Translations for GDC registration (dentists)

Routes on to the dentists register

A Turkish diş hekimliği fakültesi diploma is not automatically recognised in the UK, so most Turkish-trained dentists apply to sit the GDC’s Overseas Registration Examination (ORE), Parts 1 and 2, before registering. Before you can book the exam the GDC checks your qualification, your identity, your English and your standing with the dental authorities in Türkiye. The documents are Turkish: the dental diploma, the transcript, a certificate of good standing from the Turkish Dental Association (Türk Dişhekimleri Birliği) or the Ministry of Health, employment or clinical experience letters, and for the specialist lists the specialty certificate. Places for the ORE are limited and application windows are short, so translations should be ready before a window opens.

What the GDC requires of translations

The GDC asks for certified English translations of documents that are not in English, supplied with the original-language document. We have not recorded the GDC’s exact wording, so the box on this page summarises the requirement and links to the GDC; check the current application guidance before you submit. Because the GDC sits alongside the GMC and NMC as a healthcare regulator, we prepare its translations to the stricter of those standards: direct translation from the Turkish original, every page stamped and signed, the company’s name, Ankara registry number, address and contact details on each page, and the accuracy statement and date. Notarisation is not something the GDC asks for.

Turkish documents on a GDC file

• Dental diploma (diş hekimliği diploması), both sides.
• Transcript for the full five-year programme, including clinical modules.
• Certificate of good standing from the Turkish Dental Association or the Ministry of Health, if issued in Turkish only; the GDC expects it to be recent.
• Employment and clinical experience letters from clinics or hospitals.
• Specialty certificate (uzmanlık belgesi) and training records for the specialist lists.
• Name-change decision or marriage record where the diploma name differs from the passport.

Where GDC applications go wrong

• The degree title rendered as a UK award such as BDS; we translate it literally and keep the Turkish title in brackets, because equivalence is the GDC’s decision, not the translator’s.
• A transcript translated without the clinical practice modules that show the scope of training.
• A translation made from an English version produced by a third party rather than from the Turkish original.
• A good standing certificate that expires during the ORE application window.
• A stamp and signature on the first page only rather than on each page.
• The applicant’s name spelt differently on the diploma, the good standing letter and the passport with no reconciling note.

How we prepare a GDC bundle

Send scans of both sides of the diploma, every page of the transcript and the good standing and experience documents. Dental terminology is checked by a second linguist who works on medical and dental records, module names are kept in Turkish in brackets, and every page is stamped, signed and certified with the company’s details. You receive a certified PDF for the online application and a wet-signed hard copy by courier from Ankara (£30) or UK Special Delivery (£8) if the GDC asks to see paper. A diploma is £10, a five-year transcript 4–8 pages (£40–80), a good standing letter £10; a full bundle is typically £60–110 and takes 2–3 working days. No UK VAT is charged. Our guide for Turkish dentists takes the ORE route step by step, and the GMC and NMC pages describe the parallel processes for doctors and nurses.