General Practice in the UK for Internationally-Qualified Doctors
A guide to becoming a UK GP as an internationally-qualified doctor — the demand, the GMC GP Register route, and how NHS and partnership pay work.
As of July 2026, a doctor who wants to work as a GP in the UK must hold registration with a licence to practise from the General Medical Council (GMC) and be on the GMC GP Register — the general-practice equivalent of the Specialist Register. UK general practice has a well-documented workforce shortage: the number of fully-qualified full-time-equivalent GPs has struggled to keep pace with patient demand, a gap repeatedly highlighted by the Royal College of General Practitioners.
Why UK general practice needs more GPs
General practice carries the largest share of NHS patient contacts, yet the fully-qualified full-time-equivalent GP workforce has not kept pace with rising demand. The Royal College of General Practitioners has repeatedly warned of a shortfall of GPs and of the pressure this places on remaining doctors and on patient access.
That gap sustains demand for internationally-qualified doctors entering GP training and, for those with equivalent experience, the GP Register. General practitioners have also featured on UK immigration shortage/salary lists for medical practitioners.
This page is educational information for doctors independently considering the move — not a vacancy advert. Confirm current workforce data with the Royal College of General Practitioners (rcgp.org.uk) and NHS England.
How NHS pay works for this specialty
NHS basic pay is set by grade, not by specialty. The figures below are for England, 2024/25 — indicative, and different in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
| Grade | Typical role | Basic pay (England) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation Year 1 (FY1) | Newly-qualified resident (formerly "junior") doctor, first year | £36,616 | The starting basic salary for a first-year foundation doctor in England. Additional pay applies for out-of-hours and on-call work. |
| Specialty registrar (StR) | Doctor in higher specialty training | £55,329 – £70,425 | Basic pay across the specialty-training nodal points (2016 contract, England). On-call and out-of-hours supplements are added on top. |
| Specialty doctor (SAS) | Non-training career-grade doctor | £59,175 – £95,400 | The 2021 specialty-doctor contract range. A common substantive route for internationally-qualified doctors before or instead of the specialist register. |
| Consultant | Senior doctor on the GMC Specialist Register | £105,504 – £139,882 | The England consultant pay scale — the same range for every hospital specialty, because basic pay is grade-based, not specialty-based. Requires specialist registration. |
Salaried GP pay is set within a national range recommended by the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration and negotiated locally; GP partners instead take a share of practice profit, which varies by practice. Because general practice mixes salaried and partnership models, GP earnings are structured differently from the hospital consultant scale — always confirm current figures with the BMA and NHS Employers.
Source: NHS Employers / BMA medical pay scales (England). Indicative snapshot for the 2024/25 pay year — confirm current figures with NHS Employers (nhsemployers.org) and the BMA (bma.org.uk).
As of 2024/25, the NHS consultant pay scale in England ran from £105,504 to £139,882 — the same for a consultant general practice as for any other specialty, because basic pay is set by grade, not by specialty.
- Foundation Year 1 (FY1)
- £36,616
- Specialty registrar (StR)
- £55,329 – £70,425
- Specialty doctor (SAS)
- £59,175 – £95,400
- Consultant
- £105,504 – £139,882
+ 4 more not shown here. As of 2024/25 pay year (England). Source: NHS Employers / BMA medical pay scales (England).
Get the General Practice specialist-registration checklist
Enter your email and we send a step-by-step checklist for joining the GMC Specialist Register in general practice — GMC registration, the Portfolio Pathway evidence mapped to the the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) curriculum, English evidence, and visa pointers. Free, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.
The GMC specialist-registration route in General Practice
- 1
Hold GMC registration with a licence to practise
Before anything specialty-specific, an internationally-qualified doctor must first be registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) with a licence to practise — usually via the PLAB examination or a GMC-recognised postgraduate qualification. The source-country routes are set out on our UK doctor pathway pages.
- 2
Choose your specialist-registration route
To take a substantive NHS consultant post you must join the GMC Specialist Register. There are two main routes: the CCT (Certificate of Completion of Training) for doctors who complete a UK training programme, and the Portfolio Pathway — the route the GMC introduced in late 2023 to replace CESR — for doctors whose training and experience were gained outside a UK programme.
