United Kingdom government paperwork, step by step.

Are you self-employed? Are you a landlord? Do you have income that has not been taxed? Then you must sign up for Self Assessment. You get a UTR. You must file your return by 31 January after the tax year ends. File online. Pay by the deadline. Watch out for payments on account. They can surprise you. From 6 April 2027 the trading allowance rises to £3,000, the Making Tax Digital limit drops to £30,000, and property and savings income is taxed at 24%, 44% and 49%.

8 steps · 1–2 hours (plus registration wait)2025-Latest

HMRC takes too much tax from millions of workers each year. This often happens because of emergency tax codes. It can also happen when you change jobs mid-year. Or when you do not claim reliefs you are owed. Check your Personal Tax Account. Most people claim a refund online in 5 minutes. HMRC also sends P800 letters for many overpayments.

6 steps · 5 min check; online refunds usually within 2 weeks2025-Latest

Did you stop working part-way through the tax year? Did you pay too much tax? Form P50 asks HMRC to check and refund the overpayment. It takes 15 minutes online. Repayments usually arrive within 4 weeks.

7 steps · 15 minutes2025-Latest

Did you take part of your pension as a flexible lump sum? Were you taxed at an emergency rate? Form P55 reclaims the overpayment. HMRC repays within about 4 weeks. Refunds commonly run into the hundreds or thousands of pounds.

6 steps · 20 minutes2025-Latest

Form R40 is the catch-all HMRC repayment claim for people who do not file Self Assessment. Use it for overtaxed bank interest. Use it for years when your income went down. Use it for tax wrongly deducted before you left the UK.

6 steps · 30–60 minutes2025-Latest

HMRC taxes crypto like any other thing you own. You pay Capital Gains Tax when you sell or swap it for a profit. You pay Income Tax on staking rewards and on mining. Most people only need to fill in the CGT pages of a Self Assessment return. You also need good records of every trade.

6 steps · 2–4 hours2025-Latest

Apply online on gov.uk. Pay the fee. Pay the immigration health surcharge too. Book an appointment at a visa application centre (VAC) for your fingerprints and photo. Then wait for a decision. Most decisions come within 3 weeks. If you pass, you get a vignette in your passport or an eVisa.

8 steps · About 3 weeks (most routes)2026-Latest

You must live in the UK for 5 years. You must then have settled status or indefinite leave for 12 months. Next, pass the Life in the UK test. Pass an English test too. Apply on Form AN with referees. Go to a citizenship ceremony. Then you become British.

8 steps · About 6 months2026-Latest

The deadline for most EU citizens was 30 June 2021, but you can still apply late if you have a good reason. You apply in an app. You prove who you are. You prove where you have lived. You get settled status if you have lived here for 5+ years. Or you get pre-settled status if you have lived here for less time.

6 steps · Usually days; complex cases can take longer2025-Latest

The Skilled Worker visa is the main UK work route. You need a job offer from a licensed sponsor. The pay must be at or above the salary threshold. This is £41,700 as the general threshold, or the going rate for the job if that is higher. Lower rates apply for new entrants and for health and care roles. Then you apply online with your Certificate of Sponsorship. You pay the fee and the immigration health surcharge. You also give your biometrics. From spring 2027 the salary rules change: going rates drop from the median wage to the 25th percentile, the general threshold is uprated on 2026 wage data, and the PhD discount goes. Those changes are announced, not yet in force.

8 steps · 3–8 weeks end to end2026-Latest

Indefinite Leave to Remain, ILR, is how you settle in the UK for good. It lets you live, work and study here as long as you like, claim benefits if you are eligible, and apply for British citizenship after 12 months. Today you can usually apply after 5 years on a work or family visa. That is about to change. On 2 November 2026 the government announced earned settlement: the standard wait rises from 5 years to 10 years. That plan is announced, not law yet. This guide sets out what applies today, what has been announced, and what is still unknown.

8 steps · About 6 months for a decision (standard service)2026-Latest

A National Insurance (NI) number is your UK tax and benefits ID. You apply online. You prove who you are. The number comes by post. You can start work before it arrives.

6 steps · Up to 4 weeks after proving identity2025-Latest

Apply online at gov.uk. HMPO says you will usually get your passport within 3 weeks after they receive your documents. A first passport can take longer if you need an interview or extra checks. You need a digital photo that follows strict rules. If this is your first passport, or a replacement for a lost or stolen one, another person must also confirm who you are. This person is called a countersignatory.

7 steps · Usually within 3 weeks (UK applications)2026-Latest

A British passport renewal is done online at gov.uk by most adults. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes. You need a digital photo that follows the rules, the online form, and £102 (fees from 8 April 2026). Most renewals arrive within 3 weeks. If your old passport is not damaged, you usually do not need a countersignatory, and you do not need to post anything.

