GPhC pharmacist

registration
guidance 2011
Pre-Registration Team
GPhC
129 Lambeth Road
London
SE1 7BT
Prereg@pharmacyregulation.org
Tel: 0203 365 3620

Contents
1. The Registration process
2. Important information regarding registration (registration dates are explained in section 2.2)
3. What will delay my registration?
4. What is a Statutory Declaration?
5. Joining the Register
This registration guidance together with the notes in your Trainee Manual provides you with all the information you
need about how to register. Please read this carefully before contacting the General Pharmaceutical Council
(GPhC).
All registration applications should be sent at least two weeks before you wish to register to this address:
GPhC, PRE-REGISTRATION TEAM, 129 LAMBETH ROAD, LONDON, SE1 7BT

1. The Registration Process

In order to apply to register as a pharmacist you will need to provide the GPhC Pre-Registration Team with the
following completed documentation:
1.1.
1.2.
1.3.
1.4.
1.5.
1.6.
1.7.
1.8.
1.9.

Completed Application for Registration Form

Certified copy of your Degree / OSPAP Certificate
Certified copy of your Birth Certificate
Certified copy of your Marriage / Civil Partnership Certificate (if applicable)
Certified copy of your Proof of Identity
Final Declaration
Letter of Good Standing (OSPAP graduates)
Payment Form
A Certified Photograph

You must read and adhere to the following guidance notes carefully as they outline the specific GPhC requirements
for each of the above documents. Failure to follow these guidelines will delay your registration.
If you have applied for registration previously you should submit all the required documents again, as the GPhC
does not always retain previous registration applications.

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Important information on certification of registration documents:

All documents (except for the photo) must be certified as a true copy by either a solicitor (registered, and in
good standing, with the Law Society of England and Wales or Scotland, and who is practising in one of those
jurisdictions) or by a notary (registered, and in good standing, with the Notaries Society).
The certification must read:
I certify that I have seen the original document and that this is a true copy.
It must also be signed, dated and the solicitor / notary registration number must also be added to the copy.
The certifying signatory should also clearly write their full name next to the certification.
We will not accept documents certified by anybody apart from people registered with the above
organisations. Therefore you should NOT get your documents certified by a Pharmacist, a Legal Executive, a
Commissioner of Oaths, your GP or a Barrister. Your documents will be returned if you do and this will delay
your registration.
We do not provide details of solicitors or notaries.
You should independently check the registration of the person certifying your documents with the relevant
organisation.

1.1. Application for Registration Form

You must complete all relevant sections of the application form. Your name on this form must be identical to the
name on your Degree Certificate, Birth Certificate and Proof of Identity document(s) - word for word, letter for
letter. If not, you will need to provide documentation to support this change. Examples of such documentation
include:

Statutory Declaration (a copy of which can be found on the Pre-Registration part of the website:
www.pharmacyregulation.org )
Marriage Certificate or Certificate of Civil Partnership
Deed Poll Certificate.

Registration with other bodies (Section 3 of the registration application form): If you have previously been
registered with any health regulatory body in the UK or overseas you will need to request a Letter of Good
Standing from them and submit this with your application.
Fitness to Practise (Section 4 of the registration application form): If you have answered Yes to any question in
section 4 you are required to submit a Something to Declare Form. The Something to Declare Form is available
on the Pre-Registration page of the GPhCs website: www.pharmacyregulation.org.
All speeding offences should be declared by completing the Something to Declare Form and providing a copy of
your paper counterpart licence. Depending on the nature of the offence, this may not delay your registration. If
the offence no longer appears on your counterpart licence then you should include any other documentation
issued at the time.

1.2. Certified Degree / OSPAP Certificate

Please send a certified true photocopy of your Degree / OSPAP Certificate:

Your name on your Degree / OSPAP Certificate must be identical to the name on your Birth Certificate,
Application for Registration Form and proof of identity document - word for word, letter for letter. If not, you
will need to see a solicitor to complete Part C of a Statutory Declaration.

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If you do not have a Degree / OSPAP Certificate, an original letter must be obtained from the Registry at your
university confirming your full name, degree classification and the date your degree was obtained.

