Evidence of your fitness to practise
Certificates of good standing
In your application, you’ll be asked to list any countries where you've practised or held registration or a licence to practise in the last five years.
We'll need a certificate of good standing from all of the countries you've been registered with in that time, even if you haven't been practising there. You can find the details of the medical regulatory authorities for each country in our certificate of good standing contact database.
The certificate of good standing must:
- cover all of your work in that country/state
- confirm that you're entitled to practise medicine in that country
- confirm that you've not been disqualified, suspended or prohibited from practising medicine
- confirm that the regulatory authority is not aware of any matters that call into question your good standing.
If there is no medical regulatory authority in the country to issue a certificate of good standing, you will need to ask your employers to complete the employer reference form.
Clinical attachments or observerships
If you have undertaken any clinical attachments or observerships in the UK or overseas in the last five years that lasted longer than two months, you will need to obtain employer reference forms to cover these.
Non-medical work
If you have been employed in a non-medical capacity in the UK or overseas in the last five years, you will need to ask your employers to complete the employer reference form.
Please note that certificates of good standing and employer references are only valid for three months from the date that they are issued and must be valid on the date your application is approved.
Examples of evidence required
Below are examples of typical patterns of work experience and the evidence we request to cover them:
| Start date | Finish date | Experience | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20/11/2013 | 30/11/2013 | Hospital X, Pakistan | Certificate of good standing from Pakistan Medical and Dental Council |
| 01/12/2013 | 30/03/2013 | Vacation | Nothing required |
| 31/03/2014 | 31/12/2014 | Hospital Y, Russia | As there is no recognised regulatory authority in Russia, we would accept an employer's reference to cover this period |
| 01/01/2015 | 31/12/2015 | Hospital Z, Pakistan |
Certificate of good standing from Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (one certificate of good standing would cover both periods of work) |
| 01/01/2016 | 01/06/2016 | Studying for USMLE exams, USA | None required |
| 02/06/2016 | 01/06/2016 | Paramedic, USA | As registration with the regulator is not required for this type of medical work, we would accept an employer's reference to cover this period |
| 01/07/2016 | 30/07/2016 | Clinical attachment, UK | Employer's reference to cover non-medical work in the UK |
| 01/07/2016 | Ongoing | Manager, care home, UK | Employer's reference to cover non-medical work in the UK |
Help for refugee doctors
We realise you may not be able to provide us with the appropriate certificates of good standing. If that is the case, we will look at your individual circumstances and explore alternative options with you.
