Bulgaria – Evidence of qualifications

The GMC is currently awaiting the information it requires from the European Commission to allow us to automatically recognise medical qualifications awarded in that country under EU mutual recognition arrangements. In the meantime this page explains what evidence of qualifications doctors who qualified in Bulgaria need to supply to support their registration application.

Below is information about

Medical regulatory authorities in Bulgaria

Ministry of Health
National Health Policy Division

Contact details:
Dr Angel Moskov
Head of Health Education and Qualification section
5 place Sveta Nedelia
1000 Sofia
Bulgaria

Full registration

You will need to hold:

A diploma of higher education for the degree of educational qualification of “Master in Medicine” and the professional qualification of “Master physician” (“Диплома за висше образование на образователно-квалификационна степен “магистър” по “Медицина” и професионална квалификация “Магистър-лекар”) and provide us with an original certificate issued by the medical regulatory authority stating that your qualification complies with the standards laid down in Article 24 of the Directive 2005/36/EC.

OR

If your degree has a different title you will need to provide us with an original certificate issued by the medical regulatory authority stating that your qualification is treated by Bulgaria as equivalent to the diploma of higher education for the degree of educational qualification of “Master in Medicine” and the professional qualification of “Master physician” (“Диплома за висше образование на образователно-квалификационна степен “магистър” по “Медицина” и професионална квалификация “Магистър-лекар”) as required by Article 23.6 of the Directive 2005/36/EC.

OR

You will need to hold a diploma of higher education for the degree of educational qualification of “Master in Medicine” and the professional qualification of “Master physician” (“Диплома за висше образование на образователно-квалификационна степен “магистър” по “Медицина” и професионална квалификация “Магистър-лекар”) and provide us with an original certificate from the medical regulatory authority which confirms that you have effectively and lawfully been engaged in actual medical practice for at least three consecutive years during the last five years (as required by Article 23.1 of the Directive 2005/36/EC). If you have been engaged in medical practice for at least three consecutive years during the last five years in an EEA state other than Bulgaria you should obtain this certificate from the registration authority of the EEA Member State or Switzerland where you worked.

AND

If your degree has a different title you will also need to provide:

A certificate from the medical regulatory authority which confirms that this qualification is treated by Bulgaria as equivalent to the diploma of higher education for the degree of educational qualification of “Master in Medicine” and the professional qualification of “Master physician” (“Диплома за висше образование на образователно-квалификационна степен “магистър” по “Медицина” и професионална квалификация “Магистър-лекар”) as required by Article 23.6 of the Directive 2005/36/EC.

Please make sure you have read all of our guidance on Applying to join the register before you apply.

Specialist Registration

To hold specialist registration you must also hold full registration. If you want to apply for specialist registration and you do not already hold full registration, you should apply for full and specialist registration at the same time.

Your specialty must be listed in Annex V of the Directive 2005/36/EC by the country that awarded it and have a corresponding entry for the United Kingdom.

You will need to hold:

Свидетелство за призната Специалност awarded by the Медицински университет, Висш медицински институт или Военномедицин-ска академия.

If your specialist certificate was awarded before 1 January 2007, or if you began your training leading to the award of that certificate before that date, you will also need to hold either:

A letter from the medical regulatory authority confirming that the training leading to the award of your specialist certificate meets the standards laid down in Articles 25, 26 and 27 as appropriate of Directive 2005/36/EC.

OR

If your specialist training does not meet those standards, you will need to hold a letter from the medical regulatory authority, or the medical regulatory authority of the country where you are now working, confirming that you have been practising in the specialty in which your specialist certificate was awarded for the period required by Article 23.1 of Directive 2005/36/EC.

If the title of your specialist certificate is not as described above or the specialty in which it is awarded is not the same as that specialty listed in Annex V of Directive 2005/36/EC you will also need to hold:

A letter from the medical regulatory authority confirming that your training leading to the award of the specialist certificate meets the standards laid down in Articles 25, 26 and 27 as appropriate of Directive 2005/36/EC and that the specialty is treated in law by Bulgaria as a certificate of medical specialisation in the relevant specialty as set out in Annex V of Directive 2005/36/EC.

If you are not eligible to enter the specialist register via the criteria outlined (above) you can apply to the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB) to be assessed via the Article 14 equivalence route. Doctors applying via the Article 14 route will be required to demonstrate that their specialist qualifications, knowledge and experience gained are equivalent to that of a doctor completing a UK specialist training programme in your specialty. For further guidance, including application forms and a list of frequently answered questions, please visit the PMETB website. Please note that PMETB cannot accept CVs/resumes in isolation.

GP Registration

To hold GP registration you must also hold full registration. If you want to apply for GP registration and you do not already hold full registration, you should apply for full and GP registration at the same time.

You will need to hold either:

A Свидетелство за призната специалност по Обща медицина awarded by the Лекар-специалист по Обща медицина. If your certificate does not clearly state that your training for general medical practice meets the standards laid down in Article 28 of Directive 2005/36/EC you will need to hold a letter from the medical regulatory authority which confirms that your training meets those standards

OR

A certificate of acquired rights for general medical practice awarded by the medical regulatory authority. The certificate must state that it was awarded to you in accordance with Article 30(1) of Directive 2005/36/EC.

If you are not eligible to enter the GP register via the criteria outlined (above) you can apply to PMETB via the Article 11 equivalence route. Doctors who apply using this method will have their training, qualifications and experience compared against the standard required for doctors completing a UK General Practice training programme. Successful applicants will be given a statement confirming their eligibility for entry to the GP Register and hence eligible to work as a GP in the UK. For further information and to request an Article 11 application pack, please visit the PMETB website. Please note that PMETB is unable to accept CVs/resumes in isolation and cannot process applications that are not made through the correct channels.