How to send a fax to the United Kingdom

Why fax to the United Kingdom?

While the UK has moved much of its business communication online, fax remains in active use across the NHS, solicitors' offices, courts, and government departments. Many GP surgeries and hospitals use fax to transmit medical records, referral letters, and prescriptions. HMRC and other agencies accept faxed documents for certain filings.

If a UK organisation provides a fax number on their contact page, they expect to receive documents that way, and it is often faster than posting a letter.

What you need

To send a fax to the United Kingdom with unofax you need four things:

• Your document: PDF, Word, image, or any supported file. PDF gives the best results.
• The UK fax number: the country code is +44. A typical number looks like +44 20 7946 0958 (London) or +44 161 496 0123 (Manchester). Drop the leading zero from the area code when dialling internationally.
• A payment method: credit card, debit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay.
• Your email address: for delivery confirmation and proof of receipt

No account, no subscription, no fax machine required.

Step by step

Sending a fax to the United Kingdom with unofax takes about two minutes:

• Upload your document: drag and drop or tap to select your file.
• Select United Kingdom and enter the fax number: choose United Kingdom from the country list. Type the number without the leading zero (e.g. 20 7946 0958 for London). unofax adds the +44 country code automatically.
• Enter your email: provide your email address for delivery confirmation and proof of receipt.
• Preview: check each page in the preview. Add a free cover sheet if the recipient requires one.
• Pay: the per-page price is shown upfront. Pay with card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay.
• Done: your fax is sent immediately. You receive a delivery confirmation once the receiving machine acknowledges receipt.

Tips for faxing to the United Kingdom

A few things to keep in mind when faxing to the UK:

• Business hours: UK offices typically operate 09:00–17:30 GMT (UTC+0), or BST (UTC+1) from late March to late October. Faxes sent outside these hours will queue at the receiving machine.
• London numbers start with 020: London uses the area code 020, followed by 8 digits. Other major area codes: 0161 (Manchester), 0131 (Edinburgh), 029 (Cardiff), 028 (Belfast). Drop the leading zero when entering into unofax.
• Add a cover sheet for the NHS: NHS fax machines can be shared across departments. A cover sheet with the recipient's name and department helps your document reach the right person.
• Use PDF for best quality: UK organisations frequently print incoming faxes. A clean, high-contrast PDF ensures your document is legible.
• Toll-free numbers supported: unofax can send to UK toll-free fax numbers. Supported prefixes:
  • 0800: toll-free (Freephone)
  • 0808: toll-free (Freephone)
  Enter the number without the leading zero (e.g. 800 123 4567). unofax adds the +44 country code automatically.

Common questions

Quick answers about faxing to the United Kingdom:

• Can I fax to any UK number? — Yes. unofax can deliver to any active fax line in the United Kingdom, including geographic numbers, internet fax services, and toll-free numbers.
• How long does delivery take? — Most faxes are delivered within one to three minutes. Delivery time depends on the number of pages and the speed of the receiving machine.
• Does this cover Northern Ireland? — Yes. Northern Ireland uses +44 like the rest of the UK. Enter the number with the 028 area code (without the leading zero).
• How much does it cost to fax to the United Kingdom? — Faxing to the United Kingdom with unofax costs $0.29 AUD per page (≈£0.15). The price in your local currency is displayed before you pay. There are no subscriptions, setup fees, or hidden charges. You only pay for the pages you send.