UK applicants

• You may apply for registration if you have a UK chiropractic degree recognised for the purposes of registration by the General Chiropractic Council
   
• If you are not sure whether your qualification is recognised please contact our registration team: registrations@gcc-uk.org or 020 7713 5155

• It is an offence to practise or call yourself a chiropractor in the UK without first gaining GCC registration. Make sure your employer does not include your name on their website before registration has been granted. We also strongly recommend not booking any patients until you have received confirmation from the General Chiropractic Council that registration has been granted
   
• Please be aware that if you are applying for practising registration, we will not register you until your indemnity arrangements (insurance) is in force.

• Please check out our slideshow for further details

Please read the questions and answers below before completing your application.

Applying

How do I apply for registration?

Your education provider will sent us a list including your name and details once you have successfully completed your course, which will be uploaded to our CRM database to create a profile for you. Once done an email inviting you to apply for registration will be sent to the email address you provided them with. Please make sure your education provider has an up-to-date email address for you.

All components of your application can be completed online, and we would encourage you to do so as it will help to ensure you are registered promptly.

How long does it take to get registered?

It depends on your application. If you have a simple application, i.e., no criminal convictions, health issues etc, that we need to look at separately, we ask that you wait for 10 working days before getting in touch. If there is something unusual in your application, such as a criminal conviction, then your application will take longer, and the timeframe to completion will depend on what additional information we need from you. If you do have a conviction, please ensure that you provide a current DBS check and the other requested information on-line.

Fees

As I'm not going to register until later in the year, do I have to pay the full registration fee?

Yes, I'm afraid our fees are written into legislation, which places a legal obligation on us to require the full fee before we can register you. We have no discretion to vary the fee at all.

On top of that you should also remember that the initial fee carries your registration to December only and, if you wish to remain registered for the following year, you must also pay the retention fee before 30 November and also complete a retention application. You can find details of our fees online at Fees | GCC (gcc-uk.org)

That's a lot of money to find in my first year of practice! Is there no way round it?

We fully appreciate that you will have just completed a course and will also have other costs to cover, unfortunately our rules are absolute, so we have no other option but to ask that the full fee is paid before we grant registration.

Having said that, if you are not intending to register immediately and not before 10 November, our rules prevent us from requiring a retention fee from you for next year. This means if you register on or after 10 November your registration will effectively continue through to the following November before you need to pay again. We appreciate this will not help everyone but it's all that is allowable under the rules.

Medical report

As GP's are busy and it's difficult to contact the surgery do I still need to provide a medical report?

Yes, the requirement for a medical report is written in our rules so we are legally obliged to ensure one is provided before we register you. Since it can take a while to get a report from your GP, we suggest you approach the surgery as soon as possible to request one. Please remember, if your GP has access to more than four years of medical records, they will not need to see you and can complete the report based on those records.

What should I do if my GP refuses to provide a medical report?

Your report should be written by your current GP where possible. However, if your GP is not prepared to provide a report, we will accept a report from a different GP but it must be based on an examination they have conducted.

My GP will not complete the online medical report?

While we would prefer that your GP complete the online report, we understand some GP's are hesitant about completing forms online and if that's the case, please ask them to complete the proforma available from our website at GP Report. They should email it back to us direct from the surgery account , which cannot be a generic account, such as hotmail, yahoo etc. This is so we can be sure it is from the GP. If they are not prepared to do so, you will need to pick-up the original paper form and ask someone of professional standing to email a PDF copy to registrations@gcc-uk.org, from their verifiable business email account (again we won't accept a report sent to us from a generic email account, unless it can be verfied) certifying it to be a true and accurate copy of the original.

Character reference

Who can provide a reference for me?

References must be provided by someone of professional standing who you've been known to for four or more years and who is not related to you, is not a patient or an employee.

How does my referee complete the reference?

When you enter your referee's details address online an email will automatically be sent to them. They can click a link in the email to answer questions online. The process should take them less than 5 minutes.

Some education providers will provide references as part of the information provided to confirm you have passed the course. If this is the case, then it will show as complete once they have answered the character question.

If you don't find the answer to your question on this page, please email registrations@gcc-uk.org.

