The scoop
If you're pregnant or have given birth in the last 12 months, you can get a maternity exemption certificate. It entitles you to free NHS prescriptions, and you can use it as proof that you get free NHS dental treatment too.
Your midwife, doctor or health visitor applies for you as soon as your pregnancy is confirmed. Prescriptions are already free for everyone in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
How to claim it
- 1
Ask your midwife, doctor or health visitor to apply for your maternity exemption certificate.
- 2
Show it when you collect prescriptions or get dental treatment.
- 3
It lasts until 12 months after your due date or baby's birth.
Who qualifies
- Pregnant, or gave birth in the last 12 months
- Needed in England; prescriptions are free elsewhere in the UK