Professional Registration of Doctors and Dentists

Each jurisdiction has  its own regulatory framework for the practice of medicine and dentistry. This  generally consists of a regulatory authority for the registration and licensing of practitioners and set of requirements for each licence category.

Some countries such as the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have single national authorities which are responsible for the registration of all professionals within the country. 

Othercountries have federal regulatory authorites which regulate professions only within the boundaries of a state or province. Canada, USA and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are examples of the latter.

The selection of the proposed work location will determine the appropriate regulatory authority.

Here are some examples:

• If you wish to work as a doctor in New Zealand, you must register with the Medical Council of New Zealand.
• If you wish to work as a doctor in Ontario Canada, you must register with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. 

Our recruitment experts will advise you of the appropriate regulatory authority and pathway. 

The timeframe to process the application depends upon the regulatory authority and the category of registration, with registration for the more senior and specialist positions taking longer. 

A thoroughly prepared application can be completed in 6-12 weeks in most jurisdictions. Delays will inevitably occur with incomplete or poorly prepared applications.

The requirements of each regulatory authority vary but in general fall into the following categories:

• Qualifications: medical or dental degree and specialist postgraduate qualifications
• Professional Experience: a minimum experience requirement is common
• Current valid active professional registration in jurisdiction of place of current practice
• Language: tests of English or French language proficiency IELTS, OET
• Examinations: PLAB, USMLE, MCCQE1, AHPRA, NZREX, Prometric exams
• Primary Source Verifications of qualifications - Data Flow or EPIC
• Professional References

Primary Source Verification Reports are produced by an organisation recognised by professional regulatory authorities as competent to verify qualifications, professional registration and in some cases, recent practice experience at primary source. 

Their purpose is to eliminate or reduce fraudulent applications.

Reports are produced by:

ECFMG - EPIC Report 

Read: (How to apply for an EPIC Report)

The EPIC report is the most widely accepted primary source verification report, required for professional registration of physicians in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, UK and Ireland.

DataFlow LLC - DataFlow Report 

Read: (How to apply for a Data Flow Report).

This is required for medical and dental professional registration in the Middle East  countries of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Ki=uwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman.