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Before you apply

To book a place on the Overseas Registration Examination (ORE) you first need to submit an application. You will be added to the ORE candidate list when you successfully complete the process.

You will need to pay an application processing fee of £96 when you complete the online application form.

Before you start the process, you should understand the requirements for applicants, which are provided in the sections below. You should also review the details on how to apply for the ORE.

You should also read the examination rules, policies and procedures so you understand the requirements before you apply. You may also find it helpful to read the student fitness to practise guidance which sets out expected standards of behaviour.

Demand for places is currently extremely high. It takes around 60 working days to process an application. We also have a significant number of candidates who want to book a place, which means you may have difficulty securing one over the next 12 months or more.

Candidates with refugee status are able to request priority access to booking for up to two attempts at Part 1 and two attempts at Part 2 of the ORE. Eligible candidates should review our guidance and contact us to tell us about your circumstances if you would like to make use of this policy. You do not need to provide evidence of your refugee status during your application. The GDC will provide information on how to access priority booking once you are on the candidate list. You may also want to contact other organisations offering support. 

Fees for applying and sitting the ORE

You will need to pay an application processing fee of £96. You can find out more about the application process and the associated fee in our guide on how to apply for the ORE.

You will also need to pay examination fees each time you book a sitting of the ORE.

The current examination fees are:

  • ORE Part 1 £584
  • ORE Part 2 £4,235
  • Retakes medical emergencies £566

Requirements for applicants

Review the requirements below before starting your application.

Clinical experience

You must have at least 1,600 hours of clinical experience, where you have personally treated patients in the dental chair. You need to set out this experience when you apply.

These will be hours spent undertaking appropriate investigations and administering dental treatment. You can use a combination of clinical experience gained during:

You cannot include time observing other dentists or assisting other dentists or dental students in undertaking diagnosis, treatment planning or treatment.

Knowledge and skills

You should be certain you have the overall clinical skills and knowledge to successfully complete a series of tests before applying.

The ORE is based on the learning outcomes for UK dentists, and is designed to assess whether you can practise dentistry safely. You will need to be able to demonstrate:

  • competence, skills and knowledge in the different aspects of dentistry
  • conduct, performance and ethics, as set out in the Standards for the dental team.

Your chances of passing the ORE will be improved if you’ve had recent experience of clinical dentistry, rather than relying entirely on preparation courses. We do not quality assure or endorse any ORE training or preparation courses, and do not provide course recommendations.

Find out more about preparing for the ORE.   

Competence in English language

You need to submit evidence of competence in the English language with your application. The types of evidence you can use are:

  • an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) certificate at the appropriate level
  • recent primary dental qualification taught and examined in English
  • a recent pass in a language test for registration with a regulatory authority in a country where the first and native language is English
  • recent experience of practising in a country where the first and native language is English.

Find more detailed guidance on English language requirements.

Patient expectations

We do not expect you to be familiar with the NHS or culture in the UK, other than the ways in which it will affect your treatment of patients.

You should be familiar with how patients in the UK might behave, but you should not make assumptions about patients based on characteristics such as gender or ethnicity.