If you achieved your qualification before 2020 please contact the office for details of how to apply by emailing us at registrations@gcc-uk.org and sending:

• a copy of your passport
• evidence of your chiropractic qualification and,
• if it's been more than two years since you qualified, a self-assessment form, to demonstrate how you have remained up to date within the context of The Code.

We have moved to an online electronic application process, which means you should not post any documents to us. We will receive data from your college, which will be uploaded to our CRM and you will then receive an email inviting you to apply for registration.

In addition to providing some information, such as where you will be practising, you will also need to provide details, including an email address, for:

• Your GP so that we can email them to ask for a health report. You will need to speak with the surgery in advance and can give them our guidance so that they understand what we need from them. If your GP doesn't not wish to complete the online form please provide them with the pro-forma medical report.  EMAILED MEDICAL REPORTS MUST BE EMAILED TO US DIRECT FROM THE SURGERY TO registrations@gcc-uk.org.
• Someone who can provide a personal reference for you. This must be someone of professional standing who has known you for in advance of four years and is not a relative, patient or employee. Make sure the person consents to being a referee before you provide their information.

We define professional standing as either someone belonging to a regulated profession, where the integrity of the referee can be verified as far as is possible, or someone in good standing within the community. This includes other health professionals, as well as those who have a standing by virtue of the office they hold, for example a religious official. The following are some examples of who we accept references from, but it is not a definitive list:

• registered chiropractor
• other registered healthcare professional
• company director, where the company it registered with companies house
• teacher or lecturer
• accountant
• bank manager
• solicitor
• an officer from the college where you obtained your chiropractic qualification - this will also need to include the formal stamp of the college.

The registration fee. Please note that we do not allow pro-rata payments. This means your fee is the same regardless of the point in the year that you apply to join.

Supporting documents

Please be aware that we DO NOT accept supporting documents sent to us by applicants under any circumstances, this is to avoid concerns about the integrity of documents. Where they originate from a third party. All documents, such as character references, medical reports etc, must either be emailed to registrations@gcc-uk.org from ether:

• the originator of the document, from their verifiable business email address (i.e., not hotmail, yahoo, live etc); or
• the original paper version of the document must be passed to someone of professional standing to review. A scan should be emailed to us direct from the professionals verifiable business email address (i.e., not hotmail, yahoo, live etc), confirming the document to be a true and accurate copy of the originally sighted paper document.

You may also need to

1. Upload evidence of your professional indemnity (insurance) arrangements for your practise in the UK. Please note that you will not be registered until your cover has started.

2. Provide details of any regulator with whom you are or have been registered. This is because we will need a Certificate of Good Standing or Certificates of Current Professional Status to understand whether you have had any disciplinary matters against you.

Certificates of Good Standing

All applicants for registration, restoration or transfer to practising registration must send us a Certificate of Good Standing, or equivalent, if they have practised in any regulated profession in any country at present or in the past, before we complete the application process.

What is a Certificate of Good Standing?

A Certificate of Good Standing is a document issued by a body that has a regulatory role, like the General Chiropractic Council, AHPRA or US chiropractic boards. It should include details of your registration or licensure, as well as confirmation of your disciplinary history. More information is here.

How do I know if I need to get one?

You will need to provide one if you work in a regulated profession, whether chiropractic or not, in the UK or overseas or have done so in the past. There is no time limit on when you worked in a regulated profession, so you should consider it to mean for the whole of your working life to date.

What if I can’t get a Certificate of Good Standing?

It’s very rare that someone isn’t able to provide a Certificate of Good Standing or Current Professional Status. If this is the case then you will need to provide documentary evidence to show that you have attempted to obtain one, and we would normally expect to see an official response to confirm that it isn’t possible to obtain a certificate. While we understand that in certain circumstances it can take some time to acquire certificates, we will not accept this as a reason for not progressing to registration without it

3. A police record check (DBS check in the UK) but only if you have a criminal record. Please be aware that if you have a criminal conviction or caution, it will take longer to process your application and you should send your application to us as soon as you can and well in advance of the date you wish to start practising. If you do need a DBS check, the GCC can arrange for this, but it can take a while so please let us know in advance of you finishing your course.

5. If you graduated two or more years ago and have never registered with the General Chiropractic Council, you are asked to complete the Return to Practice in the UK programme, to show how you meet the General Chiropractic Council standards as set in the Code. Please note: if you will need to successfully complete this process before you are eligible to apply for registration.

