Can I Keep My GMC Registration While Working in Australia?

Yes. GMC registration and AHPRA registration are entirely independent. There is no requirement to surrender your GMC registration when you register with AHPRA, and many UK GPs working in Australia maintain both simultaneously. The practical question is not whether you can keep it — you can — but whether it is worth the ongoing cost and revalidation obligations.

Why keeping GMC matters

For most UK GPs moving to Australia, maintaining GMC registration for at least the first few years is strongly advisable:

  • Return optionality — if you decide Australia is not right for you, returning to UK practice with GMC in good standing is straightforward; lapsing and reapplying is significantly more complex
  • Locum and remote work — some UK-based locum agencies and NHS remote roles require GMC registration even for doctors primarily based overseas
  • Reputational continuity — a continuous GMC registration history is cleaner than a gap if you return after several years

The annual GMC retention fee (currently in the low hundreds of pounds sterling) is trivial compared to first-year earnings in Australia and compared to the cost of re-registering from scratch.

GMC revalidation while overseas

This is where most UK GPs get confused. GMC revalidation requires a Responsible Officer (RO) and a Designated Body — typically your NHS employer in the UK. When you leave NHS employment to work in Australia, you lose your designated body.

Your options:

Option 1 — Find an overseas designated body Some organisations outside the UK are approved GMC designated bodies. This is the cleanest ongoing arrangement but requires finding an approved body willing to act for you.

Option 2 — Register as having no designated body If you have no designated body, your revalidation is managed centrally by the GMC itself. The GMC will contact you periodically to confirm your practice status. This is the default position for most UK GPs working overseas and is workable — the GMC is accustomed to this situation.

Option 3 — Apply for voluntary erasure If you are confident you will not return to UK practice, voluntary erasure removes you from the GMC register and ends all fees and obligations. This is a permanent step — reinstatement requires a new application processed as an international medical graduate. Do not do this speculatively; the re-registration process can take many months.

For most UK GPs in their first two to three years in Australia, Option 2 is the practical choice — minimal administrative burden, no ongoing employer relationship needed, and full return optionality preserved.

GMC Certificate of Good Standing — your AHPRA application needs this

Your AHPRA application requires a Certificate of Good Standing from the GMC. This is a separate document from your registration certificate — it confirms you hold full GMC registration with no current conditions, undertakings, or investigations.

Request it directly from GMC Online before submitting your AHPRA application. Processing time is typically a few days. The certificate has a validity period (usually three to six months), so time your request to align with your AHPRA submission — do not request it months in advance.

Annual retention fee

GMC charges an annual retention fee to remain on the register. The fee is payable regardless of where you practise. Failure to pay results in removal from the register, which is reversible but administratively burdensome.

Set up a standing payment method before you leave the UK. Australian bank accounts can pay international bank transfers; alternatively, keep a UK bank account active for this purpose.

The bottom line

Keep your GMC for at least the first two to three years in Australia. The cost is low, the return optionality is high, and lapsing is far easier than reactivating. Once you are confident you are staying permanently, voluntary erasure is a clean exit.

See also: Is MRCGP recognised in Australia? · How long does the CA pathway take? · Can I work while AHPRA is pending?

Source: GMC — Revalidation Overseas · AHPRA — Registration Requirements