Settling in · Hemel
Landing in Hemel? Start here.
The first fortnight in Hemel, 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
74 places in Hemel 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.
Nothing nearby matches that yet. Try a shorter word.
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
St Albans Cathedral
Christian, Anglican. Hours: Mo-Su 08:30-17:45
St Albans, AL1 1BY
About 9 km away
Salvation Army
Christian, Salvation army
16 - 18, Victoria Street, St Albans, AL1 3JB
About 9 km away
Trinity United Reformed Church
Christian, Reformed
1 Beaconsfield Road, St Albans, AL1 3RD
About 10 km away
St Alban & Stephen Catholic Church
Christian, Catholic
Beaconsfield Road, St Albans, AL1 3RB
About 10 km away
Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Christian, Catholic
Park Street, Berkhamsted, HP4 1HX
About 7 km away
Hemel Hempstead Methodist Church
Christian, Methodist
270 Northridge Way, Dacorum, HP1 2AU
About 2 km away
Mosques and prayer rooms
Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo, Hertfordshire
About 24 km away
Datchworth Village Hall, 52 Datchworth Green, Datchworth, Knebworth, SG3 6TL
Worship services: Wed 8:00pm · Sat 10:00am · Sat 12:00pm (children)
Iglesia ni Cristo, North London
About 25 km away
Barnet Multicultural Community Centre, Algernon, Hendon, London, NW4 3TA, England
Worship services: Tue 7:30pm · Sat 6:00pm · Sat 8:00pm (children)
Iglesia ni Cristo, Heathrow North, London
About 29 km away
St. Peter Hall, St. Peter's Way High Street, Harlington, Hayes, UB3 5AB, England
Worship services: Wed 8:00pm · Fri 6:15pm · Fri 8:00pm
Iglesia ni Cristo, Notting Hill
About 32 km away
Kensington Aldridge Academy, 1 Silchester Road, London, England, W10 6EX
Worship services: Wed 8:00pm · Sun 10:00am · Sun 12:00pm (children)
Iglesia ni Cristo, Milton Keynes
About 32 km away
Fenny Stratford Community Centre, 13 George St., Milton Keynes, England, MK2 2NR
Worship services: Thu 7:00pm · Sat 6:00pm
Iglesia ni Cristo, Central London
About 34 km away
YMCA - Indian Student Hostel 41, Fitzroy Square, London, W1T-6AQ, England
Worship services: Tue 7:30pm · Sat 6:30pm · Sat 8:00pm (children)
Iglesia ni Cristo, Battersea, London
About 37 km away
48 Parkgate Road, Battersea, London, England, SW11-4NT
Worship services: Thu 7:00am · Thu 8:00pm · Sat 7:00pm · Sun 10:00am · Sun 10:30am (children)
Iglesia ni Cristo, Heathrow, London
About 37 km away
79 Staines Road West, Sunbury on Thames, Heathrow, London, TW16 7AH
Worship services: Tue 7:45pm · Sat 10:00am · Sat 12:15pm (children)
Iglesia ni Cristo, Wimbledon
About 40 km away
Earlsfield Primary School, Tranmere Rd, London, SW18 3QQ
Worship services: Tue 7:30pm · Fri 6:15pm · Fri 8:00pm (children)
Iglesia ni Cristo, Camberwell, London
About 41 km away
Crawford Primary School, #5 Crawford road, Battersea, London, SE5 9NF
Worship services: Wed 8:00pm · Sat 5:45pm · Sat 7:30pm (children)
Iglesia ni Cristo, Romford
About 41 km away
Temporarily using, Stratford chapel, 25 Meath road, London, England, E15 3DS
Worship services: Sat 10:00am · Sat 12:00pm (children) · Sat 6:30pm
Iglesia ni Cristo, Stratford, London
About 41 km away
25 MEATH ROAD, STRATFORD, LONDON, E15 3DS, ENGLAND
Worship services: Wed 7:00am · Wed 7:00pm · Sat 6:00pm · Sun 9:00am · Sun 11:30am (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
Food and takeaways
Kings Langley Tandoori
Indian. restaurant
43 High Street, Kings Langley, WD4 8AB
About 5 km away
Wagamama
Asian. restaurant. Hours: Su-Th 11:30-22:00; Fr-Sa 11:30-23:00
6 Christopher Place, St Albans, AL3 5DQ
About 9 km away
CHI
Chinese. restaurant. Hours: Mo-Sa 12:00-14:00, 17:30-23:00; Su 12:00-22:00
26 Holywell Hill, St Albans, AL1 1BZ
About 9 km away
sukawatee
Thai, malaysian. restaurant
5 Market Place, St Albans, AL3 5DR
About 9 km away
Nando's
Chicken, portuguese. restaurant. Hours: Su-Th 11:00-22:30; Fr-Sa 11:00-23:00
19-23 Chequer Street, St Albans, AL1 3YJ
About 9 km away
Veer Dhara
Indian. restaurant. Hours: Mo-Sa 12:00-14:30,17:30-23:00; Su 12:00-15:00,17:30-22:30
9 Hatfield Road, St Albans, AL1 3RR
About 9 km away
Giggling Squid
Thai, tapas. restaurant
296-298 High Street, Berkhamsted, HP4 1AH
About 7 km away
Sauté Grill & Meze
Turkish. restaurant
52-56 Adelaide Street, St Albans, AL3 5BG
About 9 km away
Sports and clubs
Tornado Junior Sports Club
Soccer. Sports centre
Highwoodhall Lane, Three Rivers, HP3 8SN
About 4 km away
XC
Skateboard, climbing, caving, bouldering. Sports centre. Hours: Mo 13:00-22:00,Tu 13:00-22:00,Th 13:00-22:00,Fr 13:00-22:00, We 12:00-22:00, Sa-Su 09:00-18:00
Dacorum HP2 4JS
The Snow Centre
Skiing, snowboarding. Sports centre. Hours: Mo 10:00-18:00, Tu 07:00-22:00, We-Fr 10:00-22:00, Sa-Su 07:00-21:30
Saint Albans Hill, Dacorum, HP3 9NH
Batchwood Golf Course & Sports Centre
Tennis, fitness, golf. Sports centre. Hours: Mo-Fr 06:00-22:00, Sa-Su 07:00-19:00, PH 08:00-20:00
Batchwood Drive, St Albans, AL3 5XA
About 8 km away
Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre
Swimming. Sports centre. Hours: Mo-Fr 06:00-22:00; Sa-Su 07:00-22:00
Holywell Hill, St Albans, AL1 2DL
About 9 km away
Fishing spots and tackle shops
Community and support groups
Grovehill Community Centre
Community centre
Olive Taylor Court, Dacorum, HP2 6BJ
About 2 km away
Way Inn Open Door
Community centre
360-364 High Street, Berkhamsted, HP4 1HU
About 7 km away
Flamstead Village Hall
Community centre. Hours: "By appointment"
Pie Corner, St Albans, AL3 8BW
About 8 km away
Barbers and hair specialists
Hot towel and traditional shaves
Barbers and salons
Tielsi Hairdressing
Hairdresser. Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-17:30
41 Abbey Avenue, St Albans, AL3 4BH
About 8 km away
A Cut Above
Hairdresser. Hours: Mo,Tu 09:00-16:30; We,Th 09:00-19:30; Fr 08:30-17:30; Sa 08:30-16:30
19 High Street, St Albans, AL3 4EH
About 9 km away
NS Salons
Hairdresser. Hours: Mo, We 09:00-17:00; Tu 09:00-20:00; Th 09:00-21:00; Fr 09:00-18:00; Sa 08:30-16:30; Su off
32 Holywell Hill, St Albans, AL1 1BZ
About 9 km away
Greys Hair & body
Hairdresser. Hours: Mo-Tu 09:00-18:00; We-Th 09:30-20:30; Fr 08:15-18:00; Sa 08:00-17:30; Su off
19 Christopher Place, St Albans, AL3 5DQ
About 9 km away
Headcase Barbers
Hairdresser. Hours: Tu, Th-Fr 10:00-18:00; We 10:00-20:00; Sa 09:00-17:00; Su, Mo off
12 Holywell Hill, St Albans, AL1 1BZ
About 9 km away
Wilde About Hair
Hairdresser. Hours: Mo-Tu, Fr 09:00-18:00; We-Th 09:00-20:00; Sa 07:30-17:30; Su off
15 French Row, St Albans, AL3 5DU
About 9 km away
Toni & Guy
Hairdresser. Hours: Mo-We, Sa 09:00-18:00; Th-Fr 09:00-20:00; Su 11:00-17:00
17-19 Chequer Street, St Albans, AL1 3YJ
About 9 km away
Sally Salon Services
Hairdresser. Hours: Mo-Sa 08:30-18:00; Su 10:00-16:00
48 The Maltings, St Albans, AL1 3HL
About 9 km away
Cinemas and libraries
The Odyssey Cinema
Cinema. Hours: Mo-Sa 10:00-17:00; Su 14:00-17:00
166 London Road, St Albans, AL1 1PQ
About 10 km away
Adeyfield Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi
1a The Queen's Square, Dacorum, HP2 4EW
Bovingdon Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi
High Street, Dacorum, HP3 0HJ
About 5 km away
Abbots Langley Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo 14:00-18:00; Tu 09:00-18:00; Th 14:00-18:00; Fr 09:00-18:00; Sa 09:00-13:00
High Street, Three Rivers, WD5 0AP
About 6 km away
Berkhamsted Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi
185 High Street, Berkhamsted, HP4 3HB
About 6 km away
Hemel Hempstead Main Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi
Dacorum Way, Dacorum, HP1 1DN
Kings Langley Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi
The Nap, Kings Langley, WD4 8ET
About 5 km away
St. Albans Main Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo,We-Fr 10:00-18:00; Tu 10:00-19:00; Sa 10:00-17:00; Su 12:00-16:00
The Maltings, St Albans
About 9 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 Hemel
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