General Medical Council (GMC) Registration and PLAB

Before starting work as a foundation doctor, applicants 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. These applicants must follow the GMC requirements for PLAB as this is regulated by the GMC. 

Applicants should be familiar with the applying for registration guidance on the GMC website. It is strongly recommended that applicants make an application with the GMC at least three months before the start of the programme in case further evidence is required. The GMC recommends to get evidence ready ahead of time and start the process of verifying qualifications. This will help prevent any delays in processing applications for provisional registration.

Applicants are reminded that the programme begins at the start of August with a period of induction and shadowing with their employer in July. It is strongly recommended that applicants have their confirmed GMC registration before the start of their individual induction/shadowing period. Employers will contact applicants directly with exact details of the shadowing and induction dates. Please note these dates can vary between employers.

Applicants who already have provisional registration during the eligibility application window should upload their evidence to Oriel.

Applicants who do not have provisional registration with the GMC at the start of programme will not be able to commence work and will subsequently be withdrawn. It is the responsibility of applicants to ensure applications for provisional registration are submitted in time. Deferrals are not permitted for not completing PLAB on time and/or not receiving provisional registration.

Applicants will be asked to provide details of any postgraduate experience on their application form. Please include details of all future activity; that is, from the point of application to the start of the programme (if known). This is so that the UKFPO can make an accurate assessment of the applicant’s eligibility and to avoid disappointment when applying for registration with the GMC.

To be considered for any of the two-year Foundation programmes, including Specialised Foundation Programmes (SFP) and Foundation Priority Programmes (FPP), applicants must be eligible for provisional registration with the GMC. Applicants who already hold or expect to obtain full registration with the GMC are not eligible to apply for two-year programmes and are advised to consider the guidance for F2 Stand-alone programmes.

Applicants who have postgraduate experience of working in a clinical setting are advised to liaise with the GMC about their registration status. Applicants who have completed an internship are advised to query the level of registration they will be eligible to apply for. 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. If applicants have undertaken a 12-month internship, they may be eligible for full registration with the GMC, making them ineligible to apply for the two-year foundation programme. It is recommended that applicants use the GMC’s online applicant registration tool.

For further information about clinical experience and the requirements for registration in the UK, please visit the GMC website.

For general information about PLAB tests please refer to the GMC website.

Please note that the medical school country provided on your application form may be used to determine whether you would be required to undertake the PLAB examinations. Please ensure you have checked this with the GMC.

Please see the Timeline & Deadlines for all deadlines relating to PLAB. It is applicants’ responsibility to ensure all deadlines are met. Failure to meet deadlines will result in applications being withdrawn.

Applicants who need to take PLAB must have qualified from medical school by 03 October 2023. This is to ensure that there is enough time to fulfil PLAB 1 and 2 requirements and gain registration by the start of the programme. If applicants expect to qualify from medical school on or after 03 October 2023 and are required to take PLAB, their eligibility application will be deemed ineligible.

All evidence relating to PLAB must be sent by the relevant deadline to helpdesk@foundationprogramme.nhs.uk.

Applicants who fail PLAB and choose to appeal their result with the GMC must be aware that the start date of the programme cannot be deferred in anticipation of a satisfactory appeal outcome. Deferrals will only be granted for statutory reasons. Provisional registration must be in place by the start of the programme.

Applicants who do not pass PLAB within the timeframes detailed in the UKFPO eligibility application timeline and guidance will be withdrawn from the application process. Applicants will not be reinstated if they choose to appeal their PLAB result with the GMC (regardless of the appeal outcome).

Below is a Step-by-Step Guide to the PLAB pathway for UKFP. Some applicants may have already started the PLAB process. If so please follow the guide at the relevant step.

Step 1: Set up GMC online account

As soon as the eligibility application process opens, applicants should set up their GMC Online account. Applicants must meet the GMC’s eligibility criteria to book PLAB 1, including submitting their English language evidence for the GMC to verify. Applicants are encouraged to do this as soon as possible.

Step 2: Submit eligibility application for UKFP 2024

If you are required to take PLAB, you must upload evidence to support your eligibility application.

Step 3: Book PLAB 1 examination date

Applicants who have not booked PLAB at the point of application, or have booked an examination date which falls after the last possible examination date for PLAB 1 if applying for UKFP 2024, must email PLAB@gmc-uk.org to ask for access to available PLAB 1 places. Applicants will be required to attach the email confirmation from Oriel to their PLAB booking request, to show they have submitted their eligibility application to the UKFPO.

Step 4: Send the UKFPO evidence of PLAB 1 booking

Evidence must include all of the following information: full name, date of exam, name of exam, Oriel PIN and GMC reference. Applicants who do not book PLAB 1 by the specified deadline in the timeline will be withdrawn.

Step 5: Sit PLAB 1 exam

Step 6: Send UKFPO evidence of PLAB 1 results

Evidence must include all of the following information: full name, date of exam, name of exam, Oriel PIN, GMC reference and result (pass/fail). Applicants who do not pass PLAB 1 and send evidence of their result by the specified deadline in the timeline will be withdrawn.

Step 7: Book PLAB 2

Any applicant who has passed PLAB 1 and doesn’t yet have a PLAB 2 exam sitting booked by the specified deadline should request one directly from the GMC by the date in the timeline. Applicants should provide a screenshot from Oriel showing their application is still active and they are required to pass PLAB for it. Applicants should contact the GMC at: PLAB@gmc-uk.org

IMPORTANT: Applicants should be aware of the following key change for FP2024: the UKFPO will no longer provide the GMC with a list of applicant names for the “priority booking” list. It is the applicant’s responsibility to contact the GMC directly to book a place.

Step 8: Send the UKFPO evidence of PLAB 2 booking

Evidence must include all of the following information: full name, date of exam, name of exam, Oriel PIN and GMC reference. Applicants who do not book PLAB 2 by the specified deadline will be withdrawn.

Step 9: Sit PLAB 2 exam

Step 10: Send UKFPO evidence of PLAB 2 results

Evidence must include all of the following information: full name, date of exam, name of exam, Oriel PIN, GMC reference and result (pass/fail). Applicants who do not pass PLAB 2 and send evidence of their result by the specified deadline will be withdrawn.

A valid Dean’s Statement will be required to show that the applicant will qualify from medical school by the relevant deadline. This is to assure the UKFPO that the applicant will have sufficient time to sit both parts of PLAB and gain registration in time for the start of the programme.

Applicants who hold any one of the following pieces of evidence must upload it as part of their application.

– Evidence of their provisional registration with a licence to practise (or evidence of having relinquished provisional registration).

– Evidence of having successfully passed PLAB 1 or PLAB 2.

– Evidence of an acceptable PMQ or Dean’s Statement. Applicants who either have qualified or will qualify with what is currently called a ‘Recognised European Qualification’ (REQ) (regardless of nationality) will most likely not be required to pass PLAB for entry into UKFP 2023. A list of all the REQ titles by country, along with information on whether that country’s graduates are eligible for Provisional Registration, can be found on the GMC’s website. 

-Evidence of a PLAB 1 or 2 booking.

If you do not have any of the above pieces of evidence and require a PLAB 1 booking, please choose the corresponding option from the drop-down list on Oriel.