Will it be accepted?
Foreign nursing qualifications for NMC registration
What the Nursing and Midwifery Council's official guidance requires when you trained as a nurse or midwife outside the UK, including the four things it asks for with every document that is not in English.
Every fact below links to its official source. Last checked 21 July 2026.
The short answer
The NMC asks for four things with every document that is not in English, and says it will not be able to accept your document without them.
The four-item bundle the NMC lists
- The original document
- A photocopy of the original document, stamped and signed by a translation service
- A complete and accurate English translation with the photocopy of the original, also stamped and signed by the translation service
- The contact details of the translation service or translator used
Source: NMC, Prepare your evidence and Qualification and registration pages. The NMC adds: "We won't be able to accept your document without these."
What the certificate itself must show
- Upload a copy of the original qualification certificate you were given when you completed your course
- Your name, the name of the qualification and the date you were awarded it should be clearly visible
- Lost it? The NMC recommends contacting your education institution for another copy or a statement confirming the qualification you completed
- If your name has changed, the evidence should come from the relevant official body and clearly show both names. A scanned copy is fine to upload, but the NMC will need to see the original at your face-to-face verification check
Source: NMC, Qualification and registration and Prepare your evidence pages
Where the guidance goes quiet
The NMC names no translator qualification, accreditation or professional register anywhere in the guidance we checked. It asks only for "a translation service" and contact details. It is also silent on sworn translators, apostille, legalisation and notarisation. Silence is not approval: where the guidance says nothing, no one can promise the NMC will take a particular translator's work.
The NMC also does its own checking. It contacts your education institution to confirm your qualification against their records, and if you were registered abroad it contacts your regulator directly. If your regulator cannot confirm your registration, for example if you have not completed a registration examination, the NMC says it may not be able to accept your eligibility application. The guidance quoted on this page is the trained-outside-the-UK route for nurses and midwives.
£1,170
Total cost of fees and tests, from the NMC's own costs page
14 days
The NMC's aim for assessing your qualification, once your application is in and your regulator has replied
3 months
Applications that have not progressed by then are closed and the online account removed
What your translation must come with
The NMC sets out exactly what must accompany every document that is not in English:
- 1The original document
- 2A photocopy of the original, stamped and signed by the translation service
- 3A complete and accurate English translation, with that photocopy, also stamped and signed by the translation service
- 4The contact details of the translation service or translator used
Sources for this page
We only publish what an official source says, and we re-check these pages on a schedule. If a source changes, this page is reviewed before we rely on it again.
| What it confirms | Official source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| The four-item translation rule and name-change evidence | NMC, Prepare your evidence | 21 Jul 2026 |
| Qualification certificate requirements and institution checks | NMC, Qualification and registration | 21 Jul 2026 |
| Cost of fees and tests, and the fee breakdown | NMC, Costs | 21 Jul 2026 |
| Qualification assessment timescale and the three-month closure rule | NMC, How long is it going to take | 21 Jul 2026 |
| Evaluation waits for supporting information and referee verification | NMC, Verifying your information | 21 Jul 2026 |
This page is general information based on the official guidance linked above, as it stood on the date shown. It is not legal or immigration advice, and requirements can change. The decision on any application always rests with the receiving organisation, so confirm the current requirements with them before you apply. Lingo Service is not responsible for decisions made by third parties.
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Common questions
Does the NMC say who can translate my nursing documents?
No. The NMC's guidance asks for a translation service and the contact details of the translation service or translator used, but it names no qualification, accreditation or professional register. What it is strict about is mechanics: the service must stamp and sign both the photocopy of your original document and the English translation.
Can I use a sworn translator from my own country?
The NMC pages we checked are silent on sworn or court-appointed translators. Nothing in the guidance excludes one, and nothing endorses one either. Whoever translates, the NMC's four-item bundle still applies: the original document, a stamped and signed photocopy, a stamped and signed translation, and the translator's contact details.
Does the NMC need my documents apostilled or legalised?
The official guidance we checked does not mention apostille, legalisation or notarisation anywhere. Instead the NMC verifies directly: it checks your qualification with your education institution and contacts your previous regulator itself.
How much does NMC registration cost and how long does it take?
The NMC's costs page puts the total cost of fees and tests at £1,170. That breaks down as a £140 qualification evaluation fee, which is non-refundable, £83 for the first sitting of the CBT test, £794 for the first sitting of the OSCE, and a £153 registration fee, which the NMC says is refundable in certain circumstances. The NMC aims to assess your qualification within 14 days once you have submitted your eligibility and qualification application and it has heard back from your regulator. Figures from the NMC's own costs pages, checked 21 July 2026.
Will my qualification definitely be accepted?
No page can honestly promise that, and you should be cautious of any that does. What we can tell you is what the official guidance requires, with the source, so you can prepare your application exactly as the NMC asks. The decision is always the NMC's.
