GPhC Registration Guidance - General Pharmaceutical Council

Pre-RegistrationGPhC129 Lambeth RoadLondonSE1 7BTinfo@pharmacyregulation.orgTel: 0203 365 3400

Contents1. The Registration Process2. Important Registration Information (registration dates explained in section 2.2)3. What will delay my Registration?4. Do I need to complete a Statutory Declaration?5. Joining the RegisterThis registration guidance together with the notes in your Pre-registration Trainee Manual provides you with all theinformation you need about how to register. Please read this whole document carefully before contacting theGeneral Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) with queries.All registration applications should be sent at least three weeks before the date you wish to register to the addresson the front of the guidance notes.1. The Registration ProcessIn order to apply to register as a pharmacist you will need to provide the GPhC Pre-Registration Team with thefollowing documentation:1.1. Completed ‘Application for registration as a Pharmacist 2012’ form1.2. Certified copy of your degree / OSPAP certificate1.3. Certified copy of your birth certificate1.4. Certified copy of your marriage / civil partnership certificate (if applicable)1.5. Certified copy of your proof of identity1.6. Final declaration1.7. Letter of good standing (OSPAP graduates)1.8. Payment form1.9. A certified photographYou must read and adhere to the following guidance notes carefully as they outline the specific GPhC requirementsfor 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 of the required documents again, as the GPhCdoes not always retain previous registration applications.

Important information on certification of registration documents:All certified documents 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) orby a notary based in the UK (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 signatory should also clearly write their full name next to the certificationWe will not accept documents certified by anybody apart from people registered with the aboveorganisations. Do not send documents certified by a pharmacist, a legal executive, a Commissioner of Oaths,your GP or a barrister, as they will not be accepted. Your documents will be returned and this will delay yourregistrationWe do not provide details of solicitors or notariesYou should independently check the registration of the person certifying your documents with the relevantorganisation1.1. ‘Application for registration as a Pharmacist 2012’ FormYou must complete all relevant sections of the application form. Your name on this form must be identical to thename on your degree certificate, birth certificate and proof of identity document(s) - word for word, letter forletter. If not, you will need to provide documentation to support this change.Examples of supporting documentation include:Statutory declaration (a copy of which can be found on the pre-registration page of the GPhC website:www.pharmacyregulation.org )Marriage certificate or certificate of civil partnershipDeed poll certificateSection 3 - Registration with other bodies: If you have previously been registered with any health regulatorybody in the UK or overseas you will need to obtain a letter of good standing from the relevant authorities andsubmit the original with your registration application.Section 4 - Fitness to Practise: If you have answered ‘Yes’ to any question in Section 4, you are required to submita ‘Something to Declare’ form. This form is available on the pre-registration page of the GPhC website:www.pharmacyregulation.org

At the end of the application form there is a checklist for you to complete to make sure you have included thecorrect documents.1.2. Certified Degree / OSPAP CertificateYou must provide a certified true photocopy of your degree / OSPAP certificate. Please note:Your name on your degree / OSPAP certificate must be identical to the name on your birth certificate,‘Application for registration as a Pharmacist 2012’ form and proof of identity document(s) - word for word,letter for letter. If not, you will need to see a solicitor to complete Part C of a statutory declarationIf you do not have a degree / OSPAP certificate, you must send an original letter from the registry at youruniversity confirming your full name, degree classification and the date your degree was obtained1.3. Certified Birth CertificateYou must produce evidence of your date of birth and identity before you can be entered onto the Register. Pleasesend a certified true photocopy of your birth certificate, not the original.This document must be certified as a true copy by either a notary or a solicitor (in exactly the same manner asthe degree certificate)Please note that the date on which your birth was registered must not be later than one year after your actualbirth. If your birth was registered after this time then you will need to complete part A of a statutorydeclaration and send this AND the certified copy of your birth certificate with your applicationIf you do not have a copy of your birth certificate then you must see a solicitor to complete part A of astatutory declarationIf your birth certificate is not written in English, you must see a solicitor to complete part A of a statutorydeclarationIf you are applying in a name other than the name that appears on your birth certificate then you must see asolicitor 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 certificatePLEASE NOTE: A Passport does NOT replace this requirement1.4 Certified Marriage / Civil Partnership CertificateThis will apply to you if you wish to be registered in your married or civil partnership name. If this is the case, pleasesend a photocopy of your certificate. This must be certified as a true copy by either a notary or a solicitor (in exactlythe same manner as the degree and birth certificate).

