Professional Licensing (UK & Ireland)
Professional Licensing for Internationally-Trained Practitioners (UK & Ireland)
How internationally-trained professionals get registered to practise in the UK and Ireland — doctors (GMC/PLAB), nurses (NMC/OSCE), dentists (GDC/ORE), pharmacists (GPhC/OSPAP), teachers (QTS), chartered accountants (ACCA/ICAEW) and engineers (CEng/IEng).
A degree earned abroad is not the same as a licence to practise in the UK or Ireland. For regulated professions you usually have to register with the relevant regulator and, often, pass a competency assessment. These guides explain each field's registration route.
Regulators, exams and fees are set by each body and change; confirm the current requirements on the official regulator's website. This is general information, not professional-registration or immigration advice.
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Guides for United Kingdom & Ireland
7 of 7 guides in this hub are for the UK & Ireland.
GMC Registration for International Doctors: PLAB vs Postgraduate Qualification Route
How internationally qualified doctors join the GMC register to practise in the UK — the PLAB route (now aligned to the MLA) versus the postgraduate-qualification route, English tests, and how UK differs from Ireland.
Read guideNMC Registration for Internationally Trained Nurses: Test of Competence (CBT + OSCE)
How internationally trained nurses join the UK NMC register — the Test of Competence (computer-based test plus OSCE), English requirements, and how registering to practise differs from studying nursing (with the Ireland/NMBI contrast).
Read guideGDC Registration for Overseas Dentists: The Overseas Registration Exam (ORE)
How overseas-qualified dentists join the UK GDC register — the two-part Overseas Registration Exam (ORE), English requirements, and how registering to practise differs from studying dentistry (with the Ireland Dental Council contrast).
Read guideGPhC Registration for Overseas Pharmacists: The OSPAP Route to Practise in Great Britain
How overseas-qualified pharmacists register to practise in Great Britain via the GPhC — the OSPAP conversion course, foundation training and registration assessment — plus English requirements and the Ireland (PSI) contrast.
Read guideQualified Teacher Status (QTS) for Overseas-Trained Teachers: Assessment-Only and iQTS Routes
How overseas-trained teachers gain Qualified Teacher Status to teach in England — the apply-for-QTS, assessment-only and iQTS routes — plus what QTS is and how Ireland's Teaching Council differs.
Read guideHow Indian and Foreign Chartered Accountants Qualify with ACCA and ICAEW (Exemptions, MoU and Pathways)
How an already-qualified ICAI chartered accountant can add ACCA or ICAEW using exemptions, the MoU top-up route and Pathways to Membership, with links to each body's official pages for the current terms.
Read guideHow Overseas Engineers Become Chartered (CEng) or Incorporated (IEng) in the UK
How experienced engineers with overseas qualifications gain UK professional registration — CEng or IEng — through a licensed institution, UK-SPEC competence, a professional review and the international accords.
Read guideStudying in the UK & Ireland
Continue exploring the UK & Ireland
Universities, entrance tests, costs and visa facts for the UK & Ireland — all in one place, each linked to its official source.
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