GMC registration for international doctors — answered

The General Medical Council (GMC) is the UK statutory regulator for doctors. It holds the medical register and issues the licence to practise. You cannot lawfully work as a doctor in the UK without GMC registration with a licence to practise.

PLAB (the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board test) is the main GMC route for many international medical graduates. It has two parts: PLAB 1, a written multiple-choice exam that can be sat in many countries, and PLAB 2, a practical OSCE (objective structured clinical examination) taken at the GMC’s clinical assessment centre in Manchester. After passing both and meeting the other requirements, you apply for registration.

Yes. You may qualify through a GMC-approved postgraduate qualification (for example certain Royal College memberships such as MRCP(UK), MRCS or MRCGP), through GMC-recognised sponsorship schemes such as MTI, or via recognised overseas qualifications where an equivalence route applies. Which route fits depends on your qualifications and specialty — check the GMC website.

The GMC accepts IELTS Academic with 7.5 overall and a minimum of 7.0 in each of the four sections, or OET Grade B in each section, unless you qualify for an exemption (for example a recent qualification taught and examined in English). Your English evidence is normally valid for two years. Confirm the current accepted tests and scores on the GMC’s English-language page.

There are separate fees for PLAB 1, PLAB 2, the registration application and the annual retention fee, plus the cost of the English test, travel and (usually) a visa. The GMC publishes each current figure on its fees page — check it directly, because fees are revised periodically and a total assembled from an old page will be wrong.

Provisional registration lets a doctor work only in an approved Foundation Year 1 post to complete the training needed for full registration. Full registration with a licence to practise is required for most other posts, including Foundation Year 2 and beyond. Most international medical graduates who complete PLAB apply for full registration.

NHS doctors are paid on the national medical and dental pay scale, separate from the Agenda for Change scale used for nurses and allied health professionals. Pay rises with grade — from foundation doctor, to specialty registrar, to consultant or GP. Figures are set nationally and revised annually; confirm current pay via NHS Employers and the relevant pay circular.

No. GeraClinic is a telemedicine platform, not a recruitment agency. These answer hubs are general educational information for people who independently want to understand the UK registration pathway. GeraClinic does not recruit, sponsor, place or supply staff to the NHS, does not advertise specific vacancies, and never charges an applicant a fee.