Applications
Find out how to apply to join the register
Find out how to apply to join the register
This section includes information that is relevant for all applicants wishing to apply to the GCC register. You should read this page before moving forward to the route of registration page that is relevant to you.
International qualified applicants
Transfer from non-practising to practising registration
Because our primary role is to protect the public, we need to carry out a number of checks on your application and the evidence and information you send to us.
It is your responsibility to ensure that the information you provide to us as part of the registration process is true and the evidence you submit is genuine, whether you submit it yourself or through a third party.
In particular:
The GCC has a legal duty to ensure applicants are both physically and mentally fit before registration can be granted. Anyone wishing to register as a chiropractor must be in good physical and mental health. To ensure that this is the case, the GCC asks all applicants to provide a medical report from their General Practitioner (GP) or Medical Director (MD) along with their application.
The GCC recommends you provide this medical report form for your GP or MD to complete. The form contains information and guidance for your GP or MD as well as a consent form. The consent form can also be downloaded here.
Who can provide a medical report?
Your medical report can only be provided by a GP or MD who is registered with the General Medical Council or an equivalent overseas regulatory body. The report cannot be provided by anyone who is related to you by either birth or marriage.
What is the medical report based on?
The medical practitioner must base the report on a review of the last four years’ of your medical records. If they do not have access to records covering that time period, they must conduct an examination. Our rules do not specify what examination they must perform, but their report must confirm you are both physically and mentally fit.
What does the report have to contain?
The report must include the following:
Who pays for the report?
Any costs incurred in providing the report must be met by you.
I have existing or past health conditions – will they prevent me from becoming a chiropractor?
Having a health condition is not in itself a reason for refusal of registration.
If we are satisfied that you are successfully managing a health condition by taking steps which will avoid any risk to patients and will ensure that you have the ability to perform your job safely, your application is unlikely to be turned down on medical grounds.
Therefore, if you have existing or pre-existing medical conditions, it is in your interests to provide us with as much information about your condition and how you are managing it as possible to allow us to make an accurate decision on your application.
What if my doctor is reluctant to make information available to you?
We provide a consent form allowing your doctor to divulge information to us that you can find here. We treat all matters relating to your health in the strictest confidence.
You must inform us if you have a police charge, caution or conviction that is not a protected caution or protected conviction. This applies to applicants for either initial registration or restoration to the register.
If you are a current registrant and need to inform us of a conviction or caution please find out what steps you need to take here.
What do I need to declare when I apply for registration?
If you are applying for initial registration then you must tell us of any convictions, cautions, reprimands or warnings that are not protected.
You do not need to declare fixed penalty fines for traffic offences unless they led to a disqualification.
The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 does not apply to an application for registration to the register. This means that you must declare to us any convictions or police cautions that you have received, even if they are ‘spent’ under that Act, other than a protected caution or protected conviction (see question below). Failure to do so may result in a referral to fitness to practise which could lead to you being removed from the register
Further guidance on listed offences is provided by the Disclosure and Barring Service.
What are protected cautions and convictions?
A protected caution is protected from disclosure six years after it was accepted. If the offender was under 18 when the caution was accepted then that period is reduced to two years.
A protected conviction is protected from disclosure after 11 years. If the offender was under 18 when convicted then that period is reduced to five and a half years.
In either case a conviction will only be protected if the offender received a non-custodial sentence and has no other convictions.
A caution or conviction will NOT be protected if it is for a ‘listed offence’ under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Listed offences include serious violent and sexual offences, and offences which are of specific relevance to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults. A caution or conviction for a listed offence must always be disclosed to us.
You can find further information on the Unlock website.
What will happen if I tell you about an offence?
We consider having a caution, conviction, reprimand or warning as serious. However, it does not automatically preclude you from registration with the General Chiropractic Council.
We look at all applications on an individual basis. You are encouraged to provide as much information and documentation relating to the offence as possible. The Registrar will take this into account at the time the decision is made on whether or not you are considered of good character. The Registrar will also consider your own account of the circumstances that led to the offence, including any mitigating circumstances there may have been, so please provide a supporting statement with your application.
If you have committed an offence where alcohol or drugs are involved, the Registrar will ask you to attend a health assessment with a consultant psychiatrist.
What happens if my application is refused?
If the Registrar decides to refuse your application, you will be informed of the process for appealing the decision through the Registration Appeals Committee. Our appeals process can be found here.
This page is for the applicants who have achieved a qualification recognised for registration following attendance at an approved course.
Find out MoreApplications must be completed online once the Test of Competence has been successfully completed. Check below against each document to see the requirements.
Find out MoreThis section is for chiropractors who are currently registered as non-practising, but who wish to transfer to practising registration. Please email your complete application to us as the office is currently closed. Any documents that are being provided by a third party should be emailed to us direct from that third party.
Find out MoreIf you have been registered with the GCC in the past and you wish to practise as a chiropractor in the UK again, you may be eligible to restore your name to the register.
Find out More