Provide English language evidence

Why we ask for evidence

We need some information about your English language ability to make sure that you’re able to practise safely and effectively.

We ask everyone to provide one form of evidence that shows us how you meet our English language requirements.

This means you’ll either have:

• recent practice of at least one year in a majority English speaking country
• recently achieved the required score in one of the English language tests accepted by the NMC, or 
• a pre-registration nurse, midwife or nursing associate qualification which was taught and examined in English.

Using your recent registered practice

If you’ve been practising in the UK or another majority English-speaking country in a registered role for 12 months or more within the last two years, you can use this to meet our requirements.

This practice needs to have been within the last two years at the time your application is assessed.

We’ll ask you to:

• give details of your registration
• upload a copy of your most recent registration or renewal certificate
• tell us how your language was assessed to allow you to register with that regulator
• provide details of your employer in the country you were or are currently practising in so we can confirm your employment with them. 

We'll only contact your employer if we need more information after we assess your application, so you do not need to contact them at this stage.

If you've been practising in the UK

If you’ve been practising in the UK in a registered role, you'll still need to enter your NMC registration details on the application form when asked.

You can upload your NMC statement of entry as evidence of recent registration or renewal.

Using an accepted English language test

If you’ve recently joined our register and have an English language test that is still valid, you can use this to meet our requirement.

You need to have achieved your test results within the last two years at the time your application is assessed for it to be valid.

Using an IELTS test

You’ll need to:

• upload your IELTS certificate
• tell us your TRF number as shown on your certificate
• provide both certificates and TRF numbers if you are combining the scores of two tests to meet our requirements.

Using an OET test

You'll need to:

• upload your OET certificate
• tell us your OET candidate number
• provide both certificates if you are combining the scores of two tests to meet our requirements
• give us permission to view and verify your results via your MyOET account - find out how to do this on the OET website.

Using your training

You’ll need to provide evidence that shows how your training meets our English language requirements, such as a transcript of your training.

A transcript is an official copy of your academic record. It shows all modules you completed as part of your course. You should provide a personal transcript, rather than a generic course syllabus.

Your transcript must:

• have your name it
• clear show the breakdown of clinical and theory hours of your course
• confirm that the programme was composed of at least 50 percent clinical interaction
• clearly demonstrate at least 75 percent of that was with patients, service users, their families and other healthcare professionals and must have taken place in English. 

We may also ask for additional information from someone senior at your training institution, such as the Dean or head of department.

I don’t have my transcript

If you didn’t receive a transcript when you graduated, you should contact your training institution to request a copy.

If your training institution has closed down, we recommend that you contact the regulator in your country of training to see if they are able to provide a copy for you.

If you did not train in a majority English-speaking country, we’ll consider evidence that meets the criteria set out in our English Language guidance, but please be aware that it’s likely that you'll need to provide an alternative type of evidence such as a language test.