All medical doctors wanting to work in the UK will need to register with the General Medical Council and hold a licence to practise. Registration with the GMC can be a daunting task but we are here to help you through the process and make this time consuming application as stress free as possible.

Registration of Medical Doctors with the GMC depends on the country where primary medical qualification was obtained, the doctors nationality and the doctors postgraduate experience. Pending on these requirement there are 3 types GMC registration doctor can apply for:

Provisional Registration

Provisional registration has been put in place to allow newly qualified doctors to undertake the general clinical training needed for full registration. This registration is available for the doctor who falls under the -

• UK medical graduates
• International medical doctor graduates who have an acceptable primary medical qualification and who have passed the PLAB test but who have not completed an internship

The registration will entitle medical doctors to only work in Foundation Year 1 (F1) posts in hospitals or institutions that are approved for the purpose of Foundation Year 1 (F1) service.

Full Registration

In order to work as an unsupervised medical doctor in a NHS or private practice you will require full GMC registration with the license to practice. Doctors who have satisfactory experience under provisional registration can apply for full registration. Some International trained doctors will be eligible to apply directly for full GMC registration if they meet the full requirements.

EEA and Swiss nationals and other doctors with EC rights who graduated at EEA or Swiss medical schools

Nationals from the EEA, Switzerland and other doctors with EC rights who qualified outside of the EEA and Switzerland

Doctors applying for full GMC registration must complete a minimum of 12 months medical training

International Medical Doctors applying for full registration must hold an acceptable primary medical qualification and will be required to submit evidence that they have satisfactorily completed either F1 training in the UK or a period of clinical experience that provides an acceptable foundation for future practice as a fully registered medical practitioner.

In addition, they will be required to demonstrate their medical knowledge and clinical skills in one of the following ways:

1. A pass in the PLAB test
2. Sponsorship
3. Possession of an acceptable postgraduate qualification
4. Eligibility for entry on the Specialist or GP Register

Specialist Registration

In order to take up a Consultant post in a medical or surgical specialty in the NHS, doctors must be included on the GMC Specialist Register. In order to apply to be included on the Specialist Registrar applicant must hold full GMC registration.

To be in contention for a specialist registration, you should mention this when applying for your full GMC registrations.

How to apply for Full GMC registration?

To apply for your full GMC registration you can visit the GMC online http://www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/registration_applications/uk_fr_p1.asp. You will be requested to provide a list of documents, the documents are:

• Completed application
• Evidence of qualifications
• Proof of identity
• Proof of English proficiency
• A certificate of good standing
• Reference letters
• Pay application fee
• Attend an identity check

The GMC aim to process all applications as quickly as possible, doctor should be contacted within 5 working days after their application was receive. Once all the document has been received you application will be reviewed and if it you meet all the requirements you will be invited for an ID Check. GMC Pin Numbers are used within 3 days after successful ID check.

(Please note that the application requirements for each registration with a license to practice differ, Doctors wishing to make an application should visit GMC website for application notes on www.gmc-uk.org)

Department of Health and NHS Employers guidance on international medical recruitment make it clear that doctors recruited to work in the UK must be proficient in English so that they can communicate effectively with patients and with all those individuals involved in their care.

Overseas Medical Doctors- English Proficiency

If you are an International Medical Doctor applying for provisional or full registration you will need to provide the GMC with evidence of your English competency. In order to prove you proficiency in English you will need to complete four academic modules and obtain satisfactory scores from the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

The only International doctors who are exempt from this are the EEA applicant (outside off the UK) other than the UK, Swiss Nationals and all application with European Community rights.

For full information on IELT please visit http://www.ielts.org

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