From One Health System to Another.

Step 4: Full GMC Registration for International Medical Graduates After PLAB 2

1) Evidence of your primary medical qualification (PMQ)

  • What to prepare
    • A clear copy of your primary medical qualification (degree/diploma). If it isn’t in English, you’ll also need an official translation (see Step 9).
  • Is your PMQ acceptable?
    • Check that your PMQ meets GMC acceptability criteria (some schools/periods may not be acceptable). If the GMC has concerns, they’ll contact you for more information.
  • Primary source verification (PSV)
    • Many IMGs must complete PSV via ECFMG’s EPIC before GMC can grant registration. You create an EPIC account, upload your qualification, and have it sent to the GMC for verification. (If your qualification type is exempt, GMC will say so.)

2) Evidence of your internship or clinical experience

  • What counts
    • GMC looks for a 12-month rotating internship (or equivalent) with exposure to medicine and surgery. If you don’t meet the classic pattern, the GMC explains accepted alternatives.
  • What to provide
    • Internship certificate/letter (or detailed evidence of supervised clinical practice) showing dates, rotations, and specialties; translations if not in English.

3) Demonstrating your knowledge of English

  • The straightforward route
    • Submit IELTS/OET test evidence, or use another accepted route listed by GMC (e.g., certain PMQs taught and examined in English; recent UK practice with employer confirmation; etc.).
  • What to attach
    • The test report (if applicable) or the documentary evidence relevant to your chosen route, per GMC’s English language guidance.
  • Nationals of certain countries
    • If you’re a national of a country where English is the first and native language and your PMQ was awarded in such a country, you don’t need to provide separate English evidence.

4) Your passport

  • What to upload
    • A copy of the photo ID page and signature page of your passport. This is used to confirm identity under the Medical Act and for fraud prevention.

5) Your certificate(s) of good standing (COGS)

  • Who must provide
    • Every medical regulatory authority you’ve been registered or licensed with in the last five years must send a certificate of good standing directly to GMC. You’ll need one from each jurisdiction you held registration in.
  • What it shows
    • Whether any sanctions or fitness-to-practise findings exist. Request these early so they arrive in good time.

6) Your activities for the last five years

  • Give a continuous timeline
    • Provide full details of all activities (work, study, unemployment, travel, parental leave, etc.) covering the entire past five years, without gaps. Include contact details for people who can confirm entries if GMC needs to check.

7) Declaring your fitness to practise

  • Be ready to declare
    • You must declare any relevant criminal, regulatory, academic, or disciplinary matters (and similar issues) that could affect your fitness to practise. GMC uses this to decide if you’re fit to practise safely.

8) Will there be restrictions on where you can work?

  • Approved Practice Setting (APS)
    • Most newly registered IMGs must initially work in an Approved Practice Setting until their first revalidation. (APS status is a condition that helps GMC monitor new doctors’ early UK practice.)

9) Translating documents that aren’t in English

  • Translation standards
    • Use a professional translator who provides a signed statement of accuracy, contact details, and translates every page (including stamps/seals). GMC explains what a compliant translation must look like.

10) How to provide your documents

  • Upload method
    • Attach PDF copies to the “Your documents” section of your GMC Online application. You can attach multiple files to one evidence item.
  • If something doesn’t apply / is sent by a third party
    • Mark the evidence item’s status accordingly and explain why in the description box (e.g., COGS will be sent directly by the regulator).
  • Important
    • After you submit, you can’t edit the application. If GMC asks for more evidence by email, uploading later will delay processing.

11) Fees (pay at submission)

  • When and how
    • You must pay the registration fee to submit your application; there’s also a non-refundable scrutiny fee if an application is refused, closed, or withdrawn. GMC UK
  • Amounts (effective 1 April 2025)
    • Application for full registration with a licence: £463
    • Discounted application (fixed-term discount): £177
    • Annual fee with a licence: £463
    • Scrutiny fee (if refused/closed/withdrawn): £106
      (Check the GMC fees page for the most current figures.) GMC UK

12) Processing time & application validity

  • Initial assessment target
    • GMC aims to complete an initial assessment within five working days, assuming your application is complete.
  • Application window
    • Your application (and the information in it) is valid for three months; if it isn’t completed/approved within that time, GMC will close it.

13) Completing the identity check (after approval of your application)

This step is required before GMC grants your application.

  • How it works now
    • GMC uses Digidentity Wallet (a free, secure mobile app) to perform your digital identity check. This is now the standard route.
  • Deadline
    • Once GMC approves your application, you have three months to complete the identity check. GMC cannot extend this time limit.
  • What you’ll need
    • A smartphone (iOS 15 / Android 10 or later) and an acceptable identity document (GMC recommends your passport; national ID cards with MRZ or full UK driving licence are also accepted; expired IDs and provisional UK driving licences are not).
  • Special case
    • Syrian passports issued before August 2023 aren’t accepted in the app because of date formatting; you must book an in-person ID appointment in London instead.
  • After you finish the app steps
    • You’ll get an email from Digidentity confirming your Digidentity registration; that doesn’t mean GMC has granted your registration. GMC will separately review the check and contact you — this can take up to 10 working days. Don’t start work until GMC confirms your registration is granted.

14) “I am ready to apply” (GMC Online)

  • Start the application
    • Log into GMC Online → My registration → My applications using your GMC reference number and password. If you’ve never logged in or don’t have a reference number, use GMC’s links to set up or update your account.
  • Submission window
    • You can save and return to the application, but you have three months to submit or you’ll need to start again.

Quick checklist (mirror of the GMC chapters)

  1. PMQ (+PSV if required)
  2. Internship/experience evidence
  3. English language evidence (IELTS/OET or another accepted route)
  4. Passport (ID & signature pages)
  5. Certificates of Good Standing (sent directly from each regulator in last 5 years)
  6. Activities for the last five years (no gaps)
  7. Fitness-to-practise declarations
  8. Understand APS restrictions after registration
  9. Translations (if any document isn’t in English)
  10. Upload PDFs correctly; can’t edit after submission
  11. Pay fees at submission; note scrutiny fee; see 2025 figures
  12. Processing target (5 working days) & 3-month validity
  13. Complete digital identity check via Digidentity within 3 months (special London appointment only in specific cases)
  14. Apply/track in GMC Online

References

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