Please ensure that you are eligible to apply using the international route
Before making an application for HCPC registration, please ensure you apply using the correct route and application type.
If you trained and attained a qualification in the UK, you'll need to apply via the UK route.
If you have previously been on the HCPC Register, you'll need to apply for readmission and meet our returning to practice requirements.
To be eligible to apply for registration via the international route:
- You must have undergone training outside the UK, and attained a qualification delivered outside the UK
- Your training and qualification must be relevant to one of the professions we regulate
- You must not have been registered with the HCPC previously
If you are a citizen of Switzerland or have refugee status, please click the next tab for information about SMR applications and refugee applications.
The HCPC is a UK-wide regulator of 15 professions. Provisions of the United Kingdom Internal Market Act are not applicable to our registration processes.
To be eligible to apply for registration based on mutual recognition under the Swiss Citizens Rights Agreement you must be:
- A Swiss national.
- A non-EEA member state national who is the spouse or dependant of a Swiss national.
- A UK national settled in Switzerland.
- A non-EEA member state national who is the spouse or dependant of UK nationals settled in Switzerland.
And
- Your qualification was obtained in the EEA or Switzerland by 31 December 2020
- You hold a third country qualification that is recognised in Switzerland by 31 December 2020
- You have completed an application to have your qualification recognised in Switzerland by 31 December 2020
Unlike a regular international application, which can be done online, applying via SMR requires a paper application form.
To be eligible to apply for registration based on the UK-Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein Free Trade Agreement you must be a Specified State professional. This means that you:
- hold a qualification in the relevant profession that was awarded in one of the Specified States; or
- have been engaged in the lawful and effective practice of the relevant profession in one of the Specified States.
Under the terms of this application route, by ‘Specified State’ we mean one of following:
- the Kingdom of Norway;
- the Principality of Liechtenstein; or
- Iceland.
Unlike a regular international application, which can be done online, applying via FTA requires a paper application form.
Refugee status - how do I make a refugee application?
If you've been granted refugee status, or given leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom on humanitarian protection grounds, you can make a refugee application which will mean you won't need to pay a scrutiny fee.
To do this, please contact us by emailing international@hcpc-uk.org to request the refugee application form and guidance.
We'll send these to you along with the documents you'll need to include to demonstrate your status.
We ask that you provide us with as much information as possible with your application, but if you are unable to provide all of the information needed (for example, because documents have been destroyed or you cannot obtain them), we ask that you include a letter that explains why you cannot provide it.
When you're ready, send your documents via recorded post to:
Registration DepartmentThe Health and Care Professions Council,
Park House, 184-186 Kennington Park Road,
London, SE11 4BU
United Kingdom
If you require assistance, please call the Registration team on 44 (0)300 500 4472 or 44 (0)20 7582 5460.
For refugee allied health professionals seeking advice and information on how to find jobs, gain experience and other useful assistance, NHS employers has online information.
Before you apply
Before making an application, all international applicants must:
- Read all the guidance pages in the international applications section
- Prepare certified copies of the documents they will need to upload
- Make sure they have read and understood all the standards relevant to their profession
Standards you'll need to meet
To join the Register, international applicants need to read and understand the HCPC standards:
- The standards of proficiency for your profession
- The standards of conduct, performance and ethics
- The standards for continuing professional development
All applications are assessed against the standards of proficiency for the profession you are applying to join. It is important that the standards are evidenced in the information you provide.
You are encouraged to include as much information as possible to demonstrate how you meet the standards of proficiency. Extra documents can be uploaded to the relevant sections of the application form.
How to apply
If you meet the criteria to make an international application, and have read all the pages in the international applications section, ensured you understand the standards and have certified copies of your documents, you can begin your application.
To begin, you'll need to create an account, sign in and start a new international application.
