Regulating doctors, ensuring good medical practice

Applying for a licence

This page is to help doctors who have registration without a licence to practise and want to apply for a licence to practise.

You have three months to submit your application from when you start it online. If you have not submitted your application after three months you will have to start a new one. Instructions on setting up your online account are given at the end of this guidance.

If you want to practise medicine in the UK you must hold both registration and a licence to practise.

You should read our guidance on licensing for further information.

If you currently hold provisional registration please read the important information for holders of provisional registration before continuing with this guidance.

If you currently hold full registration please continue reading this guidance.

Your application will be an online application. At the end of this guidance you will be given a link to enter our secure web portal which is called GMC Online.

Your next steps

  • Read this guidance (9 pages)
  • Collect the supporting documentary evidence as detailed in the guidance
  • Log in and complete your application
  • Send your supporting documentary evidence by post
  • You may be required to attend an identity check, but we will let you know about this when we assess your application.

There is more information about these steps on the following pages of this guidance.