ORE latest information

On Thursday 16 March 2023 at 14:30 we will open the booking for the ORE Part 2 April 2023 examination (to be held from 20 - 23 April 2023). The booking for this examination will be closed upon reaching full capacity.

Please note that there are currently only limited spaces available. However, we will update our website with the final number of available places before the booking opens.

All bookings must be made through eGDC​. Please check that you have log-in details for your eGDC account and that you can log in before this date.

We would like to highlight to candidates that the April Part 2 candidate list will be submitted to the examination provider as soon as the booking closes. There will be no opportunity to request a refund under the ORE refund policy, therefore we strongly recommend only candidates who are certain that they can attend the examination login and attempt to book a place. As a direct result cheque bookings will not be available for this re-opening. 

• Candidates will be able to see the current time in the United Kingdom
• 8 hours before the booking window opens, available examinations to book will appear in the 'bookings tab' and display the following message 'unavailable - opening at 14:30'
• Candidates will need to click refresh at 14:30 when the examination opens
• Candidates will not receive an immediate response to an attempt to book a place
• Candidates will be automatically logged out of eGDC if they have been logged in for more than 15 minutes 
• When an examination booking has filled, the booking screen will display 'closed - examination full' for 2 hours afterwards

• Payment for an examination position is required at the time of booking (no later than 2 hours after making the booking). If a candidate does not have the funds to make payment at the time, they should not attempt to book a place
• If a candidate clicks 'book exam and pay' with no intention of sitting the examination or making payment, they will be prevented from booking the next available examination.

• Candidates are advised to not log into eGDC at this time if they do not wish to sit the examination. 

  All candidates are advised to consider our withdrawal and refund policies before booking a place on to the examination.

Earlier this year, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) consulted on its proposed changes to the legislation, and on Monday 28 November 2022 they published the outcome of that consultation, which you can read on their website. Although the timeline for the changes coming into force remains unclear, we can confirm that a sitting of the Part 2 will take place in January 2023 (to be held 26 – 29 January 2023).

The booking for the ORE Part 2 January 2023 examination will open on Thursday 15 December 2022 at 14:30. We can confirm that there are 110 available places. Candidates eligible for a priority place will be contacted directly by the Exams Team on 1 December 2022.

We would like to remind candidates that all bookings must be made through eGDC, and we ask that you check that candidates have log-in details for their eGDC account and that they can log in before the booking day.

Why we prioritise some candidates for exam places and what this means for you now

The legislation that governs the ORE includes a strict requirement that the Part 2 exam must be passed within five years of first attempting the Part 1. To ensure candidates have a fair opportunity to sit the exams before this expires, we prioritise those in their final year of the time limit.

On Thursday 30 June 2022 at 14:30 we will re-open the booking for the ORE Part 1 August 2022 examination (to be held from 02 – 05 August 2022). The booking for this examination will be closed upon reaching full capacity.

Please note that there is currently only 1 space available. However, we will update our website with the final number of available places before the booking opens.

All bookings must be made through eGDC​. Please check that you have log-in details for your eGDC account and that you can log in before this date.

We would like to highlight to candidates that the August Part 1 candidate list will be submitted to the examination provider as soon as the booking closes. There will be no opportunity to request a refund under the ORE refund policy, therefore we strongly recommend only candidates who are certain that they can attend the examination login and attempt to book a place. As a direct result cheque bookings will not be available for this re-opening. 

Following our announcement on 22 February 2022 that the ORE would fully resume this year, we can confirm that the next Part 2 sitting will be held from 15 – 18 September 2022.

The Examinations Team are beginning the process of identifying candidates whose statutory five-year limit has expired and priority candidates (those at the end of their statutory five-year limit or remain booked to the cancelled April 2020 exam) over the coming week. Following the conclusion of this process, on Thursday 14 July 2022 at 14:30 we will open the booking for the ORE Part 2 September 2022 examination (to be held from 15 – 18 September 2022) for 105 places.

