Applying for entry onto the Specialist Register for doctors who hold full registration
This page is for doctors who hold full registration and want to be entered onto the Specialist Register.
You must hold full registration to be entered onto the Specialist Register. If you do not hold full registration, but are a qualified specialist, you should find the right guidance for you in our applying to join the Register section (opens in a new window). This will tell you how to apply for entry onto the Specialist Register at the same time as you apply for full registration with a licence to practise.
You can check your status on the online Register (including whether you are entered onto the Specialist Register).
Contents
- 1. I achieved my specialist qualification in the UK
- 2. I am a national of an EEA member state (or Switzerland), or I am entitled to be treated as such and I have a specialist qualification that is acceptable for mutual recognition
- 3. I have a specialist qualification, specialist training or experience as a specialist from outside the UK, but do not have a qualification that is acceptable for mutual recognition
1. I achieved my specialist qualification in the UK
Training completed after 12 January 1996
If you completed your specialist training after 1 February 2007, you will have been automatically entered onto the Specialist Register.
Before then you may have a certificate from one of the following organisations:
| Period |
Organisation |
Certificate |
| 12 January 1996 to 30 September 2005 |
Specialist Training Authority (STA) |
Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training (CCST) |
| Between 30 September 2005 and 31 March 2006 |
Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB) |
Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) |
Along with your certificate STA or PMETB issued you an application form. Please complete this and send it to us at:
General Medical Council
Registration Support Team (Updates)
3 Hardman Street
Manchester
M3 3AW
Existing specialists scheme
If you are currently registered with the GMC, and were appointed to a substantive, honorary or fixed term consultant post in the NHS or UK Armed Forces prior to 1 January 1997, you can apply for entry onto the Specialist Register utilising the scheme for existing specialists.
If you meet this criteria and want to make an application, please complete an application form (pdf)
If you are not currently registered with us you must apply for restoration before you can make an application for entry onto the Specialist Register under this scheme.
Training completed before 12 January 1996
If you completed your specialist training before 12 January 1996, and are not yet entered onto the Specialist Register, and you are not eligible for entry onto the Specialist Register through the scheme for existing specialists, you may need to apply for a Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR).
Please see our specialist and GP certification section to find guidance on how to apply.
If you have completed your specialist training in the UK and none of the above applies to you please contact us.
2. I am a national of an EEA member state (or Switzerland), or I am entitled to be treated as such and I have a specialist qualification that is acceptable for mutual recognition
If you want to work in the UK as a specialist, you may be entitled for direct entry onto the Specialist Register, if you:
Or
- are entitled to be treated as such because you have EC rights (pdf)
And
- have a specialist qualification that is acceptable for mutual recognition.
To be acceptable for mutual recognition your specialist qualification must be listed in Annex V of Directive 2005/36/EC (pdf) for the country in which you obtained the qualification. In addition to this, the specialty must have a corresponding entry for the United Kingdom.
You should log in to MyGMC and make your application for entry onto the Specialist Register in the My Registration section.
In most cases we will ask you for a certificate from the competent authority in the country where you qualified, to prove that your qualification complies with the standards of the Directive.
MyGMC
Existing users
If you already have a MyGMC account, you can log in here and make your application in the My Registration section.
Log in to MyGMC (opens in a new window).
New users
If you have a GMC reference number, but have never logged into MyGMC and do not have log in details, you can request them here.
Request log in details (opens in a new window).
3. I have a specialist qualification, specialist training or experience as a specialist from outside the UK, but do not have a qualification that is acceptable for mutual recognition
If you have already applied to have your eligibility for entry onto the Specialist Register assessed and have been successful in that application, you may have a certificate from one of the following organisations:
| Period |
Organisation |
Certificate |
| 12 January 1996 to 30 September 2005 |
Specialist Training Authority (STA) |
Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training (CCST) |
| Between 30 September 2005 and 31 March 2006 |
Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB) |
Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) |
Along with your certificate STA or PMETB issued you an application form. Please complete this and send it to us at:
General Medical Council
Registration Support Team (Updates)
3 Hardman Street
Manchester
M3 3AW
If you were issued a certificate by PMETB between 1 February 2007 and 1 April 2010 and, as part of the application process, you asked to be entered onto the Specialist Register, this will have been done automatically after your certificate was issued.
Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR)
If your qualification is not acceptable for mutual recognition, to be entered onto the Specialist Register you will need to apply for a CESR.
A CESR application takes a long time to compile and is a time consuming and complex process. If you are intending to apply please read the following guidance.
Read more about certificates of eligibility (including CESR)
Go to the specialist and GP certification section to find guidance on how to apply