How to apply

Non-urgent advice: Supporting documents

Depending on the criterion under which you are applying, further supporting documents will also be required as mandatory pieces of evidence, at the point of submission. Please refer to the criteria descriptions for details of the mandatory evidence required under each criterion.
 
It is your responsibility to ensure that you submit a complete application, with the required supporting statement(s) and any required pieces of evidence at the time of application.
 
You are advised to check that you have correctly completed and included all mandatory documents for the criterion you are applying under, along with your application form.
 
Any application that is not completed to the required standard and does not include the correct supporting documents or evidence will be rejected.

Applicants must download and compete the relevant IFST application form from the UKFPO website.  There is a separate IFST application form for each of the four criterion. You should ensure that you use the correct form for the criterion that you will be applying under.

All applications must be submitted on the 2026 IFST application form. Application forms from previous years will not be accepted and the application will be rejected by the national review panel.

Incomplete and/or incorrect applications will be rejected from the process.

Information provided at the application stage, including information supplied in additional supporting documents, should be completed to the best of your knowledge. If it subsequently transpires that any of the information provided is false or misleading, or that relevant information has been withheld, particularly information regarding eligibility and fitness to practice, your application may be rejected, or a transfer withdrawn. It may also be appropriate to report any such incidents to the General Medical Council (GMC).

Applications must be submitted via email to the current allocated foundation school within the  national IFST application window. The window dates and application deadline can be found in the published IFST timeline.

Applications must not be emailed to the UKFPO or to the requested foundation school. Contact details for foundation schools can be found on the UKFPO website.

You must ensure that all supporting evidence required for your IFST application is provided at the time of application, as there will be no opportunity to provide this later or via an appeal process if the application is rejected.

For the application process to remain consistent and fair, the transfer process must operate in accordance with the published timescales. Late applications will not be accepted under any circumstances.

IFST applications will be collated by each foundation school in accordance with the national timeline. All applications will then be shared with the UKFPO and reviewed by the national IFST review panel.