How Overseas Nurses Register With the NMC in 2026: Step by Step

The four steps at a glance

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) runs one route for nurses and midwives trained outside the UK. Steps 3 and 4 overlap: you sit the Test of Competence while the NMC works through your registration application.

• Step 1 — Check you're ready: costs, timelines, and the evidence you will need. The NMC has a checklist tool for this.
• Step 2 — Eligibility and qualification application: your identity and qualification details, with a non-refundable evaluation fee.
• Step 3 — Test of Competence and registration application: the CBT and OSCE, plus health, character, English language, professional indemnity, and the registration fee.
• Step 4 — Evaluation: the NMC checks your references and makes a decision.

What it costs from 1 October 2026

The NMC raised its fees on 1 October 2026. Some older NMC pages still show the previous figures (£140, £153, and a £1,170 total), so rely on the costs page in the how-to guide.

• Qualification evaluation: £167 (was £140)
• CBT (Part 1): £83 — a full resit is £83, a numeracy-only resit £50, a clinical-only resit £70
• OSCE (Part 2): £794 — a full resit is £794, a partial resit £397
• Registration fee: £182 (was £153)
• Total: £1,226 (was £1,170), excluding resits, visa, flights, and accommodation
• Once registered, the annual retention fee is £143 (up from £120, the first rise in 11 years)

English language requirements

The NMC accepts two tests: IELTS Academic and OET. Results are valid for two years. You can combine two sittings if they were within 12 months of each other and you sat all four skills each time.

Instead of a test, you can also use a nursing qualification that was taught and examined in English, at least one year of recent practice in a majority English-speaking country, or supporting information from a UK employer.

• IELTS Academic: 7 in listening, reading, and speaking; 6.5 in writing
• OET: B (350 or above) in listening, reading, and speaking; C+ (300 or above) in writing

Part 1: the computer-based test (CBT)

Pearson delivers the CBT at test centres around the world. There is no remote option. It has two parts: numeracy (15 questions in 30 minutes) and clinical (100 questions in 2 hours 30 minutes).

You get three attempts, at least 10 days apart, all within one year. After a third fail you must wait six months before trying again.

Part 2: the OSCE

The OSCE is a practical exam with 10 stations: four linked stations following the APIE cycle (assess, plan, implement, evaluate), four clinical skills stations, and two on professional values and evidence-based practice. Results arrive within five working days.

There are now three test centres: the University of Northampton, Ulster University, and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Northumbria University closed on 19 February 2026 and Oxford Brookes University on 31 July 2026. New station scenarios can appear in first-time exams from 26 October 2026; the number of stations does not change.

You get three OSCE attempts, at least 10 days apart. The CBT and OSCE must be passed within two years of each other, and a Test of Competence pass is valid for five years.

How long it takes

Timelines depend mostly on how quickly your evidence arrives. The NMC aims to assess your qualification within 14 days of hearing back from your home regulator, and to decide your registration application within 30 days once all your evidence is in.

You have two years from being found eligible to finish everything, including the Test of Competence. An application with no activity for three months is closed.

The Health and Care Worker visa

Most overseas nurses come to the UK on the Health and Care Worker visa. Nursing roles fall under occupation codes 2231 to 2237. The rules change often, so check GOV.UK before you apply.

• Salary: usually at least £25,000 or the going rate for the job, whichever is higher; nurses are checked against the national pay scales
• Application fee: £324 for up to three years, £628 for longer
• No immigration health surcharge on this visa
• Savings: £1,270, unless you are exempt — for example, if your sponsor certifies maintenance
• English: the visa level rose to B2 on 8 January 2026, but a pass in an NMC-accepted test already counts
• Family: partners and children can generally join nurses on this visa

Keeping the steps organised

The hardest part is usually tracking what is waiting on whom: your home regulator, referees, Pearson, an OSCE centre, and your employer's sponsorship team. Migo AI, built by Zapx Labs, turns a relocation like this into a checklist of tasks and documents with progress tracking. It gives organisational guidance, not immigration or legal advice, so always confirm requirements with the NMC and GOV.UK.