How to verify a professional credential with the official issuer

Start with the official register

A professional credential is only as good as the record held by the body that issued it. For a licence, that is the regulator. For a degree, it is the university or its appointed service. A certificate, a letterhead or a website badge is a claim. The register entry is the record.

Most regulators publish a free online register. The GMC says its register is a list of doctors in the United Kingdom, showing their registration status, training and other useful information ¹. Ahpra says that when a health practitioner's name appears on its list, the practitioner is allowed to practise ². The SRA calls its Solicitors Register the definitive impartial source of information about the firms and people it regulates ³.

Five steps for any profession

• Find the regulator for the profession and the place of work. In California, for example, doctors are checked through the Medical Board of California's Licensee Profile search ⁵.
• Search by the registration or licence number where you have it. The Medical Board of California allows searches by name or licence number ⁵.
• Read the status field. The State Bar of California says only active licensees may practise law in California ⁶.
• Read any conditions, undertakings or restrictions. Ahpra says some practitioners hold a type of registration or conditions that limit what they can do ².
• Check the scope. A UK doctor who practises must hold registration with a licence to practise ¹. A solicitor in England and Wales is licensed, and the Legal Services Act 2007 reserves activities such as the conduct of litigation and probate activities ⁷.

What a register entry does not prove

A missing name does not settle the question either way. The SRA warns that it is not safe to assume that a firm or person without a match is regulated by the SRA ³. Spelling, former names and regional registers can all hide a valid entry. Ask the person for the number shown on their certificate and search again.

A present name is not the whole answer. Ahpra keeps separate lists of practitioners who have agreed not to practise and of practitioners whose registration was cancelled. It says people on those lists are not allowed to provide any services as a health practitioner ². The State Bar of California lists people as not eligible, disbarred or resigned, and none of them may practise law in California ⁶.

Academic qualifications are checked separately

A professional register shows a licence. It may not confirm a degree. In the UK, the Higher Education Degree Datacheck lets employers verify a place of study, the award and grade received and dates of attendance. Prices start at £14 and the enquirer needs proof of consent from the individual ⁸. See the academic credentials pages of this site for other countries.

Watch for impersonation

Regulators warn that fraudsters use their names. The Medical Board of California says its staff will never contact you by telephone demanding a payment of any kind ⁵. Use the web address of the regulator you found yourself, not a link sent in a message, and keep a dated copy or printout of the entry you relied on.