Settling in · Oxfordshire
Landing in Oxfordshire? Start here.
The first fortnight in Oxfordshire, in order: the paperwork that has to happen, then the places that make it feel like somewhere you could stay.
Week one and two
The order to do things in
1
Ring your Sama contact when you land
Whoever placed you. Tell them you arrived and that you are all right.
2
Apply for your National Insurance number
You can start work before it arrives, but do not leave it: your tax will be wrong until you have it.
3
Open a bank account
Passport, visa or share code, and proof of address. A letter from your employer usually does it.
4
Get a UK SIM
A local number makes the bank and the GP straightforward.
5
Register with a GP
Free at the point of use. Do it in your first week.
6
Check your tax code with HMRC
Get on the right code early or you will be paying too much for months.
7
Save your share code
You will be asked to prove your right to work and rent more than once.
8
Find the nearest shop, place of worship and club
The part that decides whether you stay, and the part no handbook covers.
Official, and free
Official finders
Run by the State, so they stay current. Search each one for your own town.
Find a GPThe NHS list of GP surgeries, searchable by postcode.Apply for a National Insurance numberYou need one to be taxed correctly. Apply once you are in the UK.Find an NHS dentistHarder than the GP. Start early and ring around.Check your visa and BRP or eVisaView and prove your immigration status online.Find your local police stationEmergency is 999 or 112. Non-emergency is 101.Understand your tax codeCheck what HMRC thinks you earn, so you are not overtaxed for months.Driving on a foreign licenceHow long you may drive on it, and whether it can be exchanged.Renting: know the rulesYour rights as a tenant, deposit protection and what a landlord may and may not do.Citizens AdviceFree, independent help with anything at all.Public transportNational rail and bus times and tickets.
Near you
93 places in Oxfordshire worth knowing in week one
From OpenStreetMap, the map that locals build, plus places our team knows. Every card has a map link. If one has closed or moved, WhatsApp us and it comes down.
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Places of worship
Every faith near you, listed so people can find a community when they arrive. Sama Talent Group is not affiliated with any religion or religious organisation.
Churches
Woodstock Road Baptist Church
Christian, Evangelical
198 Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 7NQ
About 4 km away
St Andrew's Church
Christian, Anglican. Hours: Mo-Fr 10:00-16:00
Linton Road, Oxford, OX2 6UG
About 4 km away
Magdalen Road Church
Christian, Evangelical
Hertford Street, Oxford, OX4 3AJ
About 5 km away
Christian Life Centre
Christian
300-302 Cowley Road, Oxford, OX4 1UR
About 5 km away
Wesley Memorial Church
Christian, Methodist
New Inn Hall Street, Oxford, OX1 2DH
About 3 km away
Oxford Presbyterian Church
Christian
18 St Michael's Street, Oxford, OX1 2DU
About 3 km away
Mosques and prayer rooms
Witney Mosque (Elsharkawy Islamic Culture Centre)
Muslim
unit 1, Cranbrook Court, Witney, OX28 4YH
About 13 km away
Hindu temples
Buddhist temples and centres
Synagogues
Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo, Oxford
About 11 km away
Wheatley Park School Sixth Forom, Sixth Forom, Wheatley Holton, Oxfordshire, OX33 1QH
Worship services: Wed 7:15pm · Sun 10:00am · Sun 12:00pm (children)
Iglesia ni Cristo, Swindon
About 38 km away
Park South Community Centre, Cranmore avenue, Swindon, SN3 2ER
Worship services: Tue 8:00pm · Sat 10:00am · Sat 12:00pm · Sun 12:00pm (children)
Iglesia ni Cristo, Reading
About 43 km away
Whitley Children's Centre, 252 Northumberland Avenue, Reading, England, RG2 8LT
Worship services: Tue 6:00pm · Sat 10:00am · Sat 12:00pm (children)
Addresses and worship service times from the Iglesia ni Cristo directory, checked October 2026. Times can change, so check the locale's own page before you go. directory.iglesianicristo.net
Shops from home
La Cumatru
Convenience. stocks Romanian goods. Hours: Mo-Sa 09:00-20:00; Su 09:00-18:00
229 Banbury Road, Oxford, OX2 7HQ
About 4 km away
GG Oriental Snackshack
Convenience. Hours: Mo-Su 12:00-20:00
