Migrate as a Doctor

To practise medicine in the UK you need to hold registration with a licence to practise. Holding a licence allows you to, for example, prescribe medicine and treat patients. If you hold a licence you must also show us your knowledge and skills are up to date through regular checks on your practice, known as revalidation.

If you would like to apply to join the UK medical register you will need to:

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

The exact requirements are different for every type of registration application. We have specific guidance depending on your personal circumstances and which type of application you are eligible for.

Your registration

As well as a licence to practise, you must hold the right kind of registration for the posts or practice you plan to undertake. When you use the registration application finder at the end of this guide, it will tell you which type of registration you are eligible to apply for.  

Below are the main types of registration which allow doctors to work in different posts:

Provisional registration with a licence to practise allows you to take part in an approved Foundation Year 1 (F1) Programme in the UK. 

Doctors need full registration with a licence to practise to either move on to the second year of the Foundation Programme (F2) in an approved training programme, or to work in unsupervised medical practice in the NHS or UK private practice. 

The Specialist Register is a list of doctors who are eligible to take up appointment in any fixed term, honorary or substantive consultant post in the NHS excluding foundation trusts. 

If a doctor is on the Specialist Register it will say so as part of their status on the medical register. You’ll also be able to see:

  • The specialties (and sub-specialties) they are qualified in
  • The date they joined the specialist register in each specialty.

Doctors can practice in a specialty not shown on their Specialist Register entry. In most cases, they must be on the Specialist Register in at least one specialty to practise as a consultant in any of the UK health services. 

The GP Register is a list of doctors who are eligible for appointment as a general practitioner in the UK. 

Since 1 April 2006, all doctors working as a GP in the UK health service must be on the GP Register, other than doctors in training, such as GP registrars. This requirement extends to locums.

If a doctor is on the GP Register it will say so as part of their status on the medical register.

What evidence do you need to provide?

English language skills

We need to be satisfied you can speak, read, write and listen in English before we assess your application, so you do not put the safety of your patients at risk.

Evidence of your fitness to practise

You’ll need to give us details of all your postgraduate medical experience, non-medical experience and certain other activities for the last five years or since you graduated. We may ask for employer references to cover non-medical work or medical practise for which you did not hold registration and we’ll need a certificate of good standing from each medical regulatory authority you’ve been registered or licensed with.

Primary source verification

All applicants with non-UK medical qualifications will need to have their primary medical qualification, as well as other documents, independently verified before we can grant registration with a licence to practise.

Knowledge and skills

You’ll need to demonstrate that you have the knowledge and skills necessary to practise medicine in the UK. In summary, you can do this by:

Being honest when you apply

When you make your online application you’ll be asked to make a declaration that the information you’ve given us in your application is true.

It’s your responsibility to make sure the information you give us is true and the evidence you give us is genuine. You should do this whether you submit your evidence yourself or through someone else.

Your evidence must clearly demonstrate you meet the requirements for registration and in particular, your evidence must be objective. This means it is:

  • Issued by a third party
  • Based on facts
  • Not influenced by personal relationships.

The checks we make on your application

When we have your application, we’ll carry out verification checks to make sure the evidence is genuine. 

These may include contacting your:

  • Referees
  • Employers
  • Postgraduate deans
  • Schools
  • Universities
  • Overseas regulators

We’ll always rely on information we get directly from them.

We may refuse your application for registration (or withdraw your existing registration if applicable) if:

  • You can’t give us evidence
  • Your evidence doesn’t clearly show you meet the requirements for registration
  • You don’t give complete and truthful information
  • We can’t verify your evidence

We may need to make more checks after you’ve given us your original documents at an identity check appointment, which could delay your registration. We may also need to verify information after we’ve granted your application.

Preparing to practise

If your application for registration with a licence to practise is approved and granted there are a few things you’ll need to do before you start practising.

Get adequate insurance and indemnity cover

You must make sure you have adequate insurance and indemnity for the full scope of your medical practice. 

Working in an approved practice setting

The majority of newly registered doctors will need to work in an approved practice setting until their first revalidation. We will let you know if this applies to you when we grant your registration.

An approved practice setting is an organisation that provides doctors with appropriate supervision, regular appraisals and supports you with training.

Plan to work in general practice?

If you’re planning to work as a GP in the UK, as well as needing to be registered with a licence to practise and being on the GP register, there are a number of other things you will need to do before you can start practising.

You must apply to join a performers’ list, and an induction and returner scheme, with the appropriate organisation.

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