Applying to relinquish your registration or relinquishing your licence to practise - your options
If you are not engaged in medical practice or in other work that requires you to be registered, with or without a licence to practise, you can choose to either:
- Relinquish your licence to practise (if you have one)
- The main advantage of relinquishing your licence to practise is that you will pay a reduced annual retention fee during periods when you do not need to be licensed to practise.
- Relinquish your registration (voluntary erasure)
- The main advantages of voluntary erasure are that you will not have to pay an annual retention fee during periods when you do not need to be registered. And you will not be charged a restoration fee if you subsequently apply to have your name restored to the Register. You will be charged a restoration fee if you allow your registration to lapse through non-payment or failure to maintain an effective address.
- If your application to relinquish your registration is successful, you will automatically relinquish your licence to practise as well (if you have one).
If you intend to relinquish your licence to practise or apply to relinquish your registration while holding a contract of employment as a medical practitioner in the United Kingdom we advise you to discuss the matter with your employing authority.
You should not assume that your licence to practise has been relinquished or that your status on the Register has been updated until you have received a letter from us confirming this.
There is no fee for relinquishing your licence to practise or applying to relinquish your registration.
If you later wish to restore your licence to practise, you will be required to complete an application which will be subject to a full assessment process.
For next steps please see our guidance: