Settling in · Ipswich
Landing in Ipswich? Start here.
The first fortnight in Ipswich, 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
77 places in Ipswich 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
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
Christian, Jehovahs witness
50 Knightsdale Road, Ipswich, IP1 4JJ
About 2 km away
Gurdwaras
Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo, Ipswich
About 2 km away
Hatfield Road Congregational Church, Hatfield Road, Ipswich, England, IP3 9AF
Worship services: Tue 7:30pm · Sat 4:00pm
Iglesia ni Cristo, Colchester
About 20 km away
Boxted Village Hall, Cage Lane, Boxted Cross, Colchester, C04 5RE
Worship services: Thu 7:00pm · Sat 9:30am · Sat 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
Go East
Supermarket. stocks Asian goods. Hours: Mo-Sa 10:00-17:30; Su 11:00-16:00
36 Tacket Street, Ipswich, IP4 1BA
Broke Hall Convenience
Convenience. Hours: Mo-Su 06:00-21:00
91-93 Penshurst Road, Ipswich, IP3 8QB
About 4 km away
Food and takeaways
Kwan Thai
Thai. restaurant. Hours: Mo-Sa 12:00-13:30, 18:00-23:00
14 St Nicholas Street, Ipswich, IP1 1TJ
Zaika
Indian. restaurant. Hours: Mo-Su 17:30-23:30; Sa 12:00-14:00
17 St Nicholas Street, Ipswich, IP1 1TW
Nando's
Chicken, portuguese. restaurant. Hours: Mo-Th 12:00-22:00; Fr 12:00-23:00; Sa 11:00-23:00; Su 11:00-22:00
27 Grafton Way, Ipswich, IP1 1AX
Ipswich Pizza
Pizza, kebab, burger, chicken. restaurant
94 St Helens Street, Ipswich, IP4 2LB
Master Chef
Chinese. restaurant. Hours: Mo-Th 17:00-23:00; Fr-Su 17:00-23:00, 12:00-14:00
103 Cliff Lane, Ipswich, IP3 0PQ
About 2 km away
Eastern Spice
Indian. restaurant. Hours: Su-Th 17:30-23:00; Fr-Sa 17:00-23:00
418 Woodbridge Road, Ipswich, IP4 4EL
About 2 km away
Ottoman
Turkish. restaurant
482 Woodbridge Road, Ipswich, IP4 4PS
About 2 km away
Jaipur
Indian. restaurant. Hours: Su-Th 17:00-22:00; Fr,Sa 17:00-22:30
103-105 Penshurst Road, Ipswich, IP3 8QB
About 4 km away
Sports and clubs
Ipswich and East Suffolk Cricket Club
Cricket. Sports centre
London Road, Ipswich, IP2 0TA
About 3 km away
Ipswich School Sports Centre
Badminton. Sports centre
Eaton Place, East Suffolk, IP5 1BD
About 4 km away
Ipswich Sports Club
Tennis. Sports centre
Henley Road, Ipswich, IP1 4NJ
About 2 km away
Grangeside Fitness
Fitness centre. Hours: Mo-Fr 06:00-22:00; Sa 07:00-17:00; Su 07:00-16:00
Tommy Flowers Drive, Ipswich, IP5 2BY
About 7 km away
Whitton Sports and Community Centre
Sports centre
Whitton Church Lane, Ipswich, IP1 6LP
About 4 km away
Days out and things to do
Avid Climbing
Sports centre. Hours: Mo-Fr 12:00-21:30; Sa-Su 10:00-18:00
8 Bermuda Road, Ipswich, IP3 9RU
About 5 km away
Driving schools
Community and support groups
Chatterbox Children's Centre
Community centre. Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-17:00
Copleston Road, Ipswich, IP4 5HB
About 3 km away
Wooden House Children's Centre
Community centre
20b Lanark Road, Ipswich, IP4 3EJ
About 3 km away
Castle Hill Community Centre
Community centre. Hours: Mo-Su 08:00-21:30
Highfield Road, Ipswich, IP1 6DH
About 3 km away
St Augustine's Church Hall
Community centre
Bucklesham Road, Ipswich, IP3 8TH
About 4 km away
Whitton Sports & Community Centre
Community centre. Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-22:00; Sa-Su 09:00-18:00; PH off
Whitton Church Lane, Ipswich, IP1 6LW
About 4 km away
Kesgrave Community and Conference Centre
Community centre
Twelve Acre Approach, Ipswich, IP5 1JF
About 6 km away
Grundisburgh Village Hall
Community centre
Ipswich Road, East Suffolk, IP13 6TJ
About 8 km away
Bucklesham Village Hall
Community centre
12 Levington Lane, East Suffolk, IP10 0DZ
About 8 km away
Maidenhall Residents Association and Community Shop
Community centre
21 Maidenhall Green, Ipswich, IP2 8PJ
About 2 km away
Barbers and hair specialists
Hot towel and traditional shaves
Barbers and salons
Michael Richards
Hairdresser. Hours: Tu,Th 09:00-19:00; We 09:00-21:00; Fr 09:00-17:00
95-97 Penshurst Road, Ipswich, IP3 8QB
About 4 km away
Salon 24
Hairdresser. Hours: Tu 09:00-19:00; We 09:00-17:30; Th 09:00-19:00; Fr 09:00-17:30; Sa 08:30-16:30
4 St Andrews Walk, Ipswich, IP4 5RE
About 4 km away
The Guardroom
Hairdresser. Hours: Tu 09:30-18:00; We 09:30-19:00; Th 09:30-21:00; Fr 09:30-19:00; Sa 08:30-16:30
1B Betts Avenue, Ipswich, IP5 3RH
About 9 km away
Cinemas and libraries
County library Ipswich
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo-Th 09:00-18:00; Tu,Fr 09:00-19:00; Sa 08:30-17:00; Su 10:00-16:00
Northgate Street, Ipswich, IP1 3DE
Kesgrave Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi
Kays Close, Ipswich, IP5 2HL
About 6 km away
Broomhill Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi
Sherrington Road, Ipswich, IP1 4HT
About 2 km away
Rosehill Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Tu-Th, Sa 09:30-17:00; Su 11:00-16:00, 09:00-18:00; Fr 09:00-19:30
Tomline Road, Ipswich, IP3 8BY
About 2 km away
Chantry Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo 14:00-17:00; Tu 10:00-13:00,14:00-18:00; We 10:00-13:00; Th 10:00-13:00,14:00-18:00; Fr 10:00-13:00,14:00-17:00; Sa 09:30-13:00,14:00-17:00; Su 10:00-16:00
Hawthorn Drive, Ipswich, IP2 0QY
About 3 km away
Gainsborough Community Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi
Mildmay Road, Ipswich, IP3 9LZ
About 3 km away
Capel St Mary Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi
The Street, Ipswich, IP9 2EP
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 Ipswich
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