Integrate with CIS2 Authentication

This page summarises the steps required to integrate health or social care software with CIS2 Authentication, and helps you plan your integration journey.

We sometimes call this 'onboarding'.

Before you start, we recommend you:

• review all of the steps listed below
• make a plan so you know what to do when

Each step has an approximate duration, but you don't have to do them in order and you can do many of them in parallel.

In this step you'll:

• apply to integrate with CIS2 Authentication
• register for digital onboarding
• confirm your use case

This step typically takes 1 to 2 weeks, but you can do it in parallel with step 2.

In this step you’ll:

• make some key product and technical decisions
• develop your changes

This step typically takes 2 to 12 weeks, depending on the complexity of your integration, but you can start it in parallel with step 1.

In this step you’ll:

• get access to our integration testing environment
• test your integration code

This step typically takes 1 to 4 weeks, depending on the complexity of your integration. 

In this step you'll:

• confirm how you're handling various non-functional requirements, such as security, clinical risk and service management
• explain how you've met our technical requirements
• demonstrate your product to us in the integration test environment
• sign our Connection Agreement

This step typically takes 2 to 12 weeks, but you can do parts of it in parallel with steps 2 and 3.

In this step you'll:

• submit your configuration details for the production environment
• go live with your software
• handle any changes that may occur once you're live

This step typically takes 1 to 2 weeks, to get to the point of being ready to go live.

Developer community

You can ask and answer questions in the CIS category in our Developer Community forum.

National service desk

At any point in your integration journey you can get help and support from our National Service Desk:

• via the NHS England Customer Portal
• by emailing [email protected]