Life in the UK

1. Council tax – who pays and how much
Council Tax helps pay for local services like policing and rubbish collection. Council Tax applies to all domestic properties, including houses, bungalows, flats, maisonettes, mobile homes and houseboats, whether owned or rented.
For more information, including exemptions, visit: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/YourlocalcouncilandCouncilTax/ CouncilTax/DG_10037383

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2. How to apply for a National Insurance number
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/ BeginnersGuideToBenefits/DG_10014073

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3. Find your medical services (GPs, Hospitals, Dentists etc)
GPs, Hospitals, Dentists, Pharmacies (chemists), Opticians, emergencies and urgent care http://www.nhs.uk/servicedirectories/Pages/ServiceSearch.aspx

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4. How to change your GP
You may need to change your GP if you move. You may want to change for other reasons, even if you’re not moving house.

First, find a GP who’ll take you on. Ask around, and see if anybody can recommend one. Your local PALS or NHS Choices can give you a list of the doctors in your area. You may have to try more than one GP before you find one willing to accept you, especially if you live in a heavily populated area. If you can’t find a GP after several attempts, your local health authority will do it for you. Send them your medical card if you have it, or the address of your previous GP if not.

When you call at your new GP’s surgery, they may ask you why you want to change. You don’t have to give a reason but if you do, try to avoid criticising your old GP and say something positive about the new one instead. For example, the surgery may be easier to get to, the hours may be better, the GP may have a good reputation for treating young children, the practice may be larger and provide more, or you may prefer a woman doctor or one who shares your cultural background.

Leave your medical card with the receptionist. You don’t have to contact your old GP at all. If you’ve lost your medical card, your new GP will probably ask you to complete a form instead. In some cases, they may want you to get in touch with your primary care trust (the number will be listed in the phonebook) and get hold of a new medical card.

You’ll need to give the primary care trust the name and address of your old GP. If you don’t know it, the whole process could take a while. If you need treatment in the meantime, you can approach any GP, who must take you on, at least temporarily. In this case, it’s best to say at the start that you need treatment straight away, even if you’re also asking to be permanently registered with that GP.

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5. Registering the birth
Your baby’s birth must be registered within six weeks from when they were born. This will take place at the register office in the district where they were born. The contact details will be in the telephone book under the name of your local authority or you can find it through the General Register Office's website:www.gro.gov.uk

If you are married, you or the father can register the birth. If you are not married, you need to decide whether you want the father's name to appear on the birth certificate. Including his name will usually give him parental responsibility. If you want his name to appear, you must either go together to register the birth or one of you can go with an appropriate document. Your local register office will explain this process. If you do not want his name to appear, you must go yourself.

The Government plans to change the law so that joint registration, by both mother and father, becomes the normal arrangement for all unmarried parents. Your local Register Office will be able to provide detailed information about these changes when they come into effect.
If you live in a different district from the one where your baby was born, you can go to your nearest register office. The registrar will take details from you and then send them to the district where your baby was born. You will then be sent the birth certificate. You cannot claim benefits, such as child benefit, until you have a birth certificate.

All babies born in England and Wales are now given a unique NHS number at birth. Midwives request and receive a newborn baby’s NHS number. They then send this NHS number to the Registrar of Births and Deaths via your local Child Health Department.

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6. Registering new baby with your GP
Register your baby with your GP as early as possible in case you need their help. You can use the pink card that you’ll be given when you register your baby’s birth. Sign the card and take or send it to your GP. If you need the GP to see your baby before you’ve registered the birth, you can go to the surgery and fill in a registration form there. If you move, register with a new doctor close to you as soon as possible.

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7. Starting school
Early education for free
All children are entitled to some free early education from the age of three until they start school. These free sessions are available in a variety of settings in the public and private sectors, including nursery schools and classes, day nurseries, childminder networks and playgroups. To find out how to join in your free sessions, contact your local local Families Information Service (FIS), formerly Children’s Information Service on 0800 2346 346.

Legally, children must start formal education no later than the beginning of the school term following their fifth birthday. Many infant and primary schools admit children to their reception classes at four. The reception class will also be following the Early Years Foundation Stage (see below).

If you’re offered a school place for your child when they’re four, but you’d rather they started school later in the school year, you can ask the school to defer entry. But you must take the place during that school year. You can’t hold it over to the next year.

Schools can only offer a certain number of places so it’s a good idea to start looking early. You can get a list of local schools and information about them from your local education department.

The Early Years Foundation Stage
You can find out more about the framework at www.direct.gov.uk/eyfs Since September 2008, all Ofsted-registered Early Years and childcare providers, and all maintained and independent school reception classes, must use the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The EYFS is a national play-based framework designed to support the safety, learning and development of children aged from birth to five.
The EYFS enures that:
  • children learn through play
  • providers work closely with parents
  • your child is learning at home is taken into account
  • you’re kept up-to-date on your chid’s progress
  • your child gets a high quality experience regardless of the setting, and the welfare, learning and all-round development of children with different backgrounds and levels of ability, including those with special educational needs and disabilities, are taken into account

For an introduction to the EYFS, call 0845 602 2260 and ask for a copy of the leaflet, It’s Child’s Play (reference 00640-2008LEF-EN). For more information, please contact www.dcsf.gov.uk (Department for Children, Schools and Families).

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8. Registering a death
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/Death/ WhatToDoAfterADeath/DG_10029642

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9. Making arrangements for a funeral
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/Death/ WhatToDoAfterADeath/DG_10029667

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10. Driving in the UK on a foreign licence
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/ DrivingInGbOnAForeignLicence/index.htm

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11. Blue badge parking scheme
The Blue Badge scheme provides a range of parking concessions for people with severe mobility problems who have difficulty using public transport. The scheme operates throughout the UK. For more information visit: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/MotoringAndTransport/ Bluebadgescheme/DG_4001061

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12. Driving in other countries on a GB licence
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/DG_10023103

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13. Beginners' guide to pensions in the UK
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Pensionsandretirementplanning/BeginnersGuideToPensions/index.htm

Understanding the basic State Pension
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Pensionsandretirementplanning/StatePension/ Basicstatepension/DG_10014671

Company and personal pensions
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Pensionsandretirementplanning/ Companyandpersonalpensions/index.htm

Tax on company, personal or foreign pensions
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/Taxes/ TaxOnBenefitsPensionsAndMaintenance/DG_172136

State Pension for Britons living abroad
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Pensionsandretirementplanning/ StatePension/Basicstatepension/DG_10026714

Britons living abroad
Help for UK nationals who are considering moving or retiring overseas, and for those returning from abroad http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/BritonsLivingAbroad/index.htm

Pensions, benefits and tax when retiring abroad
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Pensionsandretirementplanning/ TaxandNationalInsuranceinretirement/GettingyourtaxandNationalInsuranceright/DG_10014855

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14. Public transport in the UK (TFL, Rail Network, National Express, Airports) 15. Societies, companies and organisations in the UK
Embassies and consulates in the United Kingdom Serbian Embassy, London UK, Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in London, UK, Macedonian Embassy, London UK, Croatian Embassy, London UK, Slovenian Embassy, London UK, Embassy of the Republic of Montenegro, London, UK

Other Serbian societies, companies and organisations in the UK


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16. Yellow pages
www.yell.com

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