Guide to UK Nursing and Midwifery Registration for International and Foreign Trained Nurses and Midwives

Guide to Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Registration

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the nursing and midwifery regulator for England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Islands.

As regulator for the largest group of healthcare professionals at work in these islands – there are some 670,000 registered nurses and midwives – our responsibilities and activities are considerable.

To work in the United Kingdom all nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses must register with the NMC, and renew their registration when due.

Although anyone wanting to work in the UK as a nurse must register with the NMC, this does not provide the right to work in the UK.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the nursing and midwifery regulator for England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Islands.

Nurses trained outside the UK and EEA

You can apply to be on the NMC Register, providing you meet their standards. They will compare the training in your country with that required in the UK.

The requirements for registration are different for nurses who trained in the UK and EEA to those who trained outside the UK and EEA (see below).

The only route to registration for all nurses trained outside the UK and EEA with the NMC is through the Overseas Nurses Programme (ONP). All applicants who apply for registration are required to meet the NMC minimum requirements and undertake all or part of the ONP.

The ONP is a compulsory 20-day period of protected learning and, where appropriate, a period of supervised practice. Individuals must have a sponsor (your employer) in order to enter the UK to complete an ONP, which will lead to employment as a registered nurse. For more on the ONP programme, see the 'Trained outside Europe' link below.

EEA nationals who have trained outside the EEA will not be eligible for automatic recognition of their qualification under the EU Directives as they have not trained within an EU member state. Further information is available from the NMCwebsite via link below.

All applications to join the NMC nurses part of the Register from individuals who trained outside the UK and EEA must include evidence of completion of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test. You must complete the academic version of the IELTS test and achieve:
  • At least 7.0 in the listening and reading section.1.
  • At least 7.0 in the writing and speaking sections.
  • An overall average score of 7 (out of a possible 9)
The NMC will not consider applicants who score lower than this standard.

Overseas-trained nurses holding EC Treaty Rights who have had their qualification recognised in another EU member state and have practised in the EU/EEA for three years, will continue to be processed through the EU route.

For detailed information on non-EU/EEA registration for foreign trained and international nurses, see the Trained outside Europe section of the official NMC website via link below.

More information for Nurses Trained outside Europe

Nurses trained within the EEA

Nurses who trained in the EEA must also meet the standards of the NMC before they can be considered for registration. The NMC will compare the training in your country with that required in the UK. Where there are significant differences between the two, the NMC will detail these and you will be invited to make up the differences either through a period of adaptation or through an aptitude test to demonstrate professional knowledge.

The NMC will not require evidence of your ability to communicate in English for the purposes of registration. However, NHS organisations may require you to take and pass a written test to assess your proficiency in the English language to ensure that you can communicate in English effectively.

Nurses who trained in the EEA who are not EEA nationals may be required to undertake all or part of the Overseas Nurses Programme (ONP). The ONP is a compulsory 20-day period of protected learning and where appropriate, a period of supervised practice.

For detailed information on EEA registration see the Trained in Europe section of the official NMC website via the link below.

More information for Nurses Trained in Europe

Related: Nursing Scholarships for International Students

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