Why do I need to apply to give up my registration?

We ask all registrants to provide statements in relation to their fitness to practise when applying to give up their registration.

We do this to make sure you’re in good standing when you leave the register. This helps protect patient safety and maintain the integrity of the profession.

Most registrants are in good standing when they end their registration with us. But there can be rare cases where a registrant seeks to give up their registration to avoid fitness to practise proceedings.

The need for a registrant to request the removal of their entry from the register in writing, is set out in the legislation which governs the process of voluntary removal. As a regulator, we need to check that all registrants leaving the register voluntarily are fit to practise, as we do when individuals apply to join the register. This helps to maintain the integrity of the profession. Our application form helps us to obtain the information we need to be assured of this.

Why do I have to show I am fit to practise if I am leaving the register?

We must guard against the remote possibility that a registrant might try to leave the register to evade our fitness to practise procedures. We also must be able to certify that a registrant who is no longer registered was still in good standing up to the point they left the register.

The GMC is investigating a complaint about me, and I have applied to give up my registration – will information about my application be shared with anyone?

If you apply to give up your registration while we are investigating a complaint about you, we will notify the person who made the complaint. We do this because if your application is granted, the complaint will be closed.