EEA Nurses Working in UK

Information For Registered Nurses And Midwives Trained In The European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA) And Switzerland Seeking Employment In The UK

Introduction

The following information lists the key facts and information for registered nurses and midwives trained in the EU, EEA and Switzerland seeking employment in the UK.

If you are a national of one of the following EU countries and trained as a registered nurse (general nursing) and/or midwife in an EU country you may apply to register as a nurse or midwife under the terms of the European Directives.

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden. Nurses and midwives who are nationals of, and obtained their qualifications in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, benefit from the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement to register and seek employment in the UK. Switzerland has mutual recognition of nursing qualifications.

It is your responsibility to request the relevant documents from the competent authority in the country where you trained and to obtain certified English translations of your documents at your own expense.

Some nurses from the newly accessioned countries of Central and Southern Europe may still have to have their qualifications and training transcripts checked individually, as their training programmes do not automatically fulfil the EU nursing directives.

If you are in any doubt about whether your training fulfils EU directives please contact the NMC directly or log onto the NMC website: http://www.nmc-uk.org

NMC Registration

When your application to register has been successfully processed, you will be sent a ’Statement of Entry’ on the NMC Register.

To practise in the UK, you will be required to pay a registration fee to the NMC. You will then receive a card showing your Personal Identification Number (PIN). Once you are registered with the NMC you may apply for employment as a registered nurse.

Prospective employers will require that you have a good command of English to undertake the duties of a registered nurse. Although passing a language examination is not an EU requirement, it is important to have good communication skills.