These requirements aim to protect the public by making sure that registrants have up-to-date knowledge and skills
If you are returning to practice and have not practised for two years or more, we need you to update your knowledge and skills before you return to practice.
Updating activities
You'll need to undertake activities to update your knowledge and skills. These can be a combination of supervised study, formal study and private study activities.
Full information about updating activities
Updating period
All of your updating activities need to take place during the 12 months* before you make your application. This is the updating period.
Evidence of these activities (including dates) is required as part of your application.
*There are currently some exceptions to this. Please the information below.
Minimum amount of updating
There is a minimum amount of updating you are required to do:
- 0 to 2 years out of practice – no requirements
- 2 to 5 years out of practice – 30 days of updating
- 5 or more years out of practice – 60 days of updating
We consider 1 day to be equivalent to 7 hours.
You can carry out more activities if you need to, so that you are confident you can meet our standards.
Returning to practice is a self-directed process. It is your responsibility to make sure that you meet the appropriate requirements and can practise safely and effectively within your scope of practice, in line with our standards.
The 12-month updating period is being reinstated
From 1 February 2025, the 12-month updating period for return to practice applications will be reinstated.
The updating period was temporarily extended to 24 months due to COVID-19. It is now returning to its original length of 12 months. This means you won't be able to include updating activities that took place more than 12 months before you apply.
A grace period is in place to cover applicants who started their supervised practice or formal study before 1 February 2025. They will have 24 months to use these activities in their application.
This does not apply to private study activities, which must take place less than 12 months before the application.
Applicants who start their supervised practice, formal study or private study on, or after, 1 February 2025 will have a 12-month updating period.
Scenarios - Do the return to practice requirements apply to me?
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If you have stopped practising and come off the Register but want to rejoin, you can apply for readmission. At this point, the return to practice requirements may apply to you, depending on how long you have been out of practice.
You'll need to complete your updating period within the 12 months* before applying for readmission. You should also be aware that when you apply for readmission you will need to give us other information, including certified documents to confirm your identity and address.
* There are currently some exceptions to this. Please see the information about the 12-month updating period above.
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If you have practised in the past two years and are still registered, you may continue to practise. You do not need to meet our return to practice requirements.
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To renew your registration with us every two years, you need to sign to confirm that you have practised your profession at some point during the past two years (the registration cycle which is about to end).
If you have not practised your profession during this period, you cannot make that declaration.
You should either:
- come off the Register, and then potentially re-register at some point in the future if you need to return to practice; or
- renew your registration using the paper renewal form, declaring that you have not practised your profession. You will then need to complete a period of updating within six months of renewal.
You should provide a covering letter with your renewal form telling us how long you have been out of practice so that we can correctly advise you on the length of updating you need to carry out.
The only exception to this is if you have come onto the Register part of the way through a two-year registration period. This is because you will have either completed an approved course or had your application assessed, or you will have already met our return to practice requirements. As a result, we do not need you to complete a period of updating.
If you have been out of practice, but you expect to return to practice soon, we recommend that you complete your period of updating and renew your registration so that you stay on the Register.
If you have not practised for more than two years, and do not expect to return to practice soon, you should come off the Register. You should not be registered if you are not practising.
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If you have not practised for two years or more, you must complete either 30 or 60 days of updating (depending on how long you have been out of practice).
You need to complete your period of updating within the 12 months* before applying for readmission. You should also be aware that when you apply for readmission you will need to give us other information, including certified documents to confirm your identity and address.
* There are currently some exceptions to this. Please see ‘Grace period’ above.
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You do not need to meet our return to practice requirements if you have practised your profession outside of the UK within the last two years.
When you apply for registration, please give us information about your work outside of the UK so that we can consider whether you need to meet our return to practice requirements.
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Our return to practice requirements are for people who have not been practising their profession.
You do not need to meet our return to practice requirements if you have practised your profession outside of the UK in the last two years.