We would like to remind candidates that all bookings must be made through eGDC, and we ask that you check that candidates have log-in details for their eGDC account and that they can log in before the booking day.

Why we prioritise some candidates for exam places and what this means for you now

The legislation that governs the ORE includes a strict requirement that the Part 2 exam must be passed within five years of first attempting the Part 1. To ensure candidates have a fair opportunity to sit the exams before this expires, we prioritise those in their final year of the time limit.

We will write to candidates again before Thursday 14 July and confirm the booking process together with the number of places available.

On Thursday 26 May 2022 at 14:30 we will open the booking for the ORE Part 1 August 2022 examination (to be held from 2 – 5 August 2022). All bookings must be made through  All bookings must be made through eGDC, and we ask that candidates check that they have log-in details for their eGDC account and that they can log in before this date.

Please note that there are currently only 66 spaces available. We anticipate a high demand for this booking, in line with the normal booking procedure places will be allocated on a first come first serve basis from 14:30, and we would ask candidates who are not able to make payment to not to attempt to book a place. 

Cheque bookings are only available to candidates being sponsored by an organisation working with refugees or a charity. Candidates are advised to contact the Examinations Team on +44(0)20 7167 6050 by Wednesday 25 May 2022 to check the booking procedure if this process applies to them.

Important information in relation to booking examinations through eGDC

Please note that eGDC has multiple log-in preventions - this means that if a candidate is logged into their eGDC account on more than one device they will receive a warning message stating that 'we have detected that your log-in is in use on another device so you have been automatically logged out'.

On the examination booking screen:

• Candidates will be able to see the current time in the United Kingdom
• 8 hours before the booking window opens, available examinations to book will appear in the 'bookings tab' and display the following message 'unavailable - opening at 14:30'
• Candidates will need to click refresh at 14:30 when the examination opens
• Candidates will not receive an immediate response to an attempt to book a place
• Candidates will be automatically logged out of eGDC if they have been logged in for more than 15 minutes 
• When an examination booking has filled, the booking screen will display 'closed - examination full' for 2 hours afterwards

The following booking rules apply:

• Payment for an examination position is required at the time of booking (no later than 2 hours after making the booking). If a candidate does not have the funds to make payment at the time, they should not attempt to book a place
• If a candidate clicks 'book exam and pay' with no intention of sitting the examination or making payment, they will be prevented from booking the next available examination.
• Candidates are advised to not log into eGDC at this time if they do not wish to sit the examination. ​

All candidates are advised to consider our withdrawal and refund policies before booking a place on to the examination.

Following our announcement on 22 February 2022 that the ORE would fully resume this year, we can confirm that the next Part 1 sitting will be held from 2 – 5 August 2022.

The Examinations Team are beginning the process of identifying priority candidates (those at the end of their statutory five-year limit or remain booked to the cancelled April 2020 exam) over the coming weeks. Following the conclusion of this process, we anticipate that on Thursday 26 May 2022 at 14:30 we will open the booking for the ORE Part 1 August 2022 examination (to be held from 2 – 5 August 2022) for any remaining places. Unfortunately, we are unable to confirm how many places may remain available at this time.

We would like to remind candidates that all bookings must be made through eGDC, and we ask that you check that you have log-in details for your eGDC account and that you can log in before the booking day.

Why we prioritise some candidates for exam places and what this means for you now

The legislation that governs the ORE includes a strict requirement that the Part 2 exam must be passed within five years of first attempting the Part 1. To ensure candidates have a fair opportunity to sit the exams before this expires, we prioritise those in their final year of the time limit.

In line with this approach, we are in the process of offering places on the August 2022 Part 1 exam to the final group of candidates who were booked onto the cancelled April 2020 Part 1 exam and to those whose five-year time limit has expired now or will do so by January 2023. Further information will then follow to candidates whose five-year time limit will expire during 2023.

We will write to candidates again before Thursday 26 May and confirm the booking process together with the number of places available.

