Pathway guide / Is the UK right for me?

Is the UK right for me?

A big move deserves a clear picture before you spend anything. Here is who can take this road, whether PLAB is your route, what it costs and how long each part takes.

Who can take this road

To join the UK register through PLAB, you need:

An acceptable overseas primary medical qualification. If you have not graduated yet, the GMC asks you to confirm you have passed your final exams and met every other requirement for the qualification before you book.
Evidence of your English. Most doctors use IELTS or OET. The GMC verifies it before PLAB 1 booking opens.
Passes in PLAB 1 and PLAB 2, with PLAB 2 passed within two years of PLAB 1.
A completed internship, to apply for full registration once you have passed both parts.

Official: GMC: booking PLAB 1 · GMC: full registration for international medical graduates

Is PLAB your route?

For most doctors who qualified outside the UK, the EEA and Switzerland, yes. The GMC says these doctors will probably need to take it. Some doctors register another way, for example with an acceptable postgraduate qualification, which has its own GMC guide. If you hold a postgraduate qualification, read that guide before you book PLAB.

Official: GMC: a guide to the PLAB test · GMC: registration with a postgraduate qualification

What it costs

These are the GMC's fees from 1 April 2026.

Naira amounts are estimates. The GMC charges in pounds, so what you pay in naira moves with the exchange rate. The ranges allow 10% either side of the rate on 13 November 2026 (₦1,836 to £1). Your bank's rate on the day you pay decides the real amount.

Fee and official amount	Estimate in naira
Step 3 PLAB 1 £283	₦470,000 to ₦570,000
Step 4 PLAB 2 £1,036	₦1,710,000 to ₦2,090,000
Step 6 Application for full registration with a licence to practise £481	₦790,000 to ₦970,000
Each year Annual fee with a licence to practise £481	₦790,000 to ₦970,000

Up to your first registration, the GMC's fees come to £1,800, roughly ₦3.0 million to ₦3.6 million. The GMC offers a reduced annual fee (£184) to doctors who qualified within the past five years, and a 50% discount when your worldwide income is under £38,500; its fees page has the conditions.

On top of that, budget for:

Your English test, and a second sitting if you need one.
ECFMG's fees for verifying your degree.
Travel to Manchester for PLAB 2, a visitor visa if you need one, and somewhere to stay.
A resit fee if you do not pass a part first time. Each attempt costs the full fee again.
Your work visa, flights and the first weeks of rent before your first salary.

Official: GMC: fees for doctors · ECFMG fees

How long it takes

Some parts run on fixed timings. Others depend on you, the test dates and the job market.

Step	Typical time
PLAB 1 sittings	Four a year, in February, May, August and November. The GMC has said its overseas schedule will drop to three a year.
Preparing for PLAB 1	Up to you. Many doctors plan around four months of steady study alongside work.
PLAB 1 results	Six weeks after the exam, by 4pm, in GMC Online
PLAB 2	Must be passed within two years of passing PLAB 1. It runs throughout the year in Manchester.
PLAB 2 results	Within a month of the exam, in GMC Online
Registration	Your application must be approved within two years of passing PLAB 2

Put together, most doctors should expect the route to take a year or more from first step to registration, not a few months. The planner helps you sketch your own timeline.

Official: GMC: when and where to take PLAB 1 · GMC: PLAB 1 results · GMC: after PLAB 2

Things to know before you start

PLAB 2 means a trip to the UK. It is a practical exam held only at the GMC's clinical assessment centre in Manchester, so plan the travel, the visa and the cost together.
Overseas PLAB 1 venues are changing. The GMC will stop offering PLAB 1 in Dhaka, Alexandria, Accra and Chennai from February 2027. Overseas venues are shown in the booking service in GMC Online, so check there before you plan travel.
The clock starts when you sit, not when results arrive. Your PLAB 1 pass date is the day you sat it, and the two-year window for PLAB 2 counts from then.
Attempts are limited. You can sit each part until you have failed it four times. After that, one final attempt needs evidence of 12 months of extra learning.
Time your English test. A recent PLAB 2 pass can count as your English evidence at registration, but only if your IELTS or OET minimum scores are less than three years old. The GMC's English guide has the scores and the rules.

Official: GMC: changes to overseas PLAB 1 locations · GMC: after PLAB 1 · GMC: evidence of your English

Ready to sketch your own plan?

Get a checklist, a cost estimate at today's exchange rate and a rough timeline you can print.

Get the free planner

When you are ready to study for PLAB 1, PLAB Vault can help. See how it works.

General information to help you plan, not immigration or legal advice. The official GMC pages always come first, and fees and rules change, so check them before you pay for anything. PLAB Vault is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the General Medical Council.