GMC English certificate expiry and combining sittings
Your IELTS or OET certificate must still be within two years of the sitting date on the day the GMC receives your registration application. If it expires mid-process, you need a new certificate — not a re-issue of the old one. Combining two sittings is allowed under strict GMC rules.
Who this applies to
- Doctors whose English test is more than 18 months old.
- Doctors who scored below the threshold in one sub-test and are considering combining sittings.
Key requirements
| Validity rule | Two years from sitting date to GMC receipt of application |
|---|---|
| Combining sittings | Same test, sittings within six months, all sub-tests reach the minimum across the two |
| Renewal | Fresh sitting only — no re-issue |
Steps
1. Check the sitting date
Count two years from the date on the test report — not the certificate issue date.
2. Plan around PLAB and registration
Line up the exam so your certificate is still valid when the GMC receives your application, not just when you start PLAB.
3. Consider combining sittings
If you're close to the threshold, a second sitting within six months can be combined under GMC rules.
Common failure points
- Booking a sitting late in the timeline and missing the two-year cut-off on the GMC receipt date.
- Combining sittings taken more than six months apart.
Official sources
Every fact above should be confirmed against the controlling source before you act on it.