HCPC Registration from Spain: Allied Health Professionals
Spanish-qualified allied health professionals — such as physiotherapists (fisioterapeutas), occupational therapists and radiographers — who want to work in the UK now apply to the HCPC through its international registration route, since Brexit ended EU automatic recognition; this page explains that route as general information, not a job offer.
Spain is a high-income EU member state and is not on the WHO 2023 Safeguards List or the UK Code of Practice red/amber list. The change since 1 January 2021 is legal, not ethical: EU qualifications no longer receive automatic mutual recognition in the UK, so Spanish-qualified professionals now use the same HCPC international application route as other overseas applicants. Spain produces a large number of physiotherapy graduates each year, and Spanish standards are often closely aligned with UK ones — though each application is assessed individually.
Your qualification at home
In Spain, health professions are regulated through the Ministerio de Sanidad and the professional colleges (Colegios Profesionales), such as the Colegios de Fisioterapeutas for physiotherapists. Your Spanish degree (Grado), college registration (colegiación) and experience are the starting evidence for an HCPC application, but UK registration is a separate assessment against UK standards of proficiency.
English-language evidence
Spanish degree programmes are taught in Spanish, so Spanish-qualified applicants usually need to evidence English through IELTS Academic 7.0 (no section below 6.5) or OET Grade B, unless a specific HCPC exemption applies to them.
The pathway, step by step
The HCPC route is the same wherever you trained. Full detail is on the international application guide.
- 1
Confirm your profession is HCPC-regulated
Physiotherapists and radiographers (diagnostic and therapeutic) are among the 15 professions the HCPC regulates. Check that your exact profession and title are on the HCPC list before you begin.
- 2
Gather your qualification and experience evidence
You will need certified proof of your professional qualification, a detailed breakdown of your training (curriculum, hours, clinical placements) and evidence of your professional experience. The HCPC compares this against the UK standards of proficiency for your profession.
- 3
Meet the English-language requirement
Provide evidence of English proficiency — the HCPC accepts IELTS Academic 7.0 (no section below 6.5) or OET Grade B. Some applicants are exempt where they trained and practised in English; the HCPC website sets out who qualifies.
- 4
Submit your international application and pay the fee
Complete the HCPC international application and pay the international application (scrutiny) fee. The HCPC then assesses whether your education and experience meet UK standards. Confirm the current fee on the HCPC fees page before you apply.
- 5
Respond to any assessment outcome
The HCPC may approve your application, or ask for more information, or require you to address a shortfall (for example through further study or supervised practice) before it can register you. Follow the decision letter carefully.
- 6
Join the Register and arrange the right to work
Once registered you may use the protected title and practise. Working in the UK also requires the right to work — many applicants use the Health and Care Worker visa, which needs a job offer from a Home Office-licensed sponsor. HCPC registration and immigration are separate processes.
How people apply for roles
Because Spain is not on the WHO 2023 safeguards list or the UK red/amber list, a Spanish-qualified professional can explore and apply for UK roles on their own initiative. In practice that means, once you are HCPC-registered (or eligible) and have the right to work, you apply directly to advertised NHS or private vacancies with the employer. GeraClinic does not place, sponsor or match candidates — it simply explains the pathway. Always confirm the current red/amber list on the NHS Employers website (as of July 2026), as it is revised periodically.
Whatever your country of training, the NHS pays every HCPC profession on the national Agenda for Change scale — a newly registered practitioner starts on Band 5, about £29,970 full-time (2024/25).
- Band 5 — Newly HCPC-registered / entry practitioner
- £29,970–£36,483
- Band 6 — Specialist practitioner
- £37,338–£44,962
- Band 7 — Advanced / clinical specialist / team lead
- £46,148–£52,809
- Band 8a — Consultant practitioner / clinical lead
- £53,755–£60,504
As of 2024/25. Source: NHS Employers, Agenda for Change.
Get the HCPC application checklist for applicants from Spain
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Frequently asked questions — from Spain
Do Spanish-qualified professionals still get automatic recognition in the UK?+
No — not since Brexit. From 1 January 2021, EU qualifications no longer receive automatic mutual recognition in the UK. Spanish-qualified allied health professionals now apply through the HCPC international registration route, though close alignment between Spanish and UK standards can make the assessment straightforward.
Is Spain on the UK ethical-recruitment red list?+
No. Spain is a high-income EU country and is not on the WHO 2023 Safeguards List or the UK red/amber list, so individuals may explore and apply for UK roles on their own initiative. Confirm the current lists on the NHS Employers website.
Do I need an English-language test as a Spanish-qualified applicant?+
Usually yes, because Spanish programmes are taught in Spanish. The HCPC generally accepts IELTS Academic 7.0 (no section below 6.5) or OET Grade B. Check the HCPC website for any exemption that may apply to you.
Does GeraClinic recruit health workers from Spain into the NHS?+
No. GeraClinic is a telemedicine platform, not a recruitment agency. It does not recruit, sponsor, place or supply staff to the NHS, and never charges applicants a placement fee. This page is general educational information only.
Explore the rest of this guide
By profession
By country pathway
Guides
Related on the wider Gera network: healthcare jobs on GeraJobs. Applying to any specific vacancy is always done directly with the advertising employer — GeraClinic does not place, sponsor or match candidates.
Sources & further reading
These are the primary, official sources for everything on this page. Where figures appear, confirm the current value at the source before relying on it.
- HCPC — International registration
Application route and assessment process for professionals qualified outside the UK.
- Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
UK statutory regulator for 15 health and care professions, including physiotherapists and radiographers.
- UK Code of Practice for the International Recruitment of Health and Social Care Personnel (DHSC)
The ethical-recruitment framework and the red/amber country list.
- WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List 2023
The 55 countries facing the most pressing health-workforce shortages.
- NHS Employers — Agenda for Change pay scales
National NHS pay bands for England, 2024/25.
- GOV.UK — Health and Care Worker visa
Immigration route for eligible medical and social-care roles with a Home Office-licensed sponsor.