The NHS are getting more particular about checking for NHS eligibility. I am going in for outpatient surgery next week and it will be my 7th visit to this same hospital in the last 18 months, including outpatient surgery 4 weeks ago (different department). I have been told to bring proof of residence plus proof of the right to residence. When I first returned here in 2016 I had to produce the same proof to register with the NHS and haven’t needed to do so since. I will be bringing a utility bill plus my British Passport.

Not sure why you are so nervous about sending “original vital docs” in the mail. You only ever have official copies. True originals never leave the archive of the government or authority in question. Your birth certificate, for example, is not the only version of it in the world. If it does get lost, it costs a tenner to get another copy. Your son’s birth certificate is not the “original” - it’s a certified copy. Again, if it gets lost it costs a few dollars to replace.

But you would always send that sort of stuff by certified mail anyway, wouldn’t you?

its more about being without them if we might need them, or delays getting replacements.
already have 2 copies of birth certs for my son, my birth certificate is a dog-eared thing, maybe I’ll order a replacement copy anyway just in case it’s needed.
just trying to avoided getting caught in a situation because the right docs aren’t to hand when needed.

sounds good, i’ll order copies for us (parents)...

our son is American so think the process is more complex as mentioned, will apply for that at a later date when we’re free of needing docs for other purposes. For example if we lost his US passport. Have several copies of his American birth certificate and he has a US passport and we have valid U.K. passports so we’re good to travel, but just trying to get all the docs organised so we have everything and so he has valid U.K. docs for the future, even if he wasn’t born in the U.K.

I’ve just applied online for my birth certificate copy, takes about a month or so to dispatch it according to website, we’ll be away before then, so regarding this trip I think we will travel with what we have, will get him his U.K. passport in due course for the future, along with any other U.K. docs he might need one day...