Eligibility Application: GMC Registration FAQs

General Registration Queries:

What type of GMC registration is required for entry to foundation training?

Provisional registration with a licence to practise. 

If you are unsure which registration to apply for, use the GMC’s online applicant registration tool to identify the correct application for you and provide you guidance on the steps you need to take. Please click here to use the tool.

Do I need to be provisionally registered with the GMC when I submit my application?

You will need to have applied for and obtained provisional registration by the start of the programme. You are advised to apply for registration at least three months before the start of the programme. Applicants are advised to have their GMC registration confirmed before the start of their individual induction and shadowing period.  

For further information on applying for registration with the GMC, please visit their website here.

I have experience of working in a clinical setting, what level of registration will I be eligible for?

Applicants who have postgraduate experience of working in a clinical setting are advised to liaise with the General Medical Council (GMC) about their registration status. For example, applicants who have undertaken a 12-month internship may be eligible for full registration with the GMC, rendering them ineligible to apply for foundation training.

We would advise you to use the GMC’s online applicant registration tool to identify the correct application for you and provide you guidance on the steps you need to take. Please click here to use the tool.

What is an internship?

The definition of an internship is a period of pre-graduate or post-graduate clinical experience prior to having a licence to practise medicine unsupervised. You can check if your internship is acceptable on the GMC website here.

What are PLAB 1 and 2?

Before commencing work as a foundation doctor, you must have provisional registration with a licence to practise from the GMC. To obtain provisional registration, many applicants qualifying outside the UK are required to pass the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) examinations; PLAB 1 and PLAB 2, therefore you must follow the GMC requirements for PLAB.

Please visit the GMC website for more information on the requirements for gaining provisional registration. If you have any specific queries in relation to PLAB, please contact the GMC directly as PLAB is regulated by the GMC (not UKFPO). Applicants are required to hold provisional registration with the GMC in order work as an F1 doctor, therefore you must follow the GMC requirements for PLAB.

If I have to complete PLAB, what evidence does my eligibility application form need to provide?

If you have not yet qualified from medical school:

You must upload evidence related to your GMC registration status by uploading ONE of the following: –

• A copy of the email/letter from the GMC proving you are not required to take PLAB. Please visit the GMC’s website. The onus is on all applicants to determine if they are required to sit PLAB.

• A valid Dean’s Statement showing that you will qualify by the deadlines specified in the timeline. (This is so that the UKFPO can be assured that you will be able to take PLAB by the deadlines detailed in the Eligibility Applicant Guidance).

If you have already qualified from medical school:

You must upload evidence related to your GMC registration status by uploading ONE of the following:

• A copy of the letter from the GMC confirming that you already have provisional registration with a licence to practise.

• A copy of the email/letter from the GMC proving you have successfully passed PLAB 1 or PLAB 2.

• A copy of the email/letter from the GMC proving you are not required to take PLAB.

• A copy of the confirmation email/letter from the GMC showing that you have booked a place to take the PLAB 1 examination by the deadlines specified in the timeline. 

For further information about PLAB, please see https://www.gmc-uk.org/registration-and-licensing/join-the-register/plab

How do I provide evidence of completion of PLAB 1 and/or PLAB 2 after I have submitted my eligibility application?

The previous FAQ explains what evidence you must provide concerning PLAB, at the time of submitting your eligibility application.

If, however, you have not sat and passed all of your PLAB tests at the time of your eligibility application (which is often the case), then you will need to continue to update the UKFPO’s Eligibility Office every time you book and/or pass a PLAB test in line with the stated deadlines in the Eligibility Guidance.

To do this, after you have submitted your eligibility application, you must email helpdesk@foundationprogramme.nhs.uk each time that you book another PLAB test, or receive confirmation from the GMC that you have passed another PLAB test.

You must make sure that your email forwards confirmation from the GMC, as this is all we can accept as proof. You must do this, by the deadlines specified (in the FAQ below and the eligibility guidance), otherwise we will have no proof that you have completed PLAB, and you will not be able to begin the programme.

What are the deadlines for booking/completing PLAB 1 and PLAB 2?

UKFP 2024 entry: You do not need to complete PLAB 1 and/or 2 at the time of making your eligibility application. There are several deadlines in the Eligibility timeline for completing and booking PLAB in the eligibility guidance. Evidence must be submitted by the deadlines to the UKFPO Helpdesk. 

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure they have booked and completed both parts of PLAB and have obtained provisional registration by the stated deadlines for programme commencement in August 2024. This process can take several months, it is therefore recommended to begin the process at least 3 months in advance. 

If you do not pass either part of PLAB/ meet the deadlines/ submit evidence stated to obtain provisional registration, your application will be deemed ineligible/ withdrawn from the process.

If you have any questions about PLAB please email PLAB@gmc-uk.org. And if you have any questions about the Foundation Programme, please email helpdesk@foundationprogramme.nhs.uk.

Do I need to sit PLAB to obtain provisional registration with the GMC? 

Applicants should check the General Medical Council (GMC) website to determine if they are required to sit PLAB in order to obtain provisional registration with the GMC. The onus is on all applicants to ensure they have checked with the GMC regarding PLAB requirements. UKFPO is unable to advise who may be required to sit PLAB.