Revalidation

Every licensed doctor who practises medicine must revalidate. Revalidation supports your development by requiring you to reflect regularly on your work and on feedback from colleagues and patients. Reflection and professional development can also help you to identify improvements to patient care. This page provides step by step guidance and resources to support doctors with revalidation. 
Start revalidation

How to revalidate

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Doctors with a designated body

These steps explain how to revalidate if you need your licence to practise and you are connected to a responsible officer through your designated body. If you're not sure about your connection, you should use our connection tool.

1

Update your connection

Make sure your designated body is correct in GMC Online.
GMC Online
Set up a GMC Online account
Go paperless
2

Collect supporting information

Understand the types of information you need to collect and reflect upon for appraisal.
Guidance on supporting information for appraisal and revalidation
3

Have an appraisal

Find out what you need to do for your annual whole practice appraisal.
Whole practice appraisals
The Good medical practice framework for appraisal and revalidation (pdf)
4

Revalidate

Understand the recommendations your responsible officer can make and how we make a decision about your revalidation.
Recommendations and our revalidation decision making process
Doctors with a suitable person

These steps explain how to revalidate if you need your licence to practise and can connect to a suitable person. If you're not sure about your connection, you should use our connection tool.

1

Update your connection

Read our guide on connecting to a suitable person. If you're already connected, make sure this information is up to date in GMC Online.
Connecting to a suitable person
GMC Online
Set up a GMC Online account
Go paperless
2

Collect supporting information

Understand the types of information you need to collect and reflect upon for appraisal.
Supporting information guide
3

Have an appraisal

Find out what you need to do for your annual whole practice appraisal.
Whole practice appraisals
The Good medical practice framework for appraisal and revalidation (pdf)
4

Revalidate

Understand the recommendations your suitable person can make and how we make a decision about your revalidation.
Recommendations and our revalidation decision making process
Doctors with no connection

These steps explain how to revalidate if you need your licence to practise and do not have a connection to a designated body or suitable person. If you're not sure about your connection, you should use our connection tool.

1

Update your connection

If you've used our connection tool and don’t have a responsible officer or suitable person, update your connection information in GMC Online.
GMC Online
Set up a GMC Online account
Go paperless
2

Collect supporting information

Understand the types of information you need to collect and reflect upon for appraisal.
Supporting information guide
3

Have an appraisal and complete your annual return

Read our guide on finding an appraiser, whole practice appraisals and annual returns.
Appraisals and annual returns
The Good medical practice framework for appraisal and revalidation (pdf)
4

Revalidate

Find out about the revalidation assessment and how we make a decision about your revalidation.
Assessments and the GMC decision
Doctors in training

These steps explain how to revalidate if you are connected to a designated body and responsible officer through your training programme. If you're not sure about your connection, you should use our connection tool.

1

Update your connection

Find your designated body using our connection tool and update this information in GMC Online. Your connection might change when you complete training or if you take a break in practice.
Connections for doctors in training
GMC Online
Set up GMC Online account
Go paperless
2

Participate in the requirements of your training programme

Take part in the Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP) and discuss your progress and learning needs with your educational supervisors, including causes for concern and any practice outside your training programme.
Revalidation requirements for doctors in training
3

Your revalidation

Understand the timing of your revalidation and the recommendations your responsible officer can make.
Revalidation for doctors in training
4

More information

Find out more about revalidation by reading our guides. Or learn more from the Conference of Postgraduate Medical Deans (COPMeD) website.
Guidance for doctors: requirements for revalidation and maintaining your licence (pdf)
The GMC protocol for making revalidation recommendations (pdf)
COPMeD website

Our guidance for all doctors is available as a PDF:

Download guidance for doctors: requirements for revalidation and maintaining your licence

Download guidance on supporting information for appraisal and revalidation

A Responsible officer and doctor sitting talking at a desk

Revalidation resources

We've designed these case studies and guides to help you with revalidation.

Revalidation resources

Quick Links:

Useful links

How we monitor and evaluate revalidation

Learn about the work we do to monitor revalidation and its impact.

How we manage and respond to revalidation concerns

How we respond to concerns about the reliability of revalidation recommendations.

Guidance for decision makers

Understand the decisions our staff make about your revalidation.

A–Z of designated bodies

Find the full list and contact details for all designated bodies in the UK.

GMC Data Explorer

Use this tool to explore and export our data on revalidation. 
Responsible officers or suitable persons
Understand your responsibilities in relation to revalidation.
Revalidation for patients and public
Understand what revalidation is and how you can get involved.

Contact us

If you have any further queries about revalidation, you can call us: 0161 923 6277 or you can email us.