7 steps · Up to 3 weeks (standard)2026-Latest

Apply for a provisional licence. Then pass the theory test and the practical test. If you have a foreign licence, check if you can swap it for a UK licence. You may not need to take any tests.

6 steps · 3–6 months (learner route)2025-Latest

A share code is a short code from your UKVI account. You give it to an employer or a landlord, and they use it to check your immigration status online. BRP cards ended in 2024/25 and eVisas took their place. Now, a share code is how you prove your right to work and your right to rent.

5 steps · 10 minutes2025-Latest

Report the loss first, online or by phone. This cancels the passport. Then apply for a replacement online. A replacement costs the same as a renewal. But it can take longer because of extra identity checks. You also need a countersignatory if the passport was lost or stolen.

6 steps · Usually within 3 weeks; longer if extra checks are needed2026-Latest

You need a UK bank account for your salary, rent, and bills. But most banks want proof of address. This is hard in your first weeks. App-based banks (Monzo, Starling, Revolut) often take on newcomers with just a passport and a visa. The nine largest personal current account providers must also offer a free basic account to people who can get one. This is for people who live in the UK legally and do not have another UK payment account with those features.

6 steps · 1 day to 2 weeks2025-Latest

Your photocard licence expires every 10 years. The DVLA usually sends a reminder. But if you drive on an expired photocard, you risk a £1,000 fine. A driver licence renewal online costs £14 in total. It takes about a week if you have a valid UK passport for the photo. Renewing by post costs £17 and is slower. Only the card expires. Your right to drive does not.

5 steps · 1–3 weeks2026-Latest

A lost photocard costs £20 to replace online. It takes about a week to arrive. If it was stolen, report it to the police first. You will get a crime reference number. You can keep driving while you wait for the new card. You must be entitled to drive. You must also be able to prove you applied. If the original turns up after you reported it lost, do not drive on it. Send it back to the DVLA instead.

4 steps · About 1 week2026-Latest

Universal Credit is the main benefit in the UK for people of working age. You claim online. You go to an interview to prove who you are. Your first payment comes after a 5-week wait. You can ask for an advance payment to help during the wait. Keep to your commitments, or your payments may be cut.

6 steps · About 5 weeks to first payment2026-Latest

Register with an NHS GP surgery near you. You do not need proof of address to register. You do not need to show your immigration status. Book appointments online or by phone. Use 111 or A&E only when you really need them.

6 steps · Same week (most surgeries)2025-Latest

Child Benefit pays £27.05 a week for your eldest child. It pays £17.90 for each additional child (2026/27 rates). Apply through your HMRC online account or use form CH2 to apply. Claim even if the high income charge applies to you. Claiming protects your State Pension record. It also means your child gets an NI number automatically at 16.

5 steps · As little as 3 days (online) to 16 weeks (paper claim)2026-Latest

The UK GHIC gets you state healthcare in EU countries when you need it for medical reasons. The older EHIC does the same. You pay the same cost as a local resident. This is usually free or heavily discounted. The card is free. It takes 10 minutes to apply online. Every UK resident should carry one when travelling to Europe.

5 steps · 10 minutes online; card arrives in up to 15 working days2025-Latest

PIP helps people aged 16 to State Pension age. It is for people whose long-term health condition or disability affects daily life. It has two parts: daily living and mobility. Each part is paid at a standard rate or an enhanced rate. The rate depends on the points you score in the assessment. You start by phone with the DWP. Then you fill in the detailed PIP2 form. You usually have an assessment too. Most claims take several months.

7 steps · 3–5 months typical2026-Latest

You do not get the State Pension automatically. You have to claim it. The full new State Pension is £241.30 a week (2026/27). You need 35 qualifying years to get the full amount. You need at least 10 years to get anything at all. You can claim online with your invitation code. You can claim by phone. Or you can claim by post. Your first payment comes no later than 5 weeks after your chosen start date. After that, you are paid every 4 weeks.

9 steps · 30 min to claim; first payment within 5 weeks2026-Latest

Register a private limited company online at Companies House for £100, choose your directors. Give your SIC code. Then register for Corporation Tax within 3 months of starting to trade.

6 steps · 24 hours (online registration)2025-Latest

An unsecured loan is also called a personal loan. You do not need collateral. Your house or car is not at risk. It has a fixed rate, a fixed monthly payment, and a fixed end date. The term is usually 1–7 years. UK banks show you your real rate before you apply. They use a soft-search eligibility check. So you can compare without harming your credit score.

