On 2/25/2026 at 4:18 PM, Chivas said:

Starts yakking to me saying you're not entitled to NHS free care any more (obviously I'm British) because you spend too much time out of the UK.....(no specific mention of Thailand)

Australians automatically loose their residencey when living outside Australia for more than 5 years.

You have to reapply for your residency and Medicare card after 5 years.

On 2/25/2026 at 5:57 PM, Chivas said:

Yes you're probably right

Out of interest and I forgot to put in opening post. Whilst still on the aircraft in flight the senior flight attendant having been involved approached me again and warned me that if the Ambulance attended "airside" and comes underneath the aircraft the service is not free and you will get invoiced

So a medical repatriation from Madrid after a 2 week holiday will get you charged?

That doesn't seem likely.

On 2/25/2026 at 5:57 PM, Chivas said:

Yes you're probably right

Out of interest and I forgot to put in opening post. Whilst still on the aircraft in flight the senior flight attendant having been involved approached me again and warned me that if the Ambulance attended "airside" and comes underneath the aircraft the service is not free and you will get invoiced

I queried that by saying "really" as I suspect most reading this are ! Asking if there was a way around it he said yes "are you able to walk"......I said yes for sure. I was bit wobbly on my feet but he said if you can get to immigration area go straight to one of the desks and ask for medical assistance once passport scanned in. As you're now "landside" there is no ambulance charge

I did as instructed and had Heathrow medical services with me within minutes. 2 minutes later they called for ambulance and I was on my way to Hillingdon hospital and they got bag off the carousel in interim

Your problem was the ambulance from the airport.

"I don't have a passport, I have never been abroad" is the answer to most problems. You just offered too much information.

19 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

So a medical repatriation from Madrid after a 2 week holiday will get you charged?

That doesn't seem likely.

Am purely repeating what the senior flight attendant informed me of.....Simple as that

As such yes if a medical repatriation requires an ambulance to meet the patient at the aircraft then yes the patient/insurer is apparently getting charged at some point

8 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Your problem was the ambulance from the airport.

"I don't have a passport, I have never been abroad" is the answer to most problems. You just offered too much information.

What ??? I have no idea what you're babbling about

Seriously I started this thread as a slight warning to all Brits that NHS free care is not a given. If you want to move the goalposts start your own thread

On 2/25/2026 at 8:24 PM, topt said:

Define UK citizens as based on the preceding posts that isn't always true as most people understand it.......

How would this affect you? Are you a UK citizen? Where are you presently living?

10 minutes ago, Chivas said:

What ??? I have no idea what you're babbling about

Seriously I started this thread as a slight warning to all Brits that NHS free care is not a given. If you want to move the goalposts start your own thread

Most people tend to talk a lot about where they've been and what they've been doing. Your problems were caused by your loose lips.

Glad to hear you got out of it though, good recovery.

And hope you're fully recovered from your illness.

12 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Most people tend to talk a lot about where they've been and what they've been doing. Your problems were caused by your loose lips.

Glad to hear you got out of it though, good recovery.

And hope you're fully recovered from your illness.

Nahh you dont play that shight with me fella. I avoided using the word trolling in previous post and changed it to babbling/

"Most people tend to talk a lot about where they've been and what they've been doing. Your problems were caused by your loose lips."

What loose lips you roaster ! Again what on earth are you babbling about geezer

Mods close the thread please before I get banned. The message in OP hopefully conveyed the potential issues that may arise so that will suffice

Thanks to all that responded bar one.

The UK Gov't knows every time someone enters or leaves the UK legally. When your passport is scanned by machine or Boarder Control. Those arriving by small boat are a different matter.

The gov't is using companies like Palantir along with AI to gather data on all citizens nowadays. they have a file on everyone. Even the tax man is using AI to look at bank accounts.

They can easily check everything from your entry and exit history to your State Pension and driving licence.

11 hours ago, SamSpade said:

A UK pensioner who's paid their full National Insurance (35 years for some, more complicated for others, I've paid 38 years & am told I need to pay another year to get the maximum State Pension in 7 years time), you normally wouldn't be expected to pay any further National Insurance (You can pay it if you're feeling charitable, but it gets you nothing).

Whilst NI is not covering 100% of NHS costs, it goes a long way to funding it & somebody living in the UK wouldn't be expected to pay anthing other than this, people not living in the UK can/will lose access to NHS even if they're fully paid up, it's not what you've paid, it's where you live.

I paid a the highest rate you could pay in NI from the age of 28-41 (+ bought 7 years backdated contributions & did voluntary contributions for 6 years after that) & can look forward to being charged 1.5x what any non-Brit would be charged if I needed treatment on the NHS.

Don't get me started on the "Benefits In Kind" tax I paid for a company provided BUPA policy, never used & never needed the NHS but had to pay even more tax because it was part of my package.

It all depends on who you worked for in the UK and were they 'contracted out' i had to pay additional 3 years to get a full state pension. making 42 years of contributions, if you use the government gateway portal, it would show how many years you have paid. how many additional years you need to buy, and the reason why you need more than 36 years

1 hour ago, phetphet said:

The gov't is using companies like Palantir along with AI to gather data on all citizens nowadays.

On all British citizens, that is, with a blind eye being cheerfully turned to non-Brits.

14 hours ago, CallumWK said:

If you are not registered on the UK embassy as living in Thailand, can you renew your passport in Thailand?

Not necessary to register with UK embassy in thailand.

Uk embassy in thailand not involved anymore in issuing of passports in thailand.

Vfs is the party that issues uk passports in thailand for the UK.

