How to use the planner
- 01 Choose the part of the register you are joining. The planner shows the CBT exam code to book, because the NMC says a CBT booked under the wrong code won’t count.
- 02 Say whether you need the Test of Competence. Almost everyone trained outside the UK does; the exception is a relevant European qualification that meets the automatic recognition requirements.
- 03 If you want a budget with room for a resit, add CBT or OSCE resits.
- 04 Add the costs you have been quoted: your English test, translations, police certificates, flights and accommodation for the OSCE.
- 05 Enter the dates you expect. The planner puts them in order, adds the deadlines the NMC sets, and warns you if two of your dates break an NMC rule. Copy or print the plan to keep it.
How the costs are worked out
Qualification evaluation fee, £167. Paid to the NMC when you submit the eligibility and qualification application. The NMC says it is non-refundable, even if you turn out not to be eligible.
CBT, £83. Part 1 of the Test of Competence, paid to Pearson VUE when you book both parts. A resit of both parts is £83, the clinical part alone £70 and the numeracy part alone £50.
OSCE, £794. Part 2, paid to the test centre. The NMC lists the same fee for all three approved centres (University of Northampton, Ulster University and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust). A resit of up to seven stations is £397; eight or more is the full £794. What does change with the centre is your travel and accommodation, so add those yourself.
Registration fee, £182. Paid to the NMC with the registration application, and refunded if you withdraw before registration, if the NMC closes the application because evidence wasn’t returned in time, or if the application is unsuccessful.
Annual fee, £143 a year. To stay on the register you pay an annual fee in MyNMC by your fee expiry date. It rose from £120 on 1 October 2026. The planner shows it below the total rather than in it, because it is a yearly cost once you are registered.
With first sittings only, the total is £1,226, the same figure as the NMC’s costs page. Your own costs are added as you enter them; the NMC doesn’t publish English test, translation or travel prices, so the planner never guesses them.
How the dates are worked out
The NMC doesn’t publish an overall time for registration, so the planner doesn’t invent one. It uses your dates and adds only what the NMC states:
- applications not progressed within three months of being opened are closed;
- the NMC aims to assess your qualification within 14 days of hearing back from your regulator, and to consider a complete registration application within 30 days;
- once eligibility is confirmed you have two years to complete registration, including the CBT and the OSCE;
- you must pass the CBT and the OSCE within two years of each other, in either order;
- CBT attempts are at least 10 days apart and all within one year; OSCE resits are at least 10 days apart, and results arrive within 5 working days;
- English test results count if taken in the two years before the NMC assesses your complete application.
The 30-day and 14-day figures are the NMC’s aims, not promises, and the planner labels them that way.
Questions
How much does NMC registration cost for nurses trained abroad?
The NMC’s costs page lists £1,226 for first sittings: the £167 qualification evaluation fee, £83 for the CBT, £794 for the OSCE and the £182 registration fee. Resits, your English test, visa, flights and UK travel are extra.
Does the OSCE cost more at some test centres?
No. The NMC lists one OSCE fee, £794 for the first sitting, £397 to resit up to seven stations and £794 to resit eight or more. You book and pay the centre directly. Your travel and accommodation costs do depend on which centre you choose.
How long does NMC registration take?
The NMC does not publish a start-to-finish time. It aims to assess your qualification within 14 days of hearing from your regulator and to consider a complete registration application within 30 days. Once eligibility is confirmed you have two years to finish, including the CBT and the OSCE.
What is the NMC annual fee?
£143 a year from 1 October 2026, up from £120. You pay it in MyNMC by your fee expiry date, by card or by annual or quarterly Direct Debit from a UK bank account. If you don’t pay on time your registration lapses.
Why doesn’t the planner include the IELTS or OET fee?
The NMC does not set or publish English test prices; the test providers do, and they vary by country and test centre. Enter the price you are quoted and the planner adds it to your total as your own figure.
Is anything I enter saved or sent anywhere?
No. The planner works out everything in your browser and does not store your answers. Copy or print your plan if you want to keep it.
Official sources
- NMC: How much is it going to cost?, checked 27 Oct 2026
- NMC: Pay the evaluation fee, checked 27 Oct 2026
- NMC: CBT (Test of Competence part 1), checked 27 Oct 2026
- NMC: OSCE (Test of Competence part 2), checked 27 Oct 2026
- NMC: Test of Competence for nursing and midwifery, checked 27 Oct 2026
- NMC: Pay the registration fee, checked 27 Oct 2026
- NMC: Paying your annual fee, checked 27 Oct 2026
- NMC: Renewing your registration, checked 27 Oct 2026
- NMC: How long is it going to take?, checked 27 Oct 2026
- NMC: Accepted English language tests, checked 27 Oct 2026
The NMC changes its fees (most recently on 1 October 2026), so confirm each one on nmc.org.uk before you pay.
Related guides
General information, not legal or immigration advice. Migo is independent: it is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NMC.