The complete UK pathway for international medical graduates
Most international medical graduates take a six-stage route to work in the UK: confirm an acceptable primary medical qualification, meet the GMC's English requirement, pass PLAB 1 and PLAB 2, complete EPIC verification, apply for GMC registration (full or provisional), then secure an NHS post and the right immigration permission. The order matters — several steps depend on evidence from the previous one.
Who this applies to
- Doctors who qualified outside the UK, EEA and Switzerland.
- UK/Ireland graduates who took a non-standard route (rare — most use the standard UK foundation route).
- Doctors with overseas postgraduate qualifications considering the alternative route instead of PLAB.
The six stages
1. Primary medical qualification
Confirm your degree appears on the GMC's list of acceptable qualifications.
2. English evidence
Meet the GMC's IELTS (7.5 overall) or OET Medicine (grade B) requirement — valid for two years.
3. PLAB 1
Written knowledge test, held in over 20 countries. Pass required before PLAB 2.
4. PLAB 2
Clinical skills exam, held in Manchester only. Must be passed within two years of PLAB 1.
5. EPIC verification
Intealth/ECFMG verifies your primary medical qualification directly with the awarding school.
6. GMC registration + NHS post
Apply for full or provisional registration, then match the correct visa and NHS role.
Read the guides in this cluster
- Is PLAB the right route to UK GMC registration?How to decide between PLAB and alternative registration routes (postgraduate qualifications, sponsored routes, relevant European qualifications).
- GMC-acceptable primary medical qualificationsWhat the GMC counts as an acceptable primary medical qualification, how to check yours, and what to do if it isn't listed.
- Internship requirements for GMC registrationWhat counts as an acceptable internship, how long it must be, and what happens if you don't have one.
- Full vs provisional GMC registrationHow the GMC decides whether you get full or provisional registration, what each allows you to do, and how internship status changes your branch.
Not sure which stage applies to you?
Answer four short questions to see your likely route, then save it to your workspace.
Start route assessmentOfficial sources
Every fact above should be confirmed against the controlling source before you act on it.