EEA-qualified and Swiss healthcare professionals practising in the UK
Guidance for European Economic Area (EEA)-qualified and Swiss healthcare professionals practising in the UK.
Introduction
To ensure that the process for recognising professional qualifications was not disrupted by the UK’s exit from the EU, the UK government enacted legislation. The legislation guarantees that qualifications previously automatically recognised with minimal barriers by UK regulators of healthcare professionals will be recognised under a near-automatic system.
This guidance explains the arrangements for EEA-qualified and Swiss healthcare professionals (including any non-EEA spouses and dependants of the latter) practising in the UK.
Please note that this guidance only concerns the registration of professional qualifications. For further advice on obtaining the right to live and work in the UK, please see information on the new immigration system, the EU Settlement Scheme the right to reside, and obtaining a Health and Care visa.
The legislation places a duty on the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to carry out a statutory review of the provisions for near-automatic recognition, 2 years after 1 January 2021. This review will commence after 1 January 2023.
Your regulator will communicate information on any changes to processes resulting from this review. Any queries on such changes should be taken up with your regulator directly.
EEA-qualified healthcare professionals
The following advice applies to individuals who have an EEA-awarded or third country-awarded EEA-recognised health or care qualification.
Registration to practise in the UK
If you have already completed the registration process, there is no further action you need to take. You will continue to be registered to practise.
If you are submitting a registration application after 11pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020, if your health or care qualification is not listed among those identified as meeting the requirements for automatic recognition in EU law as per Annex V of Directive 2005/36/EC (select the table of contents on the left-hand side and then select Annex V from the list), your application will be processed via the relevant regulator’s international registration process. For further details of those specific processes, please visit the webpage for the relevant regulatory body. A list of links to these can be found at the end of this document.
If your health or care qualification is listed among those identified as meeting the requirements for automatic recognition in EU law as per Annex V of Directive 2005/36/EC (select the table of contents on the left-hand side and then select Annex V from the list), your application will be processed via a similar near-automatic recognition process as previously. Annex V contains lists of qualifications for the following professions:
- doctor of medicine
- general nurse (adult nurse in the UK)
- midwife
- dentist, or specialist dentist
- pharmacist
Please note that:
- an individual’s eligibility for having their healthcare qualification recognised under this process by a UK regulator does not depend upon their nationality or country of residence
- the success of any application also depends on an applicant meeting the registration requirements relating to professional indemnity, character, English language and payment of fees stipulated by the UK regulator of their chosen healthcare profession
For further advice on obtaining the right to live and work in the UK, please see information on the new immigration system, the EU Settlement Scheme the right to reside, and obtaining a Health and Care visa.
Undertaking temporary and occasional work
The UK no longer registers EEA-qualified healthcare professionals for temporary and occasional (T&O) services. The UK no longer has access to the Internal Market Information (IMI) system, so applications for the European Professional Card (EPC) can no longer be processed by UK regulators. There are no further automatic registrations for T&O with UK regulators via the EPC system either.
If you were already registered to undertake T&O work before 11pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020, you can continue to provide T&O services until your temporary registration expires. You are no longer able to renew your temporary registration.
Swiss healthcare professionals
The following advice applies to individuals holding professional health and care qualifications who are either:
- Swiss nationals
- non-EEA member state nationals who are the spouse or dependant of a Swiss national
- UK nationals settled in Switzerland
- non-EEA member state nationals who are the spouse or dependant of UK nationals settled in Switzerland
Registration to practise in the UK
If you have already completed the registration process, there is no further action you need to take. You will continue to be registered to practise.
If you are submitting a registration application after 11pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020, and if your health or care qualification is not listed amongst those identified as meeting the requirements for automatic recognition in EU law as per Annex V of Directive 2005/36/EC (select the table of contents on the left-hand side and then select Annex V from the list), you may still apply for registration via the relevant UK regulator under the directive through the general system of recognition or though acquired rights. For further details of those specific processes, please visit the webpage for the relevant regulatory body. A list of links to these can be found at the end of this document.
This is the case if one of the following applies to you:
- your qualification was obtained in the EEA or Switzerland before 11pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020
- you started but had not completed a Swiss or EEA qualification before 11pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020
- you hold a third country qualification that was recognised in Switzerland before 11pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020
- you completed an application to have your qualification recognised in Switzerland before 11pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020
If one of the above does not apply to you, your application will be processed via the relevant regulator’s international registration process. For further details of those specific processes, please visit the webpage for the relevant regulatory body. A list of links to these can be found at the end of this document.
If your health or care qualification is listed amongst those identified as meeting the requirements for automatic recognition in EU law as per Annex V of Directive 2005/36/EC (select the table of contents on the left-hand side and then select Annex V from the list), your application will be processed via a similar near-automatic recognition process as previously. Annex V lists certain qualifications for the following professions:
- doctor of medicine
- general nurse (adult nurse in the UK)
- midwife
- dentist, or specialist dentist
- pharmacist
This is the case if one of the following applies to you:
- your qualification was obtained in the EEA or Switzerland before 11pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020
- you started but had not yet completed a Swiss or EEA qualification before 11pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020
If one of the above does not apply to you, your application will be processed via the relevant regulator’s international registration process. For further details of those specific processes, please visit the webpage for the relevant regulatory body. A list of links to these can be found at the end of this document.
Please note that the success of any application also depends on an applicant’s meeting the registration requirements relating to professional indemnity, character, English language and payment of fees stipulated by the UK regulator of their chosen healthcare profession.
For further advice on obtaining the right to live and work in the UK, please see information on the new immigration system, the EU Settlement Scheme the right to reside, and obtaining a Health and Care visa.
Undertaking temporary and occasional work
The rules for providing temporary and occasional (T&O) health and care services in the UK are now as follows.
Whether you are employed or self-employed, if you hold a direct contract with a UK health or social care provider to deliver T&O health and care services, you can continue providing T&O health and care services under the current rules only if both:
- your contracts to deliver those services was in place before 11pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020
- the service under the contract started before 11pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020
If you are employed by a company or body established in the UK or Switzerland and are posted to the UK for the purposes of carrying on professional activities in the UK, your contract for those services must have been in place before 11pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020. However, the provision of those services can commence after 11pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020.
Whether you are employed or self-employed, your T&O services can be provided for a maximum of 90 days per calendar year.
UK health and care regulator websites
Updates to this page
Last updated 11 May 2022 + show all updates
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Updated to remove information stating how long systems of recognition will last for. The Secretary of State for Health and Care will review the provisions for near-automatic recognition after 1 January 2023.
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First published.