1.5 Proof of IdentityYou must send a certified true copy of your passport, showing the photo page and the expiry date of the passport.Your passport must be valid and the copy certified as a true copy by either a notary or a solicitor (in exactly thesame manner as the degree and birth certificate). Please do not send the original.If you do not have a passport, the GPhC will accept alternate documentation considered acceptable by theRegistrar as proof of your identity. Examples include:A certified true copy of your photocard driving licence (full or provisional) together with the papercounterpart licence with either:o a certified true copy of your National Insurance Card (UK) oro 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 certificateYour name on your proof of identity document(s) must be identical to the name on your birth certificate, degreecertificate and ‘Application for registration as a Pharmacist 2012’ form - word for word, letter for letter. If not, youwill need to see a solicitor to complete part C of a statutory declaration.1.6 Final DeclarationThe ‘Final Declaration by Tutor’ form confirms to the GPhC that your tutor has signed off all of your performancestandards, 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 hassigned a learning contract for you) should sign this declaration. If you tutor is unavailable to sign your finaldeclaration 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 todiscuss your case with the Pre-Registration Team.If you have attended a cross-sector placement you must complete the relevant section on the final declaration. Ifyou have not attended a placement, your tutor must also sign the statement on the reverse of the finaldeclaration to confirm that they are confident you have met all the relevant performance standards.If you are a Bradford Sandwich student, please make sure your final declaration covers the whole period of training(52 weeks).

If you have undertaken a joint training programme within the industry sector, please note:It is a requirement of the GPhC that trainees who have undertaken six months’ industry training are jointlysigned onto the Register by both their industry tutor and their community/hospital tutorYou must submit the joint final declaration form signed by both of your tutors (please see page 69 & 70 of yourPre-registration Manual)This will apply to you only if you have undertaken a joint programme and have not already submitted this form1.7 Letter of Good Standing - (OSPAP Graduates)You must provide an original, up-to-date letter or certificate of good standing issued by the appropriate authorityof the country or state in which you originally qualified. The letter or certificate should be issued no more than sixmonths before the date that you expect to register.If you have practised within the last five years in countries or states other than that in which you qualified you arealso required to provide a letter of good standing issued by each appropriate authority of every such country orstate.If you have not maintained your overseas registration, you are required to obtain documentation from all of therelevant authorities confirming the following:That you are no longer registered with that authority, ANDThat, if you wanted to re-register in the future, there are no pending disciplinary or criminal investigationswhich would prevent the authority from re-registering you and permitting you to resume practice as apharmacist within their jurisdiction1.8 Payment FormTo register with the GPhC, a payment of £342 is required (£102 Application Fee & £240 First Entry Fee, valid forone year). If you pay your fee by credit card, a 2% surcharge will be charged on any transaction.If you do not progress to the register for any reason (for example, assessment failure or a fitness to practiceissue) you will be charged the application fee only (plus 2% credit surcharge if applicable). Please take this intoconsideration before you apply.Please note as part of standard office procedures your fee may be taken prior to the assessment of yourapplication. Payment of the fee is not proof of registration – you are not registered until your name appears onthe GPhC Register. It is your responsibility to check this before you practise.

