How do I register with the NMC if I trained as a nurse outside the UK?

Checked against the regulator’s own pages, October 2026

The NMC sets out four steps: check you are ready, apply for eligibility and have your qualification assessed, sit the Test of Competence (the CBT and the OSCE) alongside your registration application, then the NMC evaluates everything, contacts your referees and makes its decision.

Who this is for

Nurses and midwives who qualified outside the UK and want to join the NMC register to work in the UK.

What the official guidance says

Step 1 is to check you are ready: look at the costs, how long it takes and the evidence to prepare, and use the NMC’s pre-application checklist tool.
Step 2 is the eligibility and qualification application: you begin the application, provide identity evidence and your qualification and registration information, pay the evaluation fee and wait for the outcome.
Once your eligibility is confirmed, the NMC may ask you to complete a Test of Competence alongside your registration application. The registration application covers health, character, language, professional indemnity and the registration fee.
Once the NMC has everything it needs, it contacts your referees to verify your information and then makes its decision.
You do not need the Test of Competence if you hold a relevant European qualification that meets the automatic recognition requirements, even if you are not an EU national. Otherwise you will need it.
Every NMC applicant has a face-to-face ID check at one of the NMC’s Test of Competence centres, where your original documents are checked. You need a valid passport each time you visit a centre.
After your eligibility is confirmed you have two years to complete your registration, including the CBT and the OSCE.

What it does not mean

The NMC does not find you a job or sponsor a visa. Registration and the visa are separate processes.
Passing the CBT is not registration. You still need the OSCE, the registration application and the NMC’s decision.
Working in the UK in a care role does not count as being on the register. You need NMC registration to work as a registered nurse or midwife.

What to do next

01Use the NMC checklist tool to get a personalised list of the evidence you need.
02Gather your qualification certificate, registration certificate and English evidence before you start the online application.
03Apply for eligibility and wait for the qualification outcome.
04Book and sit the CBT and the OSCE, and submit the registration application alongside them.
05Plan your job search and visa in parallel: a UK employer’s offer and certificate of sponsorship come before the Health and Care Worker visa.

Questions

Can I start NMC registration from outside the UK?

Yes. The application is online and the CBT is sat at Pearson VUE test centres in most countries. The OSCE and the face-to-face ID check happen at NMC test centres in the UK.

How long do I have to finish?

The NMC says that once your eligibility is confirmed you have two years to complete your registration, including the CBT and the OSCE.

Is Migo part of the NMC?

No. Migo is an independent service. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NMC, and it does not give legal or immigration advice.

Official sources

Checked October 2026. Regulators change their rules, fees and scores, so confirm them on the official page before you act.

The visa side

Registration and the visa are separate. Migo’s visa guides cover the routes for this country, from the official government pages.

Let Migo prepare the paperwork with you

Migo AI Mobility plans your NMC route from where you are now, using the official NMC and GOV.UK guidance. It asks for your qualification, registration and identity documents, checks them and maps them to what the NMC asks for, then prepares your application for you to review. Nothing is submitted or paid without your approval. You sit the CBT and the OSCE yourself: Migo does not book or teach the Test of Competence.

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Related guides

Migo is independent: it is not affiliated with or endorsed by the regulator named on this page. This is general information, not legal or immigration advice.