Translations for GMC registration (doctors)

Registering with a Turkish primary medical qualification

A Turkish tıp fakültesi diploma is a primary medical qualification the GMC accepts for registration, provided you also show English language skills and pass PLAB or hold an accepted postgraduate qualification or sponsorship. The application is online, and at the identity check the GMC examines your documents. Those documents are Turkish: the diploma, a transcript where asked, evidence of the internship year built into the six-year Turkish programme, a certificate of good standing from the Turkish Ministry of Health, employment letters from hospitals for clinical experience, and for the specialist register the specialty certificate (uzmanlık belgesi). The GMC has published a page specifically on translating documents that are not in English, and it is stricter than most UK bodies.

The GMC’s translation rules

The GMC asks for a copy of the document in its original language together with a complete English translation. The translation must be made by a professional translator or translation service, must show the translator’s or service’s contact details, and must be stamped and signed. It must be a direct translation from the original language; a translation made from another translation is not accepted. The phrase the GMC uses for the translator is quoted in the box. We meet each point: every page is stamped and signed by the person responsible, carries the company’s name, Ankara registry number, address and contact details, and is translated directly from the Turkish original. The GMC has accepted our translations to date. Notarisation is not part of the GMC’s requirement.

Turkish documents in a GMC application

• Medical diploma (tıp doktoru diploması), both sides.
• Transcript covering all six years, which also evidences the internship (intörnlük) year; where the faculty issues a separate internship certificate, that too.
• Certificate of good standing from the Ministry of Health, if issued in Turkish only; the GMC expects a recent one.
• Hospital employment letters and references for post-qualification experience.
• Specialty certificate (uzmanlık belgesi) and training records for specialist registration.
• Name-change decision or marriage record where the name on the diploma differs from the passport.

Why GMC files come back

• A translation made from an English-language version issued by the university rather than from the Turkish diploma. If the university issued the English version itself, it is an original and needs no translation; if someone else translated it, the GMC wants a direct translation from the Turkish.
• A transcript summarised or with the internship year omitted, so the GMC cannot see that the internship was completed.
• A stamp on the first page only; the GMC expects each page stamped and signed.
• The doctor’s name on the diploma in a maiden form with no document linking it to the passport.
• A good standing certificate that is out of date by the time the application is checked.

How we prepare a GMC bundle

Send scans of both sides of the diploma, every page of the transcript and the other documents your route requires. Our translators work directly from the Turkish, medical terminology is checked by a second linguist who works on medical records, and every page is stamped, signed and certified with the company’s contact details. You receive a certified PDF for the online application and, for the identity check, a wet-signed hard copy by courier from Ankara (£30) or UK Special Delivery (£8) if the GMC asks to see paper. A diploma is £10, a six-year transcript 4–8 pages (£40–80), an internship certificate or good standing letter £10 each; a full bundle is typically £70–120 and takes 2–3 working days. No UK VAT is charged. Our guide for Turkish doctors covers the route in order and the GMC checklist lists the documents; see also medical translation.