1.3. Certified Birth Certificate

You must produce evidence of your date of birth and identity before you can be entered onto the Register. Please
send a certified true photocopy of your Birth Certificate, not the original. This must:

Be certified as a true copy by either a notary or a solicitor (in exactly the same manner as the degree
certificate.)
Where your Birth Certificate states the date on which your birth was registered, please note that this date
must not be later than one year after your actual birth. If your birth was registered after this time then you
will need to complete part A of a Statutory Declaration and send this with your Birth Certificate.
If you do not have a copy of your Birth Certificate then you must see a solicitor to complete part A of a
Statutory Declaration.
If your Birth Certificate is not written in English, you must see a solicitor to complete part A of a Statutory
Declaration.
If you are applying in a name other than what appears on your Birth Certificate then you must see a solicitor
to complete part B of a Statutory Declaration unless you have other evidence noting this change e.g. a
marriage certificate (see Section 1.4) or deed poll certificate.
PLEASE NOTE: A Passport does NOT replace this requirement.

1.4 Certified Marriage / Civil Partnership Certificate

This will apply to you if you wish to be registered in your married or civil partnership name. If this is the case, please
send a photocopy of your certificate. This must be certified as a true copy by either a notary or a solicitor (in exactly
the same manner as the Degree and Birth Certificate)

1.5 Proof of Identity

Please send a certified true photocopy of your Passport (photo page and any other relevant pages). Your Passport
must be valid and the copy certified as a true copy by either a notary or a solicitor (in exactly the same manner as
the Degree and Birth Certificate).
If you are a trainee registering and do not have a Passport, then the GPhC will accept alternate documentation
considered acceptable by the Registrar as proof of your identity. An example of this is:

A certified true copy of your photocard Driving Licence (full or provisional) together with the paper
counterpart licence with either:
o a certified true copy of your National Insurance Card (UK) or
o a certified true copy of your NHS Card (UK).
These must all be in date and certified in exactly the same manner as the Degree and Birth Certificate.

Your name on your Proof of Identity Document(s) must be identical to the name on your Birth Certificate, Degree
Certificate and Application for Registration Form - word for word, letter for letter. If not, you will need to see a
solicitor to complete part C of a Statutory Declaration.

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1.6 Final Declaration

This confirms to the GPHC that your tutor has signed off all of your Performance Standards, judges you to be
competent to practise, and a fit and proper person to be registered.
Only your current Pre-Registration tutor (i.e. the most recent one we have recorded in your file and who has
signed a learning contract for you) should sign this declaration. If you tutor is unavailable to sign your final
declaration you should contact the Pre-Registration Team to discuss your options.
If your tutor does not feel able to sign the declaration because you need further development, they will need to
discuss your case with the Pre-Registration Team.
If you have attended a Cross Sector placement you must complete the relevant section on the declaration form. If
you have not attended a placement, your tutor must sign the statement on the reverse of the final declaration to
confirm that they are confident you have met all the relevant Performance Standards (they must also sign the
front of final declaration as well).
If you are a Bradford Sandwich student, please make sure your final declaration covers the whole period of training
i.e. 52 weeks.
Final declarations by tutors for trainees who have undertaken a joint training programme within industry:

It is a requirement of the GPhC that trainees who have undertaken six months training in industry are jointly
signed onto the Register by both their industry tutor and their community/hospital tutor.

You must submit the special joint final declaration form signed by both of your tutors (please see page 33 & 34
of your Trainee Manual)

This will apply to you only if you have undertaken a joint programme and have not already submitted this form.

1.7 Letter of Good Standing - (OSPAP Graduates)

Please provide an up to date Certificate of Good Standing issued by the appropriate authority of the country or
state in which you originally qualified. The certificate should be issued no more than six months before the date
that you expect to register. Please send the certificate of good standing separately to your registration pack to our
International Team.
If you have practised within the last five years in countries or states other than that in which you qualified you are
also required to provide a Certificate of Good Standing issued by each appropriate authority of every such country
or state.
If you have not maintained your overseas registration, then you are required to obtain a certificate from all of the
relevant authorities confirming the following:

That you are no longer registered with that authority, AND

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That if you wanted to re-register in the future, then there are no matters of a disciplinary or criminal nature
existing, and no pending disciplinary or criminal investigations, which would prevent the authority from reregistering you and permitting you to resume practice as a pharmacist within their jurisdiction.

1.8 Payment Form

To register with the GPhC you have to pay a 102 application fee in addition to the 267 first entry fee which is
valid for one calendar year.
THE 102 APPLICATION FEE WILL BE CHARGED FOR ALL APPLICATIONS MADE TO THE GPhC. IF YOU DO NOT
PROGRESS TO THE REGISTER FOR ANY REASON (E.G. FAILING THE REGISTRATION EXAM OR A FITNESS TO
PRACTISE ISSUE) YOU WILL STILL BE CHARGED THIS FEE. PLEASE CONSIDER THIS BEFORE YOU APPLY.
Please note as part of standard office procedures your fee may be taken prior to the assessment of your
application. Consequently this does not mean you are registered.

