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Papers · the UK
Updated September 2026

🌍 I am moving abroad — what do I have to deregister and arrange?

Direct answer

Deregister from the population register at HMRC — National Insurance number / General Register Office (0800 141 2079) in the days before or after you leave — it ends your municipal obligations and starts your emigration for tax and social security. Then DWP — mandatory reconsideration / tribunal appeal (0800 169 0310): a final tax return, your new address, and whether you stay taxable on income from the UK. NHS — register with a GP / NHS 111 (111): what happens to your pension rights, health insurance and any benefits, and the forms to take (S1, U1, A1, pension statements). Keep your digital ID active if the country allows non-residents to use it — it makes everything from abroad easier.

There is no address registration in the UK. 'Registering' means telling HMRC, the DVLA, your GP surgery, your bank and the electoral register — and applying for a National Insurance number if you are new.

Call firstHMRC — National Insurance number / General Register Office
Report toDWP — mandatory reconsideration / tribunal appeal
If that failsNHS — register with a GP / NHS 111

🗣️ What to say

"I am moving to [country] on [date] and will live at [address]. I would like to deregister as of that date, receive confirmation, and know what I must arrange with the tax office and social security before I leave."

🪜 Step by step

  1. Deregister: HMRC — National Insurance number / General Register OfficeWithin the deadline around the move date. Get the written confirmation — other countries ask for it.
  2. Tax: DWP — mandatory reconsideration / tribunal appealNew address, the emigration return, and any continuing tax on property or pensions from the UK. Double-tax treaties decide.
  3. Social security and health: NHS — register with a GP / NHS 111Health insurance ends with residence in most countries; the new country covers you. Pension years are kept and added up across the EU.
  4. Documents to takeBirth/marriage certificates (multilingual forms), driving licence, registration history, pension statements, U1 if you may claim unemployment benefit abroad.
  5. MoneyKeep one account open for refunds and the last bills; update the bank with the foreign address (some banks close accounts for non-residents — ask).

📇 All contacts

HMRC — National Insurance number / General Register OfficeNI number, birth/marriage certificates; no address registration in the UKOn arrival and for certificates📞 0800 141 2079🔗 www.gov.uk/apply-national-insurance-number
DWP — mandatory reconsideration / tribunal appealBenefits, overpayments, appeals within 1 monthWithin 1 month of the decision📞 0800 169 0310🔗 www.gov.uk/mandatory-reconsideration
NHS — register with a GP / NHS 111GP registration, NHS complaints (PALS)For finding a doctor and care questions📞 111🔗 www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/gps/how-to-register-with-a-gp-surgery
Your local councilNoise, waste, roads, housing standards, licensing, lost propertyFor anything the council handles🔗 www.gov.uk/find-local-council

❓ Frequently asked

Can I keep my health insurance?

Usually not once you no longer live in the country, unless you are posted by an employer (A1). Pensioners moving within the EU get the S1 form.

Will I lose my pension years?

No — EU coordination adds them up and each country pays its share when you retire. Keep every statement.

I might come back

Nothing prevents re-registering. Do not keep a fake registration "just in case" — it creates tax and benefit problems.

📎 Sources

Last checked: 2026-09-26

🔎 Common searches

Recognise your own search? The answer above covers all of these.

  • “moving abroad deregister the UK”
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🧭 Is this still correct?

We check this information carefully, but phone numbers, websites and rules change — and sometimes we get something wrong. Spotted a mistake or a change? Let us know below.

🔗 Related questions

🚚Register your address→🆘Help abroad→📜Apostille→🔢National ID number→

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