How to apply for a maternity exemption certificate

Who can have a maternity exemption certificate?

NHSBSA says you are entitled to a maternity exemption certificate if, at the time of the application, you are pregnant or you have given birth in the last 12 months. That includes a live birth or a child registerable as stillborn. The NHS pregnancy benefits page says you are usually entitled as soon as you know you are pregnant, and that you need the certificate (MatEx) for the free NHS prescriptions and free NHS dental treatment it describes.

NHSBSA is also explicit that it is the certificate that entitles you to free NHS prescriptions, not the fact of pregnancy or a recent birth on its own. If you collect an NHS prescription without a valid certificate, NHSBSA says you may be liable for a penalty charge. This page does not set a penalty figure — read the live NHSBSA wording.

NHSBSA: you can also use the certificate as proof that you are entitled to free NHS dental treatment while you are pregnant. For dental after the birth, follow the live NHS and NHSBSA pages rather than a third-party summary.

How do I apply — digital service or paper FW8?

You cannot apply yourself. NHSBSA and the NHS both say your midwife, doctor (GP) or health visitor completes the application. They can do this as soon as they confirm you are pregnant. There are two routes.

1. 1
   Ask at the next midwife, GP or health-visitor contact Say you want a maternity exemption certificate. If they have not offered it, ask. The NHS page tells you to ask if you have not been offered one.
2. 2
   Prefer the digital maternity exemption service if they are registered NHSBSA’s digital service is for registered midwives, GPs and health visitors. If they apply online and you give an email address, NHSBSA’s FAQ says the certificate is issued within 24 hours (the digital-service pages also describe an instant email certificate). Give your date of birth, NHS number, due date or birth date, and email or postal address.
3. 3
   If they cannot apply online, they submit paper FW8 FW8 is the paper application. NHSBSA says photocopies or downloaded versions are not the accepted route for patients to post themselves — the healthcare professional submits the original. NHSBSA’s apply-start page still points professionals who cannot use the digital service to FW8.
4. 4
   Wait for the certificate, then use it on the prescription form NHSBSA says mark box D on the prescription form and sign the declaration. You may be asked to show the certificate. NHSBSA also says you can still collect the NHS prescription without the card in your bag if the exemption is valid on the collection date.
5. 5
   If you need a prescription before it arrives, pay and keep FP57 NHSBSA’s how-to-apply FAQ: pay, ask the pharmacy for an FP57 receipt the same day, then apply for a refund once the certificate is in force and covers the date you paid.

NHSBSA’s digital-service pages say a paper certificate is posted within 10 working days if there is no email address, or when the paper FW8 route is used. The how-to-apply FAQ matches that 10-working-day paper figure.

When does the certificate start and expire?

Two clocks matter: the start date (when NHSBSA received the application) and the expiry date (tied to the due date or the birth). NHSBSA’s validity FAQ says the certificate must be valid on the date you collect the NHS prescription.

What if the baby is born early or late?

NHSBSA’s validity FAQ: if the baby is born prematurely, you can use the certificate until the printed expiry, because that expiry is based on the expected due date. The change-of-details FAQ says the same if the due date is earlier than first thought, or the child was born earlier than expected.

If the baby is born later than expected, NHSBSA’s main maternity-exemption page says: contact NHSBSA with a copy of the birth certificate; they will extend the expiry date and send a new certificate. The change-of-details FAQ adds: if the certificate will expire after the baby is due, you can keep using it until the birth, then send a copy of the birth certificate; if it would expire before the baby is due, send a midwife or GP letter or a MAT B1. NHSBSA says a replacement certificate is sent within 10 working days of receiving the evidence.

If you miscarry or the baby is stillborn, NHSBSA says you can continue to use the certificate for free NHS prescriptions until it expires. That is their wording, not a separate grant.

Is this the same as Healthy Start, Best Start or Sure Start?

No. A maternity exemption certificate is an NHS help-with-health-costs document for NHS prescriptions (and, on the NHS page, NHS dental treatment). It is not:

• Healthy Start — a separate England, Wales and Northern Ireland food-and-milk scheme with its own weekly amounts and application.
• Best Start Foods / Best Start Grant — Scotland’s separate payments.
• Sure Start Maternity Grant — a DWP lump sum on form SF100, which uses a MAT B1 as pregnancy evidence, not FW8.

In shortAsk the midwife, GP or health visitor to apply digitally or on FW8. NHSBSA backdates one month from receipt and sets expiry 12 months after the due date or the birth. Late birth: send the birth certificate. This is not Healthy Start or Sure Start.