Registering with the GMC

The General Medical Council (GMC) is the regulatory body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within the UK. In order to practise as a medical practitioner in the UK, you must be registered with the GMC.

Overseas doctors of all grades and specialties are welcome to register with the GMC. Holding a licence allows you to treat patients and prescribe medicine.

To join the UK medical register, you must complete a five-step process:

Check you are eligible
Complete an application
Pay a fee
Provide the required evidence
Attend an identity-check
Eligibility

To find out what evidence you need to provide to support your application, consult the GMC website.

For qualifications obtained from an EEA country or Switzerland, click here.
For qualifications obtained outside the UK, EEA, and Switzerland, click here.

How will my primary medical qualification be verified?

Verification is carried out by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) through their online system – known as the Electronic Portfolio of International Credentials (EPIC) service. ECFMG will verify the qualification is genuine by checking this directly with your awarding institution.

Evidence of English language skills

Doctors relocating to the UK are required to prove that they are proficient in speaking and understanding the English language. This can be verified by passing one of the following exams:

International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
Occupational English Test (OET)

Alternative methods of verifying your English language proficiency include:

Primary Medical Qualification – If your primary medical qualification was taught solely in English and you obtained it within the last two years.
Employer Reference – If you have worked in a country where English is the native language for the last two years.
Using your UK job offer

Evidence of your fitness to practise

You'll need to provide us with details of all your postgraduate medical experience, non-medical experience and certain other activities for the last five years or since you graduated.

Registration fees

Application for full registration with a licence to practise for doctors in the UK is £408.

A fixed-term discount for newly qualified doctors is available, with an application for full registration with a licence to practise costing £157.

It is worth noting that a discount is available for doctors whose gross annual worldwide income from all sources is below a specified income threshold.

Application

If you meet the specified GMC requirements and you have successfully collated all of your documentation, you will be ready to apply for your GMC Registration.

For additional information on the documents required to complete your registration, consult the GMC website before making your application.

If you are missing anything documentation, the GMC will give you the opportunity to provide them with evidence rather than denying your application.