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Medical registers compared: UK, US, Australia, Canada, India and more

Last checked 6 November 2026 · 10 sources

Short answer

Each country keeps its own official register of doctors. The UK GMC register shows the registration status of all UK doctors 1. Australia's Ahpra register covers doctors and 15 other health professions 4. In the US, state boards such as the Medical Board of California publish their own licensee searches 5. Ontario's CPSO, Ireland's Medical Council, New Zealand's Medical Council, India's National Medical Commission and Kenya's KMPDC run their own searches 6,7 8,9 10.
UK doctors on the GMC register
350,832 1
Doctors on the New Zealand register
25,087, register last updated 9 July 2026 8
GMC registration needed for UK Foundation Year 1
Provisional registration 3
Australian professions on one register
16 4
Indian Medical Register search fields
Name, year of registration, registration number, State Medical Council 9

Register by register

RegisterJurisdictionWhat the official page says it shows
GMC medical register 1United Kingdom 1Registration status, training and other information 1. Type of registration held 2
Ahpra register of practitioners 4Australia 4Registered practitioners and any registration type or conditions that limit scope 4
Medical Board of California Licensee Profile 5California, United States 5Information about the licensee, searchable by name or licence number 5
CPSO Physician Register 6Ontario, Canada 6Search by CPSO number or name, with an option to include inactive physicians 6
Medical Council register 7Ireland 7Specialist registration, conditions, undertakings and suspension 7
Medical Council of New Zealand register 8New Zealand 8Speciality, practising status and certificate expiry date 8
Indian Medical Register 9India 9Doctors registered with the State Medical Councils across India 9
KMPDC register search 10Kenya 10Whether a doctor is registered and licensed to practise in the current year 10

United Kingdom

The GMC says doctors who practise medicine in the UK must hold registration with a licence to practise 1. Full registration with a licence is needed for unsupervised medical practice or an approved Foundation Year 2 programme. Provisional registration allows a doctor to work in an approved Foundation Year 1 post only 3.

The register marks entry to the Specialist Register and the GP Register. The GMC says all doctors working as a GP in the UK health service must be on the GP Register, including locums 3. Physician associates and anaesthesia associates hold one type of registration with no licence to practise 3.

United States and Canada

In the US, doctors are checked with the board of the state that licensed them. The Medical Board of California offers a Licensee Profile search and sends osteopathic doctors to the Osteopathic Medical Board of California 5. It says it may post some information indefinitely and other information for a limited time 5.

In Canada, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario register is searchable by CPSO number and name. It notes that information about whether a physician is accepting new patients is not available 6.

Australia, New Zealand and Ireland

Ahpra keeps one register for 16 professions, from medical practice and nursing to psychology and paramedicine 4. It keeps separate lists of practitioners who have agreed not to practise and of cancelled practitioners 4.

The Medical Council of New Zealand register showed 25,087 doctors at its 9 July 2026 update, with practising statuses such as practising, not practising and inactive 8. Ireland's Medical Council says all doctors must register with it to practise, and doctors can practise independently as specialists only with specialist registration 7.

India and Kenya

The National Medical Commission publishes doctors registered with the State Medical Councils. The page carries the note that the data is being updated 9. Searches run by name, year, registration number or council 9. Where the national entry is incomplete, the State Medical Council that issued the registration is the next place to ask.

Kenya's Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council says its search shows whether a doctor is registered and licensed to practise in the current year. It cites section 14(1) of the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act (Cap 253) for licence renewal 10.

Common questions

Is there one worldwide register of doctors?

No. Each country or state keeps its own. The GMC covers the UK 1, and in the US a board such as the Medical Board of California runs its own search 5.

What does provisional registration mean in the UK?

It allows a doctor to work in an approved UK Foundation Year 1 post and cannot be used for any other purpose 3.

Does the Australian register show conditions?

Yes. Ahpra says the register shows any registration type or conditions that limit what a practitioner can do 4.

How do I check a doctor registered in India?

Use the Indian Medical Register search on the National Medical Commission website, by name, year, registration number or State Medical Council 9.

Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email hello@thecredentialregistry.com.

Sources

  1. General Medical Council: The medical register
  2. General Medical Council: A guide to the medical register
  3. General Medical Council: Types of registration
  4. Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency: Register of practitioners
  5. Medical Board of California: License Verification
  6. College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario: Physician Register
  7. Medical Council (Ireland): Check the register
  8. Medical Council of New Zealand: Register of doctors (last updated 9 July 2026)
  9. National Medical Commission: Indian Medical Register, Doctor Details
  10. Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council: Home page

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