General Osteopathic Council

How to register – UK qualified

This page provides information about how to register with the GOsC if you have a qualification in osteopathy from a GOsC-accredited course.

To start the registration process you should contact the Registration Department for a registration application pack. You can apply up to three months before graduation, but the GOsC cannot process your application until after you have graduated.  For full details on the application requirements, see our document Registering with the GOsC.

You will need to obtain professional indemnity insurance that meets the Professional Indemnity Insurance Rules, with a minimum cover of £2.5 million.  Further details about obtaining the insurance is in the document Registering with the GOsC.

As you may be working with children and/or vulnerable adults, as part of your registration you are required to have a criminal records check performed by the Government agency the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB).  If you lived outside the UK before applying for registration, you will be asked to provide an additional police check in respect of the country where you were resident. 

Registration is granted for a period of 12 months, after which you will need to renew your licence to practise.  You will be asked to declare any health problems, criminal or civil proceedings, and your compliance with continuing professional development (CPD) requirements.  You will also need to provide details of your current professional indemnity insurance and pay your renewal fee.

New registration opportunity for those who qualified in the UK before 9 May 2000

A new section, Section 3 (6A), has been added to the 1993 Osteopaths Act, which provides an opportunity for GOsC registration to those individuals who gained a UK qualification in osteopathy before 9 May 2000. In order to qualify you must meet the following criteria:

  • you hold a qualification gained in the UK before 9 May 2000
  • you practised as an osteopath before 9 May 2000
  • you have not practised as an osteopath in the UK after that date
  • you have a good reason for not having made a successful application for registration during the transitional period, which expired on 8 May 2000
  • you are capable of the competent and safe practice of osteopathy.

The GOsC is now accepting applications to register under the new registration powers.