Request a certificate to show your good standing with us
Doctors who hold or have held registration with us can ask us to send a certificate of good standing to another medical regulator (also known as a medical regulatory authority).
What is a certificate of good standing for?
A certificate of good standing (CGS) confirms to regulators in other countries that a doctor is in good standing with us. A CGS will show whether, at the time of issuing, the doctor is registered with us and if there are any restrictions on their practice in the UK. It will also include any restrictions which are no longer active, in line with our Publication and disclosure policy. These documents are used by regulators when considering applications for registration to practise.
These documents are also known as Certificates of current professional status (CCPS).
How to request a certificate of good standing
If you are planning to apply for registration to practise in another country soon, we can send a certificate of good standing directly to the relevant medical regulator.
You can ask us to send a certificate of good standing to a medical regulator from your GMC Online account. Please note: we can only issue a certificate of good standing if you currently hold, or have previously held registration with us.
- log into your GMC Online account
- from the left hand menu choose ‘My registration'
- then ‘My CCPS requests’.
If you’re registered with us and don’t have a GMC Online account, you'll need to set up an account. If you have an account and you haven't logged in since August 2021 you will need to update your account first.
You can also view any previous requests you have made for a certificate of good standing.
We’ll send you a confirmation email when we’ve sent your certificate of good standing.
If you have any problems with your request please contact us.
We usually process requests within 10 working days. But allow as much time as possible for your certificate of good standing to arrive. Don’t request your certificate too early as they are only valid for three months from the date of issue.
We'll contact you if we can't provide a certificate of good standing for any reason.
What a certificate of good standing shows
A certificate of good standing shows at the time it’s issued:
- your current registration and licence status
- registration history (for example, when you first gained full registration with us)
- identifying information (including your full name and GMC number)
- whether your registration has been restricted, suspended or revoked
- relevant information about your fitness to practise (our Publication and disclosure policy explains the information we will disclose to overseas medical regulators).
Certificates are issued in English.
Who we will send a certificate of good standing to
From September 2020 we will only send a certificate of good standing directly to another medical regulatory authority. This is in line with our policy to disclose fitness to practise sanctions indefinitely on a CCPS/CGS.
If an employer or another organisation asks for confirmation of your registration status with us, you should refer them to our medical register. Here they can find information such as your registration and licence status, registration and fitness to practise history, including any conditions, warnings or restrictions on your registration (since 20 October 2005 when the register was first published and in line with publication time-limits in our Publication and disclosure policy).
Find a medical regulatory authority’s contact details
If you’re planning to apply for registration to practise in another country you can find out which medical regulatory authority to contact using our database of regulatory authorities who issue Certificates of good standing.
