steps · 20 minutes2025-Latest
Immigration
4 guides
How to Apply for a UK Visa (Work, Study, Family)
Apply online on gov.uk, pay the fee plus the immigration health surcharge, book biometrics at a visa application centre (VAC), and wait for a decision. Most decisions come back within 3 weeks; you get a vignette in your passport or an eVisa.
8 steps · About 3 weeks (most routes)2025-Latest
How to Apply for British Citizenship (Naturalisation)
After 5 years of residence (12 months with settled status or indefinite leave), pass the Life in the UK test and an English test, apply on Form AN with referees, and attend a citizenship ceremony to become British.
8 steps · About 6 months2025-Latest
How to Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (Settled Status)
The deadline for most EU citizens was 30 June 2021, but you can still make a LATE application with a valid reason. The application is app-based: prove identity, verify residence, and get settled (5+ years) or pre-settled status.
6 steps · Usually days, up to 5 days for complex cases2025-Latest
How to Apply for a UK Skilled Worker Visa
The Skilled Worker visa is the main UK work route. You need a job offer from a licensed sponsor at or above the salary threshold (£38,700 general threshold, with lower rates for new entrants, health/care, and shortage occupations), then apply online with your Certificate of Sponsorship, pay the fee plus the immigration health surcharge, and give biometrics.
7 steps · 3–8 weeks end to end2025-Latest
IDs & Licenses
6 guides
How to Apply for a National Insurance Number (UK)
A National Insurance (NI) number is your UK tax and benefits ID. You apply by phone, prove your identity at a Jobcentre Plus interview (if required), and the number arrives by post — you can start working before it arrives.
6 steps · Up to 16 weeks2025-Latest
How to Apply for a UK Passport
Apply online at gov.uk — renewals take about 3 weeks and first adult passports about 6 weeks. You need a digital photo meeting strict rules, and first-time or replacement applicants need someone to countersign.
7 steps · 3 weeks (renewal) to 6 weeks (first passport)2025-Latest
How to Get a UK Driving Licence
Apply for a provisional licence, pass the theory and practical tests, or — if you hold a foreign licence — check whether you can exchange it directly without taking tests.
6 steps · 3–6 months (learner route)2025-Latest
How to Get a Share Code (Prove Right to Work or Rent in the UK)
A share code is a one-time code from your UKVI account that lets an employer or landlord check your immigration status online. Since eVisas replaced BRPs in 2024/25, share codes are how you prove your right to work and rent.
5 steps · 10 minutes2025-Latest
Benefits & Health
4 guides
How to Apply for Universal Credit (UK Benefits)
Universal Credit is the UK's main working-age benefit. Claim online, attend an identity interview, survive the 5-week wait with an advance payment, and keep your commitments to avoid sanctions.
6 steps · About 5 weeks to first payment2025-Latest
How to Register with a GP (NHS) and See a Doctor
Register with an NHS GP surgery near you — you do not need proof of address or immigration status to register. Book appointments online or by phone, and use 111 or A&E only when appropriate.
6 steps · Same week (most surgeries)2025-Latest
How to Apply for Child Benefit in the UK
Child Benefit pays £26.05 a week for your eldest child and £17.25 for each additional child (2025/26 rates). Apply through your HMRC online account or form CH2 — and claim even if the high income charge applies, because claiming protects your State Pension record and your child gets an NI number automatically at 16.
5 steps · 2–4 weeks to first payment2025-Latest
How to Apply for a UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC)
The UK GHIC (and the older EHIC) gets you medically necessary state healthcare in EU countries at the same cost as a local resident — usually free or heavily discounted. It is free, takes 10 minutes to apply for online, and every UK resident should carry one when travelling to Europe.
5 steps · 10 minutes online; card arrives in 10 days2025-Latest
Business
6 guides
How to Register a Limited Company (UK)
Register a private limited company online at Companies House for £50, appoint directors, state your SIC code, and register for Corporation Tax within 3 months of trading.
6 steps · 24 hours (online registration)2025-Latest
How to Get a Personal Loan in the UK (Unsecured Loans Explained)
An unsecured (personal) loan needs no collateral — no house or car at risk — with a fixed rate, fixed monthly payment, and a fixed end date, usually over 1–7 years. UK banks show you your real rate through a soft-search eligibility check before you apply, so you can compare without touching your credit score.
6 steps · Same-day decision; funding usually 1–5 working days2025-Latest
How to Get a Loan with Bad Credit in the UK (Without the Traps)
Bad credit in the UK pushes you toward expensive credit, but there are genuinely cheaper routes: credit unions, Community Development Finance Institutions, guarantor options, and credit-builder products. FCA price caps bound the worst of the market — the real danger is fee-advance scams and unsolicited "no credit check" offers.
6 steps · 1–7 days depending on the route2025-Latest
How to Get a Business Loan in the UK (Start Up Loans and Banks)
The government-backed Start Up Loans scheme lends £500–£25,000 per person at a fixed 6% interest to start or grow a business — delivered as a personal loan, so no trading history needed. Established businesses go to banks and the British Business Bank ecosystem for larger amounts against cash flow or assets.
6 steps · From a few days (Start Up Loans: weeks) to 2–3 months (secured bank lending)2025-Latest
Students
2 guides
How to Apply for a UK Student Visa
Get accepted by a licensed student sponsor, receive your CAS, prove £1,483/month (London) in maintenance funds for 28 days, apply online, and give biometrics. After graduation the Graduate route lets you stay 2 years to work.
6 steps · About 3 weeks2025-Latest
What Student Loan Plan Am I On? (Check, Repay, and Write-Off Rules)
Your plan number — 1, 2, 4, 5, or postgraduate — is set by when and where you studied, and it changes everything: the salary threshold repayments start at, the percentage taken, and the date the debt is wiped. Two minutes on the government repayment site tells you which plan you are on.
6 steps · 15 minutes to check2025-Latest
Civic Life
3 guides
How to Register to Vote in the UK
Registering to vote takes about 5 minutes online at gov.uk. You need your National Insurance number and address, and you must re-register every time you move. Since 2023, you also need photo ID to vote in person at UK-wide elections.
6 steps · 5 minutes online2025-Latest
How to Register a Birth in the UK
Every birth in England and Wales must be registered within 42 days (21 days in Scotland) at a register office. Registration itself is free — you pay only for certified copies of the birth certificate, which your child will need for passports, benefits, and school enrolment for life.
6 steps · 30-minute appointment (within 42 days of the birth)2025-Latest
How to Give Notice of Marriage in the UK
Before you can marry or form a civil partnership in England and Wales, both partners must "give notice" at their local register office at least 28 days beforehand. Foreign nationals on visas are often referred to the Home Office, extending the wait to 70 days — so give notice early.
6 steps · 30-minute appointment; notice valid 12 months2025-Latest
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