Registering as a nurse or midwife in the UK

Registering as a nurse or midwife in the UK

Information for applicants trained outside the European Union or European Economic Area

Anyone wanting to work in the UK as a nurse must register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

Nurses trained outside the UK and EEA

They can apply to be on the NMC Register, providing they meet its standards. The NMC will compare the training in your country with that required in the UK. Registration with the NMC does not provide the right to work 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.

Registering to practice as a nurse or midwife

Overseas trained nurses or midwives wanting to work in the UK must register with us. Our register consists of three parts.

1. Nurses
2. Midwives
3. Specialist community public health nurses (SCPHN).

And the nurses part of the register is divided into four fields of practice.

• adult nursing
• mental health nursing
• learning disabilities nursing
• children’s nursing.

Applicants can apply to be on the nurses or midwives parts of the register, as long as they meet our standards. If an applicant has trained as a general nurse, they should apply for registration with us as an adult nurse.

If applicants want to register on more than one part of the register or field of practice, they should apply for each part/field at the same time.

Requirements for applying to join the register

Applicants must submit their application to become a registered nurse or midwife on NMC website. Please note, before deciding to apply, applicants should consider if they meet the general and specific requirements as below:

• Language requirements
• Education and Practice requirements
• The application process (Steps)
• Application process timelines