5 hours ago, Bredbury Blue said:

Not necessary to register with UK embassy in thailand.

Uk embassy in thailand not involved anymore in issuing of passports in thailand.

Vfs is the party that issues uk passports in thailand for the UK.

Just to re clarify a couple of points, it’s not actually possible to register with the UK Embassy in Thailand, hasn’t been possible for many years.

VFS don’t issue British Passports in Thailand, and have never done so, they forward applications and supporting documentation to HMPO in the UK.

Woman jailed due to her big mouth

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/38564980/brit-mum-on-run-bragged-benefits-luxury-abroad-jailed/

This is interesting....I didnt go looking for it it purely popped up as a suggestion on YT

13 hours ago, Chivas said:

This is interesting....I didnt go looking for it it purely popped up as a suggestion on YT

Thanks for your post. Focus is HMRC and income tax. AFAIK we can't avoid income tax being deducted from our pensions at source in UK hence I doubt we will be of much interest. Valuable information about how things work nevertheless. DWP is another matter of course. I was tipped off when I first claimed my State Pension that it was vital to maintain an operational UK mobile phone number upon their records. A UK address wasn't mentioned but I assumed that went without saying. However, that was a decade ago. Things move on. Computer systems are now designed to talk to each other.

Be ware they can now snoop on your bank and BSaccounts with ease so they know from debits where you are and where you live..

so, all you needed to do was provide evidence of your trips abroad, no need for any drama, a copy of the relevant passport pages/flight tickets would have sufficed. easy.

26 minutes ago, 3NUMBAS said:

Be ware they can now snoop on your bank and BSaccounts with ease so they know from debits where you are and where you live..

i have nothing to hide, if they are interested, and have the time, they're welcome to snoop all they like, they won't find anything.

10 hours ago, it is what it is said:

so, all you needed to do was provide evidence of your trips abroad, no need for any drama, a copy of the relevant passport pages/flight tickets would have sufficed. easy.

lol no fella !!

I was asked to provide 17 different documents ! In fact passport was not one of them surprisingly. I was in sodding hospital (one of 6 times since June 2025) and dealing with all asociated problems relating to that.

12 hours ago, 3NUMBAS said:

Be ware they can now snoop on your bank and BSaccounts with ease so they know from debits where you are and where you live..

First, who can snoop?

I doubt it's the NHS

Second, split your UK bank account from your purchases.

If your UK bank account can only see transfers to WISE, what is there to snoop on?

12 hours ago, it is what it is said:

so, all you needed to do was provide evidence of your trips abroad, no need for any drama, a copy of the relevant passport pages/flight tickets would have sufficed. easy.

I've never had a passport, so I can't show any pages.

I live in the UK and have never left it in the past 17 years.

On 2/25/2026 at 9:34 PM, scubascuba3 said:

How did she know you'd been out the country too much? usually they don't track who is leaving

In Australia, Centrelink and Medicare are informed by Australian immigration, who comes and goes.

the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, which received Royal Assent on 19 June 2025, look this up, this allows all agencies to share information the NHS is rolling this out 2026, they now see all your travel records which they get from the airlinesand all other agencies, but if you live in the UK no problem as you will be on the council tax register and voting register, registered with GP. this is all checked automatically if you show no digital foot print in the UK, then the agecy will contact you directly, the main issue for retired British people abroad with no insurance, is thinking if i get ill i will just fly back to UK and use the NHS, as the OP pointed out he was visited in hospital by the recovery team, i have seen a few reports elsewhere of people returning form Spain in the same situation, it is only going to get harder to fool the system

16 minutes ago, howerde said:

the main issue for retired British people abroad with no insurance, is thinking if i get ill i will just fly back to UK and use the NHS, as the OP pointed out he was visited in hospital by the recovery team, i have seen a few reports elsewhere of people returning form Spain in the same situation, it is only going to get harder to fool the system

Indeed and I wasnt looking to game the system at all

The rules state that at 90 days out of UK there "may" be a requalifying period but from that interrogation I got lol am wondering if in hindsight its becoming a cumulative 90 days over a certain period....a year perhaps

Any way it got sorted and that near £15,000 invoice waas wiped but like I said one or two might have paid it automatically

7 minutes ago, Chivas said:

Indeed and I wasnt looking to game the system at all

The rules state that at 90 days out of UK there "may" be a requalifying period but from that interrogation I got lol am wondering if in hindsight its becoming a cumulative 90 days over a certain period....a year perhaps

Any way it got sorted and that near £15,000 invoice waas wiped but like I said one or two might have paid it automatically

After your first post, i did look it up on the NHS gov website, and what it says is, if you are going abroad for more than 90 days then you should inform your GP surgery and you are removed fron the list, when/if you return to the UK you are then supposed to re register with a GP surgery once this is enforced, there are going to be a lot of retirees finding themselves removed from the NHS

I am glad you had this sorted in your favour, but should act as a warning for other Brits abroad

5 minutes ago, howerde said:

I am glad you had this sorted in your favour, but should act as a warning for other Brits abroad

I have said many times on this forum last 20 years plus (and whilst not all will agree) I've always said dont burn your bridges back home completely

Maintain GP maintain bank accounts use childrens address for correspondance albeit very little these days as everything online regards the latter

simply grow a beard and feign "dumbness", having destroyed your passport and disposed of your mobile phone , then engage the services of a human rights/ immigration lawyer, occasionally shouting Ali Akbar works for all the illegals who despise us

1 hour ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

In Australia, Centrelink and Medicare are informed by Australian immigration, who comes and goes.

What if you left before immigration kept records?