- 3
Map your evidence to the specialty curriculum
The Portfolio Pathway is assessed against the UK curriculum for your specialty, which is set by the relevant Royal College or Faculty. You gather structured evidence — qualifications, logbooks, appraisals, assessments, reflective practice and testimonials — that demonstrates equivalence to a UK-trained specialist.
- 4
Apply, be assessed, and join the Specialist (or GP) Register
You submit your application to the GMC, which takes advice from the relevant Royal College or Faculty. If your evidence demonstrates the required standard, you are entered on the Specialist Register (or, for general practice, the GP Register) and become eligible for a substantive consultant or GP post. Confirm the current requirements and fees on gmc-uk.org.
Specialty-specific notes
To work as a GP you must be on the GMC GP Register. The two routes are a UK GP training programme leading to CCT, or — for doctors with equivalent overseas experience — the Portfolio Pathway (the route that replaced CESR/CEGPR in late 2023), assessed against the RCGP curriculum.
Unlike hospital specialties, a doctor cannot practise as a GP in NHS general practice without being on the GP Register — there is no equivalent of an unregistered career-grade GP role, so the register is the gateway.
What you need, in summary
- Hold GMC registration with a licence to practise (PLAB or a recognised postgraduate route)
- Be on the GMC GP Register (UK GP training + CCT, or the Portfolio Pathway) to practise as a GP
- Evidence English-language proficiency by a route the GMC accepts
- Hold the right to work in the UK (usually the Skilled Worker / Health and Care Worker visa, unless exempt)
- Maintain appropriate professional indemnity and an up-to-date appraisal record
For your country-of-training route (PLAB, English evidence, visa), see the UK Doctor Pathway guide, which covers permitted source corridors only.
Frequently asked questions
Can I work as a UK GP without joining the GP Register?+
No. NHS general practice requires you to be on the GMC GP Register. You join it either by completing UK GP training (CCT) or, with equivalent overseas experience, through the Portfolio Pathway assessed against the RCGP curriculum.
What is the difference between a salaried GP and a GP partner?+
A salaried GP is employed on a salary within a nationally recommended range. A GP partner is a co-owner of the practice and takes a share of its profit rather than a fixed salary. The two models have different pay structures and responsibilities.
Is general practice on the UK shortage list?+
Medical practitioners, including GPs, have featured on UK immigration shortage/salary lists, reflecting the workforce gap. Immigration lists change — confirm the current position on gov.uk before relying on it.
Does GeraClinic place GPs into NHS practices?+
No. GeraClinic is a telemedicine platform, not a recruitment agency. This is free educational information for doctors exploring the pathway independently; you apply to the GMC and to employers directly, of your own accord.
Explore other high-demand UK specialties
Related guides
UK Doctor Pathway — by where you qualified
Choose your GMC registration route by the country where you trained — PLAB, English evidence, and the visa overview, corridor by corridor.
NHS Pay Scales
See the full NHS medical and Agenda for Change pay scales, with sources, across grades and nations.
GeraClinic — For Doctors
Keep practising while you plan your move: see verified remote telemedicine work for licensed doctors.
Important — please read
This is general information to help internationally-qualified doctors understand how UK specialist registration works for this specialty. It is not recruitment, immigration or legal advice. Gera is not a recruitment agency: we do not place doctors into NHS jobs, do not match candidates to specific vacancies, and do not actively recruit from countries on the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List (2023). You apply on your own account, directly to the GMC and to any employer. Registration routes, workforce figures, fees and pay scales change — always confirm the current position with the General Medical Council (gmc-uk.org), the relevant Royal College or Faculty, UK Visas and Immigration (gov.uk) and NHS Employers (nhsemployers.org).
Keep practising while you plan your move
GeraClinic is a remote telemedicine platform for licensed doctors. Wherever you are registered today, you can see patients online, set your own hours and fees, and keep earning while you work through your UK specialist registration. It is free to apply.