
1 
These Regulations may be cited as the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2025 and come into force on 8 October 2025.
2 

(1) The National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) (Scotland) Regulations 1989 are amended as follows.
(2) After regulation 4C, insert—“
4D. 

(1) No charge may be made or recovered in respect of any overseas visitor, being a person who—
(a) has been granted leave to enter the United Kingdom outside the immigration rules (made under section 3(2) of the Immigration Act 1971), and
(b) is lawfully present in the United Kingdom after being evacuated from Gaza for the purposes of undergoing treatment in the United Kingdom under the “Gaza medical evacuations”,
for services forming part of the health service which the overseas visitor receives during the period the overseas visitor is lawfully present in the United Kingdom.
(2) No charge may be made or recovered in respect of any overseas visitor, being a person who—
(a) has been granted leave to enter the United Kingdom outside the immigration rules (made under section 3(2) of the Immigration Act 1971), and
(b) is lawfully present in the United Kingdom after being evacuated from Gaza for the purposes of accompanying an overseas visitor to whom paragraph (1) applies,
for services forming part of the health service, provided only for the purpose of giving treatment the need for which arose during the visit.
(3) For the purposes of paragraph (1), the “Gaza medical evacuations” means the evacuations described in a statement to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on 1 September 2025.
(4) This paragraph applies to an overseas visitor who, during the relevant period, received services forming part of the health service and is exempt from charges for those services by virtue of paragraphs (1) or (2).
(5) An overseas visitor to whom paragraph (4) applies is to be treated for the purposes of these Regulations as if, at the time that the services forming part of the health service were provided, the overseas visitor was an overseas visitor in respect of whom no charge may be made or recovered for services forming part of the health service.
(6) A Health Board which, in respect of an overseas visitor to whom paragraph (4) applies, has—
(a) yet to make charges under regulation 2 (making and recovery of charges), must not make the charges,
(b) made charges under regulation 2 but has yet to recover the charges, must not recover the charges,
(c) made charges under regulation 2 and received payment in respect of the charges, must repay any sum paid in respect of the charges in accordance with regulation 8 (repayments).
(7) This paragraph applies to a dental practitioner, ophthalmic medical practitioner or ophthalmic optician (as the case may be) who, during the relevant period, provided an oral health assessment, dental examination, eye examination or sight test to an overseas visitor to whom paragraph (4) applies.
(8) A dental practitioner, ophthalmic medical practitioner or ophthalmic optician (as the case may be) to whom paragraph (7) applies, who has—
(a) yet to make charges under regulation 2, must not make charges under that regulation,
(b) made charges under regulation 2 but has yet to recover the charges, must not recover the charges under that regulation,
(c) made charges under regulation 2 and received payment in respect of the charges, must repay any sum paid in respect of the charges in accordance with regulation 8.
(9) In this regulation, “the relevant period” means the period beginning with 15 September 2025 to the coming into force of these Regulations.”.
NEIL GRAY
A member of the Scottish Government
St Andrew’s House,
Edinburgh
At 8.45 a.m. on 7th October 2025