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Nursing & Midwifery · NMC Registration Guidance
How to Save Your NMC Registration Before It Lapses or Expires
Your NMC registration is the legal licence that lets you work as a nurse in the UK, and losing it through a missed fee, a missed revalidation deadline or a fitness to practise concern can stop your income overnight. The good news is that most problems are preventable, and many lapses can be fixed quickly if you act early.
This guide explains what you need to keep your NMC registration active, how to keep up to date with current nursing practice, and what to do if your registration is already at risk.
What Is NMC Registration?
NMC registration is the entry on the Nursing and Midwifery Council's register that gives a nurse, midwife or nursing associate the legal right to practise in the UK. It has to be renewed every year by paying a fee, and every three years through revalidation.
There are only a few ways a nurse's place on the register is lost, and most of them can be prevented. For more on how UK regulators handle concerns across professions, see our regulatory investigation guides.
| Cause | What Happens | What You Can Do |
|---|---|---|
| Unpaid annual fee | Registration lapses automatically and you cannot practise | Pay the fee and apply for readmission, which can take two to six weeks |
| Missed revalidation | Registration lapses at your renewal date | Complete the requirements early and submit through MyNMC before the deadline |
| Fitness to practise sanction | A panel can impose conditions, suspension or removal | Take advice early and show insight, reflection and remediation |
How Do You Keep Up to Date With Current Nursing Practice?
You keep up to date with current nursing practice by completing continuing professional development (CPD) relevant to your scope of practice, reflecting on it against the Code, and recording it. The NMC requires 35 hours of CPD in each three-year period, including at least 20 hours of participatory learning, as set out in its own CPD requirements for revalidation.
The NMC does not prescribe a particular type of CPD, so you can choose what is most useful for your role. Participatory learning means any activity involving interaction with other professionals, in person or online. Good examples include:
- Attending a conference, workshop or relevant training course
- Group meetings outside everyday practice to discuss an incident or new way of working
- Reading journals or guidance, which counts as non-participatory CPD
- Using the NMC standards of proficiency to spot gaps in your knowledge and plan learning to fill them
Keep a record of the method, topic, date, hours and the part of the Code each activity relates to, along with evidence that you did it. Your confirmation may ask to see it.
What Do I Need for NMC Registration?
To renew your place on the register through revalidation, you need to meet eight requirements in every three-year cycle:
- 450 practice hours (900 if you are registered in two parts of the register)
- 35 hours of CPD, including at least 20 hours of participatory learning
- Five pieces of practice-related feedback
- Five written reflective accounts linked to the Code
- A reflective discussion with another NMC registrant
- A health and character declaration
- A professional indemnity arrangement
- Confirmation from an appropriate confirmer that you have met the requirements
How to Save Your NMC Registration if It Is at Risk
If you are worried your registration is at risk, work through these steps in order.
- Check your dates in MyNMC. Your fee expiry date and revalidation date are both shown there, and the NMC emails reminders 90 days ahead if you are revalidating or 60 days ahead if not.
- Pay your fee before it expires. You can use annual or quarterly direct debit, or a debit or credit card. An unpaid fee lapses your registration automatically.
- Start gathering revalidation evidence early. Work towards the requirements across the whole three years rather than in the final weeks.
- If your registration has already lapsed, apply for readmission as soon as possible. You cannot practise until it is approved, and the process can take two to six weeks.
- If a concern has been raised about your practice, get advice early and build reflective evidence. Structured insight, reflection and remediation courses for nurses can help you show genuine learning to a panel.
The NMC also explains how the annual fee is collected, what happens when it is missed, and the refund rules on its paying your annual fee page.
Conclusion
Protecting your place on the register comes down to knowing your dates, keeping your CPD and reflections up to date, and acting quickly the moment something goes wrong. A lapse is stressful, but it is usually recoverable when you move early, and a clear record of learning is your strongest protection if a concern is ever raised.
If you want structured support, browse our CPD certified and accredited reflection and remediation courses, or see our bulk CPD course offer if you are supporting a whole ward or team.
Key Takeaways
- Which course should I take for an NMC complaint or investigation? Match the course to the allegation — Which course do I need? lists them by concern; for nurses and midwives, the NMC ethics and NMC professionalism courses follow the NMC Code.
- Will a course help my NMC investigation? A course is evidence of insight and remediation, which the NMC case examiners look for — strongest with a written reflection and changes in your practice. No course can guarantee an outcome.
- When should I send the certificate and reflection to the NMC? With your written response, before the NMC case examiners decide — or before an NMC Fitness to Practise Committee or a review if the case has gone further.
- Can I finish the course before my deadline, and is it CPD accredited? Yes — it is online and self-paced with a certificate on completion, and CPD certified and accredited by The CPD Certification Service, counting towards your NMC revalidation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are the Requirements for UK NMC Registration?
To join the register you need an NMC-approved nursing qualification, evidence of good health and good character, English language proficiency and a professional indemnity arrangement, plus the application fee. To keep your NMC registration, you then revalidate every three years and pay the annual fee.
What Is the Annual Fee for the NMC?
The annual fee is £143 where your payment notification is sent on or after 1 October 2026, up from £120. If your notification arrived before that date, you pay £120. You can pay by annual or quarterly direct debit, or by debit or credit card through MyNMC.
What Is an NMC Registered Nurse?
An NMC registered nurse is a nurse whose name appears on the Nursing and Midwifery Council's register, meaning they have met its standards for education, health and character and can legally practise in the UK. Employers and the public can check anyone's status through the NMC's online register search.
What Happens if My NMC Registration Lapses?
You cannot practise as a nurse until you are readmitted to the register, which can take between two and six weeks. Fees are not refundable if you lapse part-way through the year, so check your fee and revalidation dates in MyNMC well in advance.
How Often Do I Need to Revalidate?
Every three years. You must complete all the revalidation requirements in that period and submit your application through MyNMC by your renewal date. The NMC notifies you 90 days beforehand when you are due to be revalidated.
This guide is for general information and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For advice specific to your situation, contact a specialist regulatory solicitor or your union or professional defence organisation.
Probity & Ethics CPD courses are written by Dr Shehzad Iqbal, CPD certified and accredited by The CPD Certification Service (provider no. 13197) and offered since 2020.
