To apply for the 2-year Foundation Programme, you must hold or expect to be eligible for provisional registration with the General Medical Council (GMC). If you hold, or expect to be eligible for full registration, you are not eligible to apply to 2-year Foundation Programmes in the UK.
If you do not hold, or have not previously held, provisional registration (with or without a licence to practise), you will need to demonstrate how you will be able to comply with the GMC’s requirements for obtaining provisional registration as part of your eligibility application.
Non-urgent advice: Disclaimer
References to GMC’s documents within this guide may become outdated, as newer versions may be released after the publication of the UKFPO’s guidance. Applicants are therefore advised to consult the most current versions of all referenced GMC documents, guidance and requirements.
The UKFPO cannot accept responsibility for any changes in GMC documents, guidance or requirements, and it remains the applicant’s responsibility to stay informed and compliant with the latest information.
Requirements for provisional registration
Before you can begin work as a foundation doctor, you must hold provisional GMC registration with a licence to practise.
You are advised to familiarise yourself with the guidance on applying for registration on the GMC website. You should apply for registration at least three months before the start of the Foundation Programme in case the GMC need further evidence from you. Ensure to prepare your evidence early and begin the process of verifying your qualifications as soon as possible to help prevent any delays in processing your application for provisional registration.
The Foundation Programme begins at the beginning of August, with a period of induction/shadowing with your employer in July. It is strongly recommended that you have your GMC registration in place before the start of your individual induction/shadowing period. Your employer will contact you directly with the exact details of the shadowing/induction dates. Please note these dates can vary between employers.
If you do not have provisional registration in place by the start of the Foundation Programme
If you do not have provisional registration in place by the start of the Foundation Programme for any reason, you will not have met the conditions of your eligibility application. You will not be able to commence work and your application will subsequently be withdrawn. It is your responsibility to ensure that you submit your application for provisional registration in good time.
Deferrals are not permitted for not completing PLAB on time and/or not receiving provisional registration.
If you hold provisional registration at the time of application
If you already hold, or have previously held, provisional registration (with or without a licence to practise) at the time of application, you must provide your GMC reference/registration number on your eligibility application form.
If you do not hold provisional registration at the time of application
If you do not hold provisional registration at the time of application, please include your GMC reference number on your eligibility application form if you have one. If you don’t have a GMC reference number, you can leave the field blank.
Postgraduate experience and internships
You will need to detail all postgraduate experience on your eligibility application form for the UKFPO to assess your eligibility to obtain provisional registration. This assessment is separate from the GMC’s registration process. We need to assess whether it is likely that the GMC will award you with provisional registration.
You will need to include all (past and future) activities since qualifying from medical school up to the start of the Foundation Programme. If you have completed a period of pre-graduate or postgraduate clinical experience outside the UK (usually referred to as an internship), you may be eligible for full GMC registration instead. If your postgraduate experience matches one of the two patterns of experience as outlined on the GMC’s website, it is likely that the GMC will award you with full registration when you apply.
We also recommend that you use the GMC’s online registration tool to assess your eligibility.
For further support with registration and licensing, contact the GMC.
If you qualified (or will qualify) from a UK, EEA or Swiss medical school
If you qualified, or will qualify, from a UK, EEA or Swiss medical school but do not yet hold provisional registration, you must indicate this in your application. The UKFPO will assume that you do not need to take PLAB as part of your application for registration with the GMC.
If you qualified (or will qualify) from a medical school outside of the UK, EEA, or Switzerland
If you qualified (or will qualify) from a medical school outside of the UK, EEA, or Switzerland, the UKFPO will assume that you need to take PLAB as part of your application for registration with the GMC.
You must follow the GMC’s requirements for PLAB. For general information about PLAB, refer to the GMC website.
If you have already qualified from a medical school outside the UK, EEA, or Switzerland, and do not yet hold provisional registration, you must indicate your PLAB status on your eligibility application form and upload evidence of this where required.
If you have not yet qualified from medical school, your primary medical qualification evidence must show that you will qualify from medical school on or before 31 August 2025 and will book PLAB for a date that is compliant with the UKFPO’s eligibility timeline.
Refer to the UKFP 2026 PLAB guidance for full details.
You can find more Frequently Asked Questions on GMC Registration here