Your personalised UK registration checklist
Pick your profession and where you trained. Get the exact UK pathway — GMC, NMC, GPhC, GDC or HCPC — with every stage, indicative fee and document, and a source for each figure. Free, honest, information only.
To work in the UK, an internationally-qualified health worker must register with the relevant UK professional regulator. Doctors register with the General Medical Council (GMC), nurses with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), pharmacists with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), dentists with the General Dental Council (GDC), and allied health professionals such as physiotherapists and radiographers with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Each pathway follows the same shape: confirm your qualification, evidence your English, pass the required assessment, apply and pay the registration fee, arrange a visa through a sponsoring employer if you need one, and apply to employers directly. Figures below are indicative snapshots with sources, current as of 2026/07; always confirm the live amount with the regulator.
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We only list source countries that are not on the WHO 2023 Safeguards List. The general pathway applies wherever you trained.
To practise as a doctor in the UK you must hold registration with a licence to practise from the General Medical Council (GMC). Internationally-qualified doctors most commonly evidence their knowledge and skills through the PLAB assessment, then apply for registration.
An internationally-qualified doctor registers with the UK GMC through a defined sequence — most of the assessment cost sits in the two PLAB exams before registration.
- PLAB 1 exam fee
- £268
- PLAB 2 exam fee
- £1,036
- English evidence (IELTS / OET)
- test fee varies
+ 8 more not shown here. As of July 2026. Source: GMC registration guidance & 2025–26 fee schedule (gmc-uk.org).
Get your full Doctor (GMC registration) checklist
Enter your email and we send the complete, step-by-step pathway checklist — every stage, fee and document — plus an alert when the regulator changes its fees or requirements. Information only: you apply directly, we do not place you and charge no fee.
The five UK health regulators at a glance
| Profession | Regulator | Headline figure (indicative) |
|---|---|---|
| Doctor (GMC registration) | the General Medical Council (GMC) | £1,304 — combined PLAB 1 + PLAB 2 exam fees (GMC 2025–26 schedule) |
| Nurse (NMC registration) | the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) | £1,170 — indicative NMC application, CBT, OSCE and first-year registration fees |
| Pharmacist (GPhC registration) | the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) | £783 — GPhC eligibility-application fee for the overseas route (non-refundable, 2025) |
| Dentist (GDC registration) | the General Dental Council (GDC) | £7,567 — indicative ORE Part 1 + Part 2 fees (GDC, first sittings from Aug 2026) |
| Allied health professional (HCPC registration) | the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) | £29,970–£36,483 — indicative newly-registered NHS Band 5 pay, England 2024/25 |
Sources per profession: GMC 2025–26 fee schedule; NMC published fees; GPhC fees (2025); GDC ORE fees confirmed 6 May 2026; HCPC fees; NHS Agenda for Change pay, England 2024/25 (nhsemployers.org). Confirm current figures on each regulator’s website.
A note on ethical international recruitment
We provide information and do not actively recruit from countries on the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List 2023 — which includes Nigeria, Ghana, Pakistan, Nepal and others. If you are a health worker from one of those countries, you may still apply directly, of your own accord, to a UK employer that is advertising a role. We simply do not build targeted recruitment funnels or country-specific corridor guidance for those countries, in line with the UK Code of Practice for International Recruitment of Health and Social Care Personnel (DHSC, March 2023).
Frequently asked questions
Who is this checklist for?
Internationally-qualified health workers — doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists and allied health professionals — who, of their own accord, want to understand how to register and work in the UK. You choose your profession and where you trained, and the tool shows the exact regulator pathway with indicative fees and the documents you will need.
Is GeraClinic a recruitment agency?
No. GeraClinic and Gera Services Ltd do not recruit or place health workers, do not match you to specific UK vacancies, and never charge a health worker a placement fee. This is free, general pathway information for people exploring UK registration independently. You apply directly, of your own accord, to NHS trusts and other licensed employers.
Which UK regulator do I register with?
It depends on your profession: doctors register with the General Medical Council (GMC); nurses with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC); pharmacists with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC); dentists with the General Dental Council (GDC); and allied health professionals such as physiotherapists and radiographers with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). The checklist links you to the correct regulator for your profession.
Are the fees on this page accurate?
The fees are indicative snapshots taken from each regulator’s published figures with the source and date shown — for example the PLAB and GMC fees from the 2025–26 GMC schedule, NMC Test of Competence fees, the GPhC £783 eligibility-application fee (2025), and the GDC ORE fees confirmed on 6 May 2026 for first sittings from August 2026. Regulator fees and NHS pay scales are revised periodically, so always confirm the current amount on the regulator’s website before you budget.
Can I use this if I trained in a country on the WHO Safeguards List?
The general pathway applies wherever you trained, and you can always apply directly, of your own accord, to a UK employer that is advertising a role. We provide information and do not actively recruit from — or build targeted corridor guidance for — countries on the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List 2023 (such as Nigeria, Ghana, Pakistan and Nepal), in line with the UK Code of Practice for International Recruitment (DHSC, March 2023).
Do I need a UK visa, and how do I get one?
If you are not already able to work in the UK, the Health and Care Worker visa is the usual route. It requires a job offer with a Certificate of Sponsorship from a licensed UK employer, so a UK job offer normally comes first. Immigration rules are set by the UK Home Office (gov.uk), separately from your professional registration.
Detailed pathway guides
For doctors
Remote telemedicine work and the UK doctor pathway.
For nurses (NMC)
The full NMC Test of Competence pathway, English, CBT and OSCE.
Pharmacists (GPhC / OSPAP)
The OSPAP route, GPhC registration and UK pharmacist pay.
Dentists (GDC / ORE)
The Overseas Registration Exam, GDC registration and dentist pay.
Allied health (HCPC)
International HCPC registration for physiotherapists, radiographers and more.
India → UK doctor
The PLAB / GMC pathway for India-qualified doctors, step by step.
Important — please read
This tool is general information to help internationally-qualified health workers understand the relevant UK registration pathway. It is not legal, immigration or careers advice, and it is not a job offer. Gera Services Ltd is not a professional regulator and is not a recruitment agency: we do not register anyone, do not match candidates to specific vacancies, and never charge a health worker a placement fee. You apply on your own account, directly to NHS trusts and other licensed employers. Requirements, fees and pay scales change — always confirm the current position with the relevant regulator and GOV.UK before making any decision.