UK Visa Bureau   »   UK Visas and Immigration   »   Medical Practitioner Visa   »  Visas for Dentists from Outside the EU

UK Visa Registration Requirements for Non-EU Dentists

Dentists from outside of the EU must be registered to work in the UK. The regulatory body is called the General Dental Council (GDC). There are two types of registration that dentists must have prior to their UK immigration, depending on the role and level of responsibility they will have while working in the UK; Full Registration and Temporary Registration.

Full Registration

• In order to undertake paid unsupervised employment in the UK as a dentist, dentists from non EU countries need to gain full registration from the GDC.
• This involves either taking a UK dentistry qualification or passing the GDC's International Qualifying Examination
• Dentists who qualified in Australia, Hong Kong, South Africa, New Zealand, Singapore, and Malaysia generally qualify for full registration, however still must submit an application to that effect.

Temporary Registration

• This can be granted for people wishing to carry out supervised work, training, teaching or research.

Post Registration Visa Application

Once the appropriate registration has been achieved, most doctors would apply for UK migration via either the work permit holder or Tier 1 - General skilled visa routes.

Work Permit

The Work Permit would generally be the fastest option for dentists outside of the EU who already have a job offer to migrate to the UK.  For further information, view the UK Visa Bureau work permit pages.

 Have a job offer and want to move and work in the UK as a dentist?  Start your application for a work permit today

Tier 1 - General Skilled Migration visa

The Tier 1 - General Skilled Migration visa allows non-EU citizens without a job offer to live and work in the UK.  Therefore, registered dentists without a job offer should use this UK immigration option.  However, before applying, Tier 1 - General Skilled Migration visa hopefuls should seek further information on the other Tier 1 - General skilled visa requirements.

 Check your eligibility for a Tier 1 - General Skilled Migration visa