1.9 PhotographYou should submit a passport photograph which has been certified on the back and attached to Section 8 of your‘Application for registration as a Pharmacist 2012’ form.Your photograph must be certified, signed and dated by one of the people who are listed as acceptablecountersignatures by the Home Office Passport Service:www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Passports/Applicationinformation/DG_174151The signatory must have known you for the last two years and be resident in the UKThe certification on the back of the photograph should read:“I certify that this is a true likeness of [Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms or other title, followed by your full name]”The photograph must be signed and dated by the signatory under the certificationThe person certifying the photograph must also complete Section 8 of the application formThe photograph must be stapled to the top right corner of Section 8 of the application form2. Important Registration Information2.1 Receipt of Registration ApplicationsPlease remember that the only way to find out if we have received your registration documents is to enclose astamped, self-addressed envelope (SAE) or postcard, which we will date stamp and return to you on receipt ofyour registration application and documents. Alternatively, if you choose to send your application by Royal Mailspecial 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 itback within 15 working days. Due to the large volume of registration documents received by the Pre-RegistrationTeam, we are not able to answer telephone enquiries about receipt of documents if an acknowledgement cardhas not been submitted.2.2 Registration DateFor trainees sitting the Summer 2012 registration assessment the earliest registration date is 1 st August 2012. Afterthis date trainees can register on the 1 st and 15 th of each month thereafter. You need to submit your application atleast three weeks before 1 st August 2012 if you wish to be registered on this date. If your application comes in lessthan three weeks before 1 st August 2012 your registration will be processed for the next available registration date(15 th August 2012).

3. What will delay my Registration?Your registration will be delayed if:You submit documents that are incomplete or incorrectly completed and they need to be returned to you foromissions/mistakes to be rectifiedYou do not submit all of the required documentsThe information required is not on the documents submitted (e.g. no registration date on the birthcertificate)Your documents have not been certified by an appropriate person, as specified in these guidelines (please seepage 2 of this document for certification requirements)You submit your application less than three weeks before the date you wish to registerYou send in documents separatelyYou have a fitness to practice issue which needs to be assessedWe cannot take payment using the payment details provided4. Do I need to complete 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 as a Pharmacist 2012’ formmust be identical in every way. That includes any middle names or initials you may have and any changes inspelling or order. If the names on these documents are not identical, you must see a solicitor and complete therelevant sections of a 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 EnglishCOMPLETE DECLARATION ‘A’You want to register in a name other than that on your birth certificate, e.g. additional/dropped names orletters [The name you put on the statutory declaration should be identical to that which you put on your‘Application for registration as a Pharmacist 2012’ form]COMPLETE DECLARATION ‘B’Names on your degree certificate or proof of identity document(s) are not identical in every way to those onyour birth certificate and ‘Application for registration as a Pharmacist 2012’ form [All names must beidentical: 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 birthCOMPLETE DECLARTION ‘A’

5. Joining the RegisterThe GPhC aims to process all applications for registration within three weeks of receiptThe earliest date you can join the Register is 1st August 2012, providing you have successfully completed yourpre-registration training (the evidence of which is your completed Final Declaration) and you have passed theregistration assessment. Trainees should note that training is deemed as completed after a full 52 weeks tothe day e.g. if you started on a Monday then you finish on Sunday.Please note you will not be able to work as a pharmacist until you appear on the Register and until you have aregistration numberYou will not have access to your registration number until the date that you are due to register (as of 12.01a.m. on that day). You can obtain your registration number from the GPhC website by doing a registrantsearch and entering your nameA few days after you have been registered, a letter will arrive confirming your registration. This will confirmthe part of the Register in which you have been registered, your name as it appears on the Register, yourregistration number, the date of entry on the Register and the period that your entry is validThe GPhC does not issue certificates. Your registration number is proof of registration with for the GPhC. Ifyou wish to discuss this further please contact usNOTE: You must not work as a Pharmacist until your name appearson the GPhC register and you have been given a GPhC registrationnumber. It is a criminal offence to claim you are a registeredpharmacist when you are not.