1.9 Photograph
You should submit a passport photograph which has been certified on the back and attached to section 8 of your
Registration Application Form.

Your photograph must be certified, signed and dated by one of the people who are listed as acceptable
countersignatures by the Home Office Passport Service:
www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Passports/Applicationinformation/DG_174151
The countersignatory must have known you for the last two years and be resident in the UK.

The certification on the back of the photograph should read:

I Certify that this is a true likeness of [Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms followed by the trainee full name]

The photograph must be signed and dated by the countersignatory under the certification.

The person certifying the photograph must also complete section 8 of the application form.

The photograph must be stapled to the top right corner of section 8 of the application form.

2. Important Information about your registration

2.1 Receipt of Registration Applications
Please remember that the only way to find out if we have received your registration documents is to enclose a
stamped, self-addressed envelope (SAE) or postcard, which we will date stamp and return to you on receipt of
your registration application and documents. Alternatively if you choose to send your application by Royal Mail
special delivery you will be able to track the delivery status on the Royal Mail website.
You should only call us if you submitted a stamped SAE / postcard with your documents and have not received it
back within 15 working days. Due to the large volume of registration documents received by the Pre-Registration
Team, we are not able to answer telephone enquiries about receipt of documents if an acknowledgement card
has not been submitted.
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2.2 Registration Date

For trainees sitting the Autumn 2011 registration exam the earliest registration date is 1st November 2011. After
this date trainees can register on 1st and 15th of each month thereafter. You need to submit your application at least
two weeks before you wish to register.

3. What will delay my registration?

You submit documents that are incomplete or incorrectly completed and they need to be returned to you for
omissions/mistakes to be rectified.
You do not submit all the required documents.
The information required is not on the documents submitted (e.g. no registration date on the birth
certificate).
Your documents have not been certified by an appropriate person.
You submit your application less than two weeks before the date you wish to register.

You send in documents separately in the hope that mailings will be married up by the PreRegistration Team.
You have a fitness to practice issue which needs to be assessed.
We cannot take payment using the payment details provided.

All of these factors will delay your application

4. What is a statutory declaration?

When submitting your registration documents, please bear in mind that the names on your Birth Certificate,
Degree Certificate, Proof of Identity Document(s) and Application for registration must be identical in every way.
That includes any middle names or initials you may have and any changes in spelling or order. If the names on
these documents are not identical, you must see a solicitor and complete the relevant sections of the Statutory
Declaration. Failure to do this will delay your registration.
If any of the following apply, you will need to see a solicitor to complete a Statutory Declaration:

You do not have a Birth Certificate or your Birth Certificate is not written in English. COMPLETE DECLARATION
A
You want to register in a name other than that on your Birth Certificate, e.g. additional/dropped names or
letters. [The name you put on the Statutory Declaration should be identical to that which you put on your
Application for Registration Form.] COMPLETE DECLARATION B
Names on your Degree Certificate or Proof of Identity Document(s) are not identical in every way to those on
your Birth Certificate and Application for Registration Form. [All names must be identical: word for word,
letter for letter and in the same order. Initials are not acceptable.] COMPLETE DECLARATION C
The registration date on the Birth Certificate is not within one year of the date of birth. COMPLETE
DECLARTION A

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5. Joining the Register

The GPhC aims to process all applications for registration within two weeks of receipt.
The earliest date you can join the Register is 1st November 2011, providing you have successfully completed
your Pre-Registration training (the evidence of which is your completed Final Declaration) and you have
passed the Registration Examination. Trainees should note that training is deemed as completed after a full
52 weeks to the day e.g. if you started on a Monday then you finish on Sunday.
Please note you will not be able to work until this date and until you have a registration number (this is
subject to you meeting the above requirements.)
You will not have access to your registration number until the date that you are due to register (as of 12.01
a.m. on that day). You can obtain your registration number from the GPhC website by doing a registrant
search and entering your name.
A few days after you have been registered, a letter will arrive confirming your registration. This will confirm
the part of the Register in which you have been registered, your name as it appears on the Register, your
registration number, the date of entry on the Register and the period that your entry is valid.
The GPhC does not issue certificates. Your registration number is proof of registration with for the GPhC. If
you wish to discuss this further please contact the Registers Team (Tel: 0203 365 3600 or
registers@phramacyregulation.org).

NOTE: YOU ARE NOT REGISTERED UNTIL YOU APPEAR ON THE REGISTER. IF YOU DO NOT APPEAR ON
THE REGISTER YOU CANNOT WORK OR CALL YOURSELF A PHARMACIST.

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