156 Cowley Road, Oxford, OX4 1UE
About 4 km away
Thong Heng Oriental Supermarket
Grocery. Hours: Mo-Su 09:00-18:00
6 Windmill Road, Oxford, OX3 7BL
About 6 km away
San Oriental
Convenience. Hours: Mo-Su 11:00-15:00
28 Sheep Street, Bicester, OX26 6LG
About 19 km away
Food and takeaways
CurryDor
Indian. restaurant. Hours: Mo 18:00-22:00; Tu-Th 12:00-14:00,18:00-22:00; Fr-Sa 12:00-14:00,18:00-22:30
25 Botley Road, Oxford, OX2 0BN
About 2 km away
Old Delhi
Indian. restaurant. Hours: Mo,We-Th 17:00-22:00; Fr-Sa 12:30-22:30; Su 12:30-22:00
4 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH
About 2 km away
Al-Shami Lebanese Restaurant And Richmond Hotel
Lebanese. restaurant. Hours: Mo-Fr 17:00-21:30; Sa-Su 12:00-21:30
25 Walton Crescent, Oxford, OX1 2JG
About 2 km away
Nando's
Chicken, portuguese. restaurant. Hours: Mo-Fr,Su 11:00-22:00; Sa 10:00-22:00
77-79 George Street, Oxford, OX1 2BQ
About 3 km away
Namaste Village Oxford
Indian. restaurant. Hours: Tu-Th 12:00-21:00; Fr-Su 12:00-22:00
2 New Road, Oxford, OX1 1AY
About 3 km away
Sichuan Grand
Chinese. restaurant. Hours: Mo-Su 11:30-22:30
Gloucester Green, Oxford, OX1 2BU
About 3 km away
Pho
Vietnamese. restaurant. Hours: Su-We 12:00-21:00; Th-Sa 12:00-22:00
Queen Street, Oxford, OX1 1PG
About 3 km away
Victors Restaurant And Bar
American, asian. restaurant. Hours: Mo-We 11:00-22:30; Th 11:00-23:00; Fr 11:00-24:00; Sa 00:00-01:00,10:00-24:00; Su 00:00-01:00,10:00-22:30
Queen Street, Oxford, OX1 1PG
About 3 km away
Turtle Bay
Caribbean. restaurant. Hours: Mo-We 11:00-22:30; Th 11:00-23:00; Fr 11:00-24:00; Sa 10:00-24:00; Su 11:00-22:00
11-12 Friars Entry, Magdalen Street, Oxford, OX1 2BY
About 3 km away
Old Tom
Thai, british. restaurant. Hours: Mo-Su 12:00-22:30
101 St Aldate's, Oxford, OX1 1BT
About 3 km away
Wagamama
Asian. restaurant. Hours: Su-Th 11:00-22:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-23:00
8 Market Street, Oxford, OX1 3EF
About 3 km away
Tick-Tock Cafe
British, mediterranean, turkish. cafe. Hours: Mo-Su 08:00-20:00
3-5 Cowley Road, Oxford, OX4 1HP
About 4 km away
Sports and clubs
Tiger Martial Arts
Martial arts. Sports centre
St Peter's Road, Oxford, OX2 8AU
About 4 km away
Wheatley Rugby Union Football Club
Rugby union. Sports centre
London Road, Oxford, OX33 1QL
About 11 km away
Ardington & Lockinge Sports Club
Soccer, cricket, tennis. Sports centre
Well Street, Vale of White Horse, OX12 8QB
About 19 km away
Oxford Sports Park
Soccer. Sports centre
Oxford Road, South Oxfordshire, OX4 2RL
About 8 km away
Witney Rugby Football Club
Rugby union. Sports centre
Witney Road, West Oxfordshire, OX29 9UH
About 14 km away
Abingdon Vale Cricket Club
Cricket. Sports centre
St Helen's Wharf, Vale of White Horse, OX14 5EL
About 9 km away
Windrush Kickboxing - Boxing Academy
Kickboxing, boxing. Fitness centre
unit a, Swain Court, Witney, OX28 4YD
About 13 km away
Fishing spots and tackle shops
Didcot Angling Centre
Tackle shop, and the place to ask where to fish and about permits
36 Wantage Road, Didcot, OX11 0BT
About 16 km away
States Fishing Tackle
Tackle shop, and the place to ask where to fish and about permits
Fettiplace Road
About 15 km away
Community and support groups
South Oxford Community Centre
Community centre
Lake Street, Oxford, OX1 4RP
About 3 km away
East Oxford Community Centre
Community centre
44 Princes Street, Oxford, OX4 1DD
About 4 km away
Regal Community Centre
Community centre
Ridgefield Road, OX4 3BY
About 5 km away
Maggie's Oxford
Community centre. Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-17:00
Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX3 7LE
About 6 km away
Love Barton
Community centre
8 Underhill Circus, Oxford, OX3 9LU
About 7 km away
Radley Village Hall
Community centre
Gooseacre Vale of White Horse, OX14 3BL
About 8 km away
West Oxford Community Centre
Community centre. Hours: Mo-Fr 08:15-21:00; Sa 08:15-21:00; Su 08:15-18:00
Oxford OX2 0BT
About 2 km away
Barbers and hair specialists
Afro hair specialists
Hot towel and traditional shaves
Barbers and salons
Jericho Barbers
Hairdresser. Hours: Mo-Sa 09:00-18:00; Su 10:00-17:00
165 Kingston Road, Oxford, OX2 6EG
About 3 km away
Cowboymod and Son
Hairdresser. Hours: Mo-Sa 10:00-18:00; PH off
