Problems logging in with NHSmail

You are trying to log in to NHS CIS2 Authentication using NHSmail as an authenticator and you see an error.

This can happen if:

• your NHSmail account isn't bound to your Care Identity profile as an authenticator (most likely cause)
• you took too long to log in
• there's a temporary internal error within the NHS CIS2 Authentication service

Private beta

The NHSmail login method will only work if your organisation is part of the private beta.

If you've been advised that your organisation is part of the private beta, and you've been told you can start using this login method, then follow the steps below.

If you've not been told you can start using NHSmail to log in to NHS CIS2 Authentication, you'll need to try a different login method.

Timed out

If you see the error message below, you may have taken too long to log in.

Try again and complete login as quickly as possible.

NHSmail authenticator not registered

If you see the error message below, your NHSmail account is not registered to your Care Identity profile as an authenticator. 

This could be because your organisation is not part of the private beta.

If you've been told your organisation is in the private beta and you can use NHSmail to log in, contact your Registration Authority or local IT support team for help with registration.

Try again

If you see a different error to those shown above, the problem is most likely caused by a temporary internal error.

Try to log in again - this will resolve most temporary internal errors.

Contact support

If you have been through the steps above but still cannot progress, you should raise a case to the National Service Desk on the NHS Digital Customer Portal, or email [email protected]

Private beta

If your organisation is in the private beta, you should have been given guidance on how to help your users bind NHSmail as an authenticator to their Care Identity profile.

If you have followed this guidance and your users are still seeing the errors above, raise a case to the National Service Desk on the NHS Digital Customer Portal, or email [email protected]

If your organisation is not in the private beta, advise your users to use a different authenticator.

Troubleshooting guidance

IT teams should read our troubleshooting guidance. It is regularly updated as new issues are found and solved, and new software is made available.

Latest news

For information about the Care Identity Service, new software, communications and support, see our news page.