Overview

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) regulates nurses within the UK. They set standards which nurses and midwives must meet in order to practice. The NMC’s conduct also states how nurses and midwives must work and behave.

Language requirement:

Applicants must demonstrate that they can communicate clearly in English. They must complete the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), and achieve a minimum score of at least seven overall and in each of the four skills. The score should be achieved in a single sitting of the tests.

Practice requirements:

• The application must have practised as a registered nurse or midwife for at least one year, either full-time or its part-time equivalent
• The applicant’s experience must be relevant to the specialist field you are applying for. Any experience gained pre-registration is ineligible
• If the applicant has been qualified for longer than this, they must have also practised for at least 450 hours in the previous three years. We define ‘practising’ as working in some capacity by virtue of their registration as a nurse or midwife
•  Practice can include administrative, supervisory, teaching, research and managerial roles as well as providing direct patient care. This can also include volunteer work as long as any practice is registered. If the applicant has not undertaken any duties as a registered nurse or midwife in the three years prior to making their application, they should contact NMC to discuss available options
• If the applicant is a midwife but has not practised midwifery in the five years prior to their application, they must do a return to midwifery practice course in their home country before they can apply to register with us

Registration requirements:

• Applicants must hold a current registration or licence without restriction with the licensing authority or registration body in the country in which they qualified or have been practising
• If applicants have worked as a nurse or midwife in more than one country, NMC requires them to be registered with the licensing authority or registration body in all the countries/states where they have worked
• NMC will require verification from that authority regardless of the length of their employment. Applicants must provide the details of all practice undertaken as a registered nurse or midwife including verification documents and registration certificates