33 Walton Street, Oxford, OX2 6AA
About 3 km away
Esquires of Oxford
Hairdresser
137 High Street, Oxford, OX1 4DN
About 3 km away
Gracie J's
Hairdresser. Hours: Mo-Fr 09:15-17:00; We off; Sa 09:00-16:00
44 Downside Road, Risinghurst, Oxford, OX3 8HR
About 8 km away
Wisteria Avenue Hair Salon
Hairdresser. Hours: Tu 10:00-16:00, We-Th 11:30-20:00, Fr 10:00-19:30, Sa 09:00-17:00
4 East St Helen Street, Vale of White Horse, OX14 5EE
About 9 km away
Cinemas and libraries
Oxford Westgate Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo-Th 09:00-20:00; Fr-Sa 09:00-17:30; Su off
Queen Street, Oxford, OX1 1PE
About 3 km away
KB Chen China Centre Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi
Canterbury Road, Oxford, OX2 6LU
About 3 km away
Harris Manchester College Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-13:00,14:00-17:00
Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TD
About 3 km away
Bodleian Law Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-22:00, Sa-Su 10:00-19:00; SH Mo-Fr 09:00-19:00, Sa 10:00-16:00, Su off; Dec 24-Jan 01 off
Manor Road, Oxford, OX1 3UR
About 4 km away
Social Science Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-22:00, Sa 10:00-18:00, Su 11:00-19:00; SH Mo-Fr 09:00-19:00, Sa 10:00-18:00, Su off; Dec 24-Jan 01 off
Manor Road, Oxford, OX1 3UQ
About 4 km away
The Ultimate Picture Palace
Cinema. Hours: unknown
57-58 Jeune Street, Oxford, OX4 1BN
About 4 km away
Cowley Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo 09:15-17:30; Tu,We 09:15-19:00; Fr 09:15-17:30; Sa 09:00-16:30
Temple Road, Oxford, OX4 2EZ
About 6 km away
Wheatley Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Tu 14:00-19:00; We 09:30-13:00, 14:00-17:00; Th 14:00-17:00; Fr 09:30-13:00, 14:00-18:00; Sa 09:30-13:00
High Street, Wheatley, OX33 1XP
About 11 km away
Sainsbury Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi
Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HP
About 2 km away
Phoenix Picturehouse
Cinema. Hours: unknown
57-58 Walton Street, Oxford, OX2 6AE
About 3 km away
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. We do not make places up: if the map has it wrong, fix it on openstreetmap.org and it comes through at the next refresh.
Saving money
What locals use to spend less
The shops and sites people here use for cheap clothes, second-hand furniture, a car, and the weekly shop. We are not paid to list any of them.
Facebook Marketplace and GumtreeSecond-hand furniture, bikes, tools and cars, often for very little. Meet in public, and never pay before you see it.Freecycle and OlioThings people give away for free, and food from neighbours and shops that would otherwise go in the bin.Too Good To GoSurprise bags of food from cafes, bakeries and supermarkets at the end of the day, at a fraction of the price.PrimarkCheap everyday clothes, work basics and bedding.Aldi and LidlThe cheapest big supermarkets for the weekly shop.B&M and Home BargainsCleaning products, kitchen kit and household bits for less.Charity shopsClothes, coats and furniture, and the money goes to a good cause.MoneySavingExpertFree guides to cheaper phones, energy, bank accounts and sending money.
Getting around
Getting around from Oxfordshire
TravelineBus, coach and train times for the whole of Great Britain.National RailTrain times, tickets and railcards.Transport for LondonThe Tube, buses and the Oyster and contactless fares.
Driving here on your licence
Once you live in Great Britain you can drive a car or motorcycle on your full, valid licence for 12 months. After that, a licence from a designated country can be exchanged for a GB licence; from other countries you apply for a provisional licence and pass the theory and practical tests. Lorries, minibuses and buses have stricter rules: check before you drive one.
Check your licence on GOV.UK Exchange a licence
Hiring a car
Each rental company sets its own rules on age, how long you have held your licence and which licences it accepts, and young drivers often pay more. Check those rules before you book, and bring your licence and passport to the desk.
Driving rules taken from the official pages linked above, checked October 2026. They change, so the official page is the one to rely on.
While you are here