Eligibility to apply for registration

To be eligible to apply for registration via the international route you:

• must have undergone training and attained a qualification delivered outside the UK which is relevant to one of the professions we regulate
• have not previously been registered with HCPC

Applications for the international route can be made completly online, please read the guidance in this section.

Please complete all sections of the application relevant to you and please ensure that you answer all the questions as fully as possible.

If you've already started (or sent in) a paper form, we'll accept it if it reaches us before 6 May 2022. It will be processed according to our standard service levels.

Please note, 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.

Our standards

Before you begin your application you'll need to make sure you have a good understanding of our standards:

• The standards of proficiency for your profession
• The standards of conduct, performance and ethics
• The standards for continuing professional development 

Your application will be assessed against our standards of proficiency for the profession you are applying to join, so it is important that these are evidenced in the information you provide.

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.

How to apply via ths SMR application route

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:

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.