6 steps · Same-day decision; funding usually 1–5 working days2025-Latest

Bad credit in the UK pushes you towards expensive credit. But there are truly cheaper routes. These include credit unions, Community Development Finance Institutions, guarantor options, and credit-builder products. FCA price caps limit the worst of the market. The real danger is fee-advance scams. Another danger is offers you did not ask for that say "no credit check."

6 steps · 1–7 days depending on the route2025-Latest

The government-backed Start Up Loans scheme lends £500–£25,000 per person. It charges a fixed 7.5% interest. You can use it to start or grow a business. It is given as a personal loan. It is for new businesses or businesses trading under 60 months. So you do not need a long trading history. Established businesses go to banks and the British Business Bank ecosystem. They borrow 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

In the UK, there is no single loan called a home equity loan. There are three main ways to borrow against your home. You can remortgage for a larger amount. You can take a further advance from your current lender. Or you can take a second-charge secured loan. This loan sits behind your main mortgage. All three ways put your home at risk if you cannot pay. The key choice is which way costs you the least for your needs.

6 steps · 4–8 weeks remortgage; 3–6 weeks secured loan2025-Latest

A bridging loan is a short-term loan secured against property. It bridges the gap between two events. Terms are usually 3–24 months. Regulated residential bridges are currently capped at 12 months. People most often use one to buy a new home before the old one sells. They also use one to buy a property before long-term finance is ready. This money is expensive. But it is fast. Funds can arrive in days.

6 steps · Days to arrange; terms run 1–24 months2026-Latest

Call 999 if a crime is happening now or someone is in danger. Call 101 or report online for everything else. Always ask for the crime reference number. Insurers, banks, and embassies need it. Report fraud and cybercrime to Report Fraud, not to the local police.

6 steps · 15–30 minutes2025-Latest

UK law is clear about what to do after an accident. Stop. Switch off the engine. Put your hazard lights on. Then swap names, addresses, registration numbers, and insurance details with everyone involved. If someone is hurt, you must report it to the police within 24 hours. You must also report it if you did not swap details. Tell your insurer quickly, even if you do not plan to claim. Take photos of everything before the vehicles move.

7 steps · Claims take weeks to months2026-Latest

Get a place with a licensed student sponsor. Get your CAS. Show you have £1,529/month for living costs in London. You must hold the money for 28 days. This amount rises to £1,570/month from 30 November 2026 onwards. Apply online and give your biometrics. After you graduate, the Graduate route lets you stay and work for 2 years. If you apply from 1 January 2027 onwards, you can stay for 18 months. Budget 2026 says graduates of high-compliance universities with strong job outcomes will keep 2 years, but no list of universities has been published yet, so plan for 18 months.

6 steps · About 3 weeks2026-Latest

Your plan number depends on when and where you studied. It can be 1, 2, 4, 5, or postgraduate. Your plan changes everything. It sets the salary level where repayments start. It sets the percentage taken. It also sets 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

It takes about 5 minutes to register to vote online at gov.uk. You need your National Insurance number and your address. You must register again 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

You must register every birth in England, Wales and Northern Ireland within 42 days. In Scotland, you must register within 21 days. You register at a register office. Registration is free. You only pay for certified copies of the birth certificate. Your child will need these copies for life, for passports, benefits, and school enrolment.

6 steps · 30-minute appointment (within 42 days of the birth)2025-Latest

Before you can marry or form a civil partnership in England and Wales, both partners must "give notice". Do this at your local register office. Do it at least 28 days beforehand. Foreign nationals on visas are often referred to the Home Office. This extends the wait to 70 days. So give notice early.

6 steps · 30-minute appointment; notice valid 12 months2025-Latest

A Blue Badge lets you park closer to where you are going. You can park on yellow lines and in disabled bays. Parking is often free. Some people qualify automatically. This includes people with PIP mobility, higher-rate DLA mobility, people registered blind, and people with the War Pensioners mobility supplement. Other people are assessed by their council. The council looks at how walking affects them. Apply through GOV.UK or your local council. Badges last 3 years.

5 steps · 6–12 weeks typical2026-Latest

By law, you must have car insurance in the UK. The lowest level is third party only. Prices vary a lot between insurers for the same cover. You save money by comparing well. Be accurate about your details. Know which add-ons to skip.

7 steps · 1–2 hours2025-Latest

Travel insurance from the UK covers what your GHIC does not. This includes repatriation, cancellation, and theft. The main rule is simple. Tell the insurer about every medical condition honestly. If you do not declare a condition, the insurer can void your medical cover. Medical cover is the whole point of the policy.

7 steps · 1 hour2025-Latest