GMC REGISTRATION (General Medical Council)

The first step is that the doctor concerned must be registered with the UK General Medical Council (GMC). The applicant will, of course, have to show sufficent evidence that he or she has registered with the GMC. Once registered, the general medical practitioner will be likely to score two thirds of the necessary points. The additional points that will still be needed to satisfy the requirements of the application can be scored in a number of ways.

The procedure for registration with the UK General Medical Council will depend upon the country from which the doctor comes and where he or she qualified as a doctor. In the case of non-EU nationals applicants will then have to pass an English language test PLAB.

Language testing
Doctors who are applying for limited registration will need at first to first check that they have a primary medical qualification that is recognised by the GMC. There are currently some 1,600 overseas primary medical qualifications accepted by the GMC for the purpose of limited registration. They include all the primary medical qualifications listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and a number of others which are not listed in that directory.

Limited registration will only be granted by way of supervised employment in training posts in the NHS. The maximum period that a doctor can hold limited registration is five years. It cannot be granted for more than five years in total.

As a rule, doctors who hold, or have held limited registration may be granted full registration when they can demonstrate the knowledge, skills and attitudes equal to those which would be expected of a competent senior house officer (SHO) and satisfy the GMC of their good character. Most doctors do this by passing tests conducted by the International English Language Testing Service and the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (the PLAB test).

In some cases EEA nationals – and others with EC rights – who have an overseas qualification which is accepted only for the purpose of limited registration may apply for full or provisional registration directly (without having to undertake a period of limited registration first). To be able to successfully apply for full or provisional registration, the doctor’s qualification must have been accepted by another EEA member state for the purpose of practising medicine in that state; or he or she must have acquired medical experience or knowledge in another EEA member state. The grant of provisional or full registration is at the GMC's discretion.

Specialist registration
Will be given to physicians holding full, limited or temporary registration and is required to hold a consultant post in the National Health Service (NHS) in a medical or surgical specialty. Generally, physicians working in unsupervised private practice also hold specialist registration as it may be required by institutions or insurance companies.

There are three main groups for purposes of registration, each with a different path to registration.

Doctors with Primary UK Qualifications (those who have completed medical education in the UK) are eligible for provisional registration and after completion of requirements, for full registration.
According to European Union law, a national of a European Union (EU) country holding an EU primary medical qualification or specialist qualification may practice medicine in any country in the EU. The period of basic medical training must be at least a six-year course or 5500 hours of theoretical and practical instruction. Doctors meeting these requirements are eligible for full registration in the UK. Doctors qualified in Switzerland, which is not an EU member state, and who are not citizens of an EU member state, are also eligible for full registration.

As of July 2004, the member states of the European Union are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and United Kingdom.
Doctors qualifying in other countries not listed above may be eligible for limited or full registration.

Temporary full registration
In some cases, doctors may be granted temporary full registration providing they are coming to the UK with the intention to provide specialist medical services for a short period for example to demonstrate a specialist procedure.

Call our helpline for further information about temporary full registration if you are an overseas qualified doctor or if you are an EEA national (or non-EEA national with EC rights) who has qualified in an EEA Member State.

How to register
Please see our opening section above.

Timescale for processing applications
Our aim is to complete the processing work to verify applications as soon as possible for our clients. If we are unable to grant your registration within five working days of the date we received your application we will write to you (or email you if you have given us an email address) to let you know what further information we may need from you. It can take us longer to process during the months of, January/February and July/August as this is our busy period, each year it can take us longer to process applications. It will help us help you better, if you can submit your application together with all the paperwork as quickly as possible.

In some cases we may have to refer a case to the Registration Committee. If you are applying for a limited registration, or to move from limited to full registration, you should apply well in advance of the date on which you wish to take up employment in the UK. We can then accept applications for limited registration of up to three months in advance of the date you wish to start work.

Working as a general practitioner in the UK
General practitioner (GP) who want to work in the UK - either as a principal, locum, deputy or assistant - you must be eligible to work in that capacity and hold full registration with the GMC. If you have been awarded a certificate for general practice, or of acquired rights, by another EEA member state or Switzerland, please contact us for further advice. If not, you should contact the Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice (JCPTGP) for advice.