How to Restore Your GMC Licence After an NHS Job Offer
Updated: 2 days ago
You have passed PLAB or got your GMC registration, then waited for the right job, and now the NHS offer has finally arrived. Congratulations! But before you can start, there is one more step many international doctors forget: restoring your licence to practise.
Many IMGs keep their GMC registration but give up the licence while they job-hunt. You cannot work as a doctor in the UK without a licence, so you must restore it before your start date. The good news: it is a straightforward online application, and most doctors get their licence back within one to two weeks.
This guide walks you through it step by step, based on what doctors actually go through.
Giving up your licence while you job-hunt
If you have not found an NHS job a year after getting your GMC registration, the GMC gives you the option to give up your licence to practise when your registration is renewed. Many IMGs take this option.
Giving up your licence does not end your GMC registration. You stay on the register with full registration without a licence, and you can keep applying for NHS jobs exactly as before. Employers can see your registration, and you restore the licence only once you have an offer.
When the offer arrives, you simply apply to get your licence back. Here is how.
What you need before you start
You need three things. Get these ready first and the application itself takes less than an hour.
Certificate of Good Standing (CGS) from every medical council you are registered with apart from the GMC (for example, PMDC in Pakistan). Request it early, as some councils take weeks. It is valid for 3 months from the date it is signed.
VERL-UD8 Medical Services Statement. Download it from the GMC website. You fill it in, then your consultant signs and stamps it. If you are working now, use your current employer (usually your hospital back home, not the NHS). If you are not working now, use the last place you worked. Valid for 3 months from signing.
Passport. Scan the photo page and the signature page.
If any document is not in English, you also need a certified translation, plus the original.
How to fill in the VERL-UD8 form
The VERL-UD8 Medical Services Statement is the document doctors most often get wrong. Below is an illustrative example of a completed form (the names and numbers are made up), followed by a section-by-section guide.
Doctor's name and GMC number: your name exactly as on your GMC registration, plus your 7-digit GMC number.
Position held: your job title at that hospital (for example, Medical Officer or Junior Resident, with the department). Tick Yes for "Is a medical qualification required for this role?"
Start date and still working there: your start date in dd/mm/yyyy. If you still work there, tick Yes. If you have left, tick No and add your end date.
Registration and licence: tick Yes for both, and name your home medical council (for example, Pakistan Medical and Dental Council).
Concerns about conduct: your consultant ticks No, if there are none.
Signatory details: your consultant's name, job title, organisation, address, phone number, work email and the date of declaration.
Signature and stamp: your consultant signs in the signature box and adds their official stamp beside it.
Tip: you can fill in the form yourself and then take it to your consultant to check, sign and stamp. Save it as a PDF or scan it clearly. You then upload it with your application on the GMC portal; your consultant does not need to email it to the GMC. The form itself mentions returning it by email to verl@gmc-uk.org, but uploading it with your application on the GMC portal works just as well.
Download the example form as a PDF:
Step-by-step: restoring your licence on GMC Online
Request your Certificate of Good Standing. Apply to every medical council you have been registered with in the last five years, apart from the GMC. Do this first, because it is usually the slowest part.
Get your VERL-UD8 form signed. Fill in the form (see the example above), then ask your consultant at your current hospital, or your last hospital if you are not working now, to sign and stamp it.
Log in to GMC Online. Go to My registration > My applications, then click Apply for a licence to practise.
Fill in each section. The questions are straightforward, much like your original GMC registration and your NHS job application.
Check your employment history carefully. The GMC asks for your work history again. Make sure the dates and posts match what you gave in your original GMC registration application. Gaps or differences are the most common reason for delays.
Upload your documents. Attach your passport (photo page and signature page), your Certificate of Good Standing and the signed VERL-UD8 form.
Submit and watch your email. There is no need to attend the GMC in person. Once your documents are in order, the GMC restores your licence and emails you to confirm.
How long does it take?
Time: the GMC aims to make an initial assessment within five working days. Most doctors have their licence back within one to two weeks, if all documents are correct. Apply as soon as you have your offer, and at least two to three weeks before your start date.
Validity: your Certificate of Good Standing and VERL-UD8 form are each valid for three months from signing, so do not collect them too early.
Common mistakes that delay your licence
Employment history that does not match your original GMC application
A VERL-UD8 form signed by the wrong person, or missing a stamp
Documents signed more than three months before you apply
Forgetting a council: you need a Certificate of Good Standing from each one you have been registered with
Leaving it too late: restoring your licence can delay your NHS start date
Frequently asked questions
Can my NHS employer fill in the VERL-UD8 form? Only if you have actually worked there. Most IMGs restoring a licence for their first NHS post ask their current or last hospital back home.
I am not working at the moment. Who signs the form? The last organisation where you provided medical services.
Can I start work while my application is being processed? No. You must hold a licence to practise before you start any medical work in the UK.
Final word
Restoring your licence is the last paperwork step between your offer and your first day in the NHS. Get your Certificate of Good Standing and VERL-UD8 form moving as soon as the offer arrives, match your employment history carefully, and you should have your licence back well before you start.
Still preparing your NHS applications? Our free CPD courses help you build the evidence NHS person specifications ask for. For help with a job application or a clinical attachment, email cvreviewexperts@gmail.com.
This guide is for general information. Always check the latest requirements on the GMC website before you apply.
Comments