Your registration may be delayed if you do not provide us with the documents we need you to send us to consider your application.

English language skills

If English is not your first language or you graduated over two years before applying you will be asked to send us evidence of your ability to speak English.

We normally expect a minimum score of 7 in all areas of the Academic International English Testing System (IELTS) - or the equivalent - for speaking, reading, writing and listening within the last two years. Further details of the evidence you can provide can be found here.

IMPORTANT: we are not able to guarantee if and when registration will be granted. For this reason we recommend that you do not book any patients until you have received confirmation from us that you have been registered.

When your registration application arrives, we will look at your documents to make sure they meet our requirements. If we need any more information we will email you with details.

Things that may help to speed up your application

We do not offer a 'fast track' application service that allows us to deal with your application ahead of others. However, the following pointers should minimise the time it takes to process your application. 

Please also note that we do not accept visitors to our offices without a prior appointment. Delivering your form personally will not reduce the time it takes us to process your application.

• Ensure your application is filled in correctly before you post it to us

• Check that the documents fit with the requirements we have listed on pages 2 and 3 of the application form

• Make sure you provide current contact details and an email address so that we can get in touch with you easily

• If you are in the process of moving make sure you keep us up to date with any changes to your contact details

• If you have new practice details please provide them as soon as you can so that we can add them to your website listing. Once registered you will be able to do this online

• Please note: we are required to list an address for you on the register. If you do not provide us with a practice address and telephone number, we will list your home address and telephone number instead

• Make your payment by card or electronic transfer (CHAPS), which will clear our account immediately.

Check your emails (including your ‘junk’ email folder) regularly after you apply for registration as this is our preferred method of contact.

How long will it be before I am registered?

We aim to check your application within 24 hours from its arrival, however this is not always possible and you should allow 2 working days before contacting us.

If any of the following circumstances apply to you, please be aware that it may take longer than usual for you to gain registration:

• you have a criminal conviction or caution

• you have a health issue where we need further information

• you have had disciplinary matters with another regulatory body.

Where there is a possibility that registration may not be granted, the Registrar will make a decision based on the application file, including all documents provided by the applicant and any subsequently obtained by the General Chiropractic Council following an investigation.

What happens if I wait to register or restore my place on the register until after 10 November?

If you are registered on or after 10 November, you must pay the full registration or restoration fee.

However, we will not ask you for a retention fee for the following year. This means your registration will be, for example, from 10 November 2019 to 31 December 2020.

Important: If you are registered or restored before 10 November then you will need to apply for retention for the following year before 30 November, including paying the retention fee (£100 for non-practising registration, £800 for practising registration).

Process before the Registrar

Before making a decision, the Registrar must be satisfied that: 

• sufficient evidence has been obtained to enable a fair decision to be made

• the applicant has had an opportunity to comment on all documents that form part of the application file.

While most decisions can be made by the Registrar without the need for an interview, exceptional cases may arise where a decision will be taken to interview the applicant.

Explaining and recording decisions

All decisions of the Registrar are recorded with reasons. If the Registrar decides to refuse an application, the applicant will be informed of the process for appealing the decision through the Registration Appeals Committee.

Successful applicants

• Once you have been registered we will email you with your registration number and start date
• A letter confirming your registration and certificate will follow by email.
• We will provide you with a website user number to sign up to use the General Chiropractic Council website
• Your name and practice(s) will be added to the General Chiropractic Council register either on the day of registration, or very shortly after. 

We also ask you to familiarise yourself with the following information on our website:   

• Our Continuing professional development (CPD) information
• PSA guidance on sexual boundaries

Unsuccessful applicants

Should the Registrar refuse someone registration, applicants would normally be aware of this possibility before a decision had been made. This is because we gather as much information as possible before making a decision.

Each application is viewed on its own individual merits and the Registrar carefully considers the information supplied. In most circumstances we ask for more information if we have any queries or concerns about your application. This might include:

• a health report
• criminal record documentation, such as a court extract, or a police record check
• the applicant’s observations, if he or she has been convicted of an offence.

This is not an exhaustive list, but is to give you an idea of what we might ask you for.

If you are refused registration then you will have the right to appeal the decision of the Registrar.