Translations for NMC registration (nurses and midwives)

The overseas route and its document check

A nurse or midwife who trained in Türkiye applies to the NMC under the overseas route. The steps are an online eligibility application, the computer-based test (which can be sat in Türkiye), an English language test, and, in the UK, the OSCE, followed by an identity and document check before the name goes on the register. The NMC compares your training with UK standards, so the transcript and course content matter more than they do for most bodies. Everything from a Turkish nursing school or hospital arrives in Turkish: the diploma, the transcript with theory and practice hours, the course content, your registration with the Turkish health authorities, a certificate of good standing and employment references. The NMC’s ID check page sets out how these must be translated.

What the NMC asks for

The NMC’s requirements for the identity and document check refer to certified English translations from a certified translator; the phrase is quoted in the box. The UK has no state certification of translators, so in practice the NMC is asking for a translation certified by a professional translator or company, with a signed statement of accuracy and contact details. Our certification gives the accuracy statement, date, signature of the person responsible, company name, Ankara registry number and contact details on every page, and the NMC has accepted our translations to date. Translations are made directly from the Turkish original; no notarisation is required.

Turkish documents on an NMC file

• Nursing or midwifery diploma (hemşirelik or ebelik lisans diploması).
• Transcript showing every module with theory and clinical practice hours.
• Course content (ders içerikleri), often 20–60 pages, where the NMC or your employer asks for detail on what was taught.
• Registration with the Turkish authorities (diploma tescil or Ministry of Health registration) and a certificate of good standing, if issued in Turkish only.
• Employment letters and references from hospitals evidencing post-qualification practice.
• Marriage record or name-change decision where the diploma is in a different name from the passport.

Where NMC applications stall

• A transcript without hours, so the NMC cannot compare the training; ask your school for the version with theory and practice hours before ordering.
• Course content translated selectively, leaving gaps in modules the NMC asks about.
• An associate-level (ön lisans) qualification presented without explanation alongside a later lisans degree.
• A good standing certificate that is out of date by the time of the document check.
• The applicant’s married name on the passport and maiden name on the diploma with nothing linking them.
• Employment references undated or without the hospital’s stamp.

How we prepare an NMC bundle

Send scans of the diploma, every page of the transcript, the course content if required, and the registration, good standing and employment documents. Nursing and midwifery terminology is handled by translators who work on medical records and checked by a second linguist, module names are kept in Turkish in brackets beside their English rendering, and hours are tabulated exactly as the school printed them. Every page is certified with the accuracy statement, date, signature, company name, registry number and contact details. A diploma is £10, a transcript 4–8 pages (£40–80), and course content is quoted by page count with economy service (20% less, double the turnaround) recommended for long sets. Standard turnaround is 2–3 working days for diploma and transcript and about a week for course content. You receive a certified PDF for the online application and a wet-signed hard copy by courier if the NMC asks to see paper. No UK VAT is charged. Our guide for Turkish nurses and midwives walks through the route, and the GMC page covers the parallel process for doctors.