We've cut your fees

We’ve saved money by finding ways to work more efficiently and we are passing those savings on to doctors.

Last year, we were able to freeze or cut the fees doctors pay us. This year, we’re cutting the fees paid by all doctors.  

This is the first time we’ve been able to do this since the annual retention fee was introduced in 1970.  

Most of the reduced fees will come into effect from April 2012. But we’ve cut the cost of a certificate of completion of training (CCT) and certificate of eligibility of specialist or GP registration (CESR or CEGPR) immediately.  

What are the new fees?

• We’ve cut the annual retention fee from £420 to £390 for doctors holding registration with a licence to practise, and from £145 to £140 for doctors holding registration without a licence to practise.
• Provisionally registered doctors will pay £95 a year, down from £100 in 2011 and £145 in 2010. For doctors moving from provisional to full registration, the cost of the first year of full registration has been further reduced to £195, compared to £210 in 2011 and £420 in 2010.
• Doctors who are not first provisionally registered and who seek full registration within two years of qualification will also pay a fee of £195 for their first year of registration. 
• Any doctor whose total gross annual world-wide income from all sources is less than £30,000 will qualify for a 50% reduction in their annual retention fees due after 1 April 2012; the current threshold is £26,000.
• The cost of a CCT will now be £390, down from £500 in 2010  (applies immediately).
• The cost of a CESR or CEGPR will be £1500, down from £1600 (applies immediately).   

‘We have a responsibility to provide value for money and, as far as we can, to control our costs,’ said Niall Dickson, the Chief Executive of the GMC.

‘We are making these reductions at the same time as facing increasing demand on our services and delivering major initiatives that will benefit doctors and patients, including the introduction of revalidation, the medical practitioners tribunal service, and the roll-out of employer and regional liaison teams.’