Certificates of Eligibility

This section provides information about Certificates of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR) and the Certificate of Eligibility for GP Registration (CEGPR).

CESR and CEGPR are equivalent to Certificates of Completion of Training (CCT) in the UK and certify that the recipient is eligible for entry onto the Specialist Register or the GP Register respectively. CCTs are only issued to doctors who complete full approved* training programmes and CESR and CEGPR are for the certification of specialist and GP training, qualifications and experience which is partly or completely acquired outside of approved* programmes.

Doctors who want to practise as substantive, honorary or fixed term consultants, or as GPs, in the NHS and have not completed approved* training programmes may apply for a CESR or a CEGPR to gain entry onto the Specialist Register or the GP Register.

An applicant for a CESR or a CEGPR must provide a portfolio of evidence that demonstrates that their training, qualifications and experience meet our standards. This means that an application for CESR or CEGPR is usually complex and time consuming.

If you are a doctor looking for guidance on which certificate you are eligible for and how to apply, please see our how to apply for Specialist and GP certification section.

CESR in a CCT specialty

Doctors who have training, qualifications and experience in a specialty that is one of those approved for the award of a CCT by the GMC but have gained these partly or completely outside of an approved training programme may apply for a CESR in a CCT specialty.

To do this they must have specialist training and/or specialist qualifications, obtained in any country, and demonstrate that this together with their experience are equivalent to the requirements for the award of a CCT in that specialty in the UK.

See a list of CCT approved specialties

CESR in a non-CCT specialty

Doctors who have training, qualifications and experience in a specialty that is not one of those approved for the award of a CCT by the GMC but have gained these partly or completely outside of an approved training programme may apply for a CESR in a non CCT specialty (part of the training or qualifications must have been gained outside the UK).

To do this they must have specialist training and/or specialist qualifications, obtained outside the UK, and demonstrate that this together with their experience show that they have the knowledge and skill consistent with practice as a consultant in the NHS.

See a list of CCT approved specialties

CESR in academic and research medicine

A small number of doctors who have not followed conventional specialist training, have focused on a specific area of narrow research and have made a significant contribution to their academic field, may apply for a CESR in academic and research medicine. To do this they must demonstrate their contribution to their academic field and that they have achieved the knowledge and skill consistent with practice as a consultant in the NHS.

CEGPR

Doctors who have training, qualifications and experience in General Practice but have gained these partly or completely outside of an approved training programme, may apply for a CEGPR.

To do this they must have general practice training and/or qualifications, obtained in any country, and demonstrate that these together with their experience are equivalent to the requirements for the award of a CCT in General Practice in the UK.

*Approved by one of the following organisations

Period	Organisation
Before September 2005 (for specialists)	The relevant medical Royal College of Faculty
Before September 2005 (for GPs)	The Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice (JCPTGP)
Between September 2005 and March 2010	Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB)
From April 2010	The GMC
* Before 31 July 2007	Some training posts that were completed before 31 December 2006 may have been approved retrospectively by the Royal College or Faculty for that specialty (including General Practice). This approval will have been granted before 31 July 2007 and the doctor will have written confirmation from the Royal College or Faculty.

Read frequently asked questions for doctors about Certificates of Eligibility

Read about applying for GP and specialist certification in our how to apply section