On Friday 18 March 2022 at 14:30 we will re-open the booking for the ORE Part 2 April 2022 examination (to be held from 21 – 24 April 2022). The booking for this examination will be closed upon reaching full capacity.

Please note that there are currently only 83 spaces available. However, we will update our website with the final number of available places before the booking opens.

All bookings must be made through eGDC​. Please check that you have log-in details for your eGDC account and that you can log in before this date.

We would like to highlight to candidates that the April Part 2 candidate list will be submitted to the examination provider as soon as the booking closes. There will be no opportunity to request a refund under the ORE refund policy, therefore we strongly recommend only candidates who are certain that they can attend the examination login and attempt to book a place. As a direct result cheque bookings will not be available for this re-opening. 

On Thursday 10 March 2022 at 14:30 we will re-open the booking for the ORE Part 1 April 2022 examination (to be held from 05 – 08 April 2022). The booking for this examination will be closed upon reaching full capacity.

Please note that there are currently only 142 spaces available. However, we will update our website with the final number of available places before the booking opens.

All bookings must be made through eGDC​. Please check that you have log-in details for your eGDC account and that you can log in before this date.

We would like to highlight to candidates that the April Part 1 candidate list will be submitted to the examination provider as soon as the booking closes. There will be no opportunity to request a refund under the ORE refund policy, therefore we strongly recommend only candidates who are certain that they can attend the examination login and attempt to book a place. As a direct result cheque bookings will not be available for this re-opening. 

We announced the full resumption of both parts of the ORE on Tuesday 22 February 2022. In doing so, we also published the full 2022 schedule of exams. Please visit the ORE Part 1 and the ORE Part 2 pages to view the 2022 schedule.

Because the Part 2 exam takes place in a clinical setting, enhanced COVID-19 restrictions over and above those in place for broader society meant resumption of the ORE was not viable until recently. The announcement of the full 2022 ORE schedule marks an important milestone in the recovery of international routes to registration.

While we have announced the 2022 schedule as soon as we could, we recognise the relatively short notice for the April exams is not ideal. However, given the long period the exam has been suspended and the significant waiting lists for both parts of the exam, we feel it’s in everyone’s interests that the April sitting be offered to candidates.

Why we prioritise some candidates

The legislation that governs the ORE includes a strict requirement that the Part 2 exam must be passed within five years of first attempting the Part 1. To ensure candidates have a fair opportunity to sit the exams before this expires, we prioritise those in their final year of the time limit.

In line with this approach, we are in the process of offering places on the April 2022 Part 1 and Part 2 exams to those who were booked onto the cancelled April 2020 exams, and to those whose five-year time limit will soon expire.

Should any places on the April 2022 exams remain available after these offers, we will write to candidates to explain how the open booking will work and how to apply.

We announced on Thursday 2 December 2021 that we will be running a single sitting of the ORE Part 2 in January 2022. This is scheduled to take place from Thursday 27 January until Sunday 30 January 2022.

Places on the exam were reserved primarily for candidates booked onto the cancelled April 2020 exam, and then candidates who were approaching the five-year time limit for passing Part 2 of the exam. 

On Friday 17 December 2021 at 14:30 we will re-open the booking for the Part 2 exam in January 2022 for candidates who are currently eligible. The booking for this exam will be closed upon reaching full capacity. All bookings must be made through eGDC​.

Please note that there are currently only 38 spaces available. However, this may increase before the booking re-opens, and we will endeavour to update the ORE latest information webpage if necessary.

Please check that you have log-in details for your eGDC account and that you can log in before this date.

We would like to highlight to candidates that the January Part 2 candidate list will be submitted to the examination provider as soon as the booking closes. There will be no opportunity to request a refund under the ORE refund policy, therefore we strongly recommend only candidates who are certain that they can attend the exam attempt to book a place. As a direct result, cheque bookings will not be available for this re-opening. All candidates must make payment through eGDC only.

Further detailed information relating to the booking process has been sent to all eligible candidates by email.

Safety restrictions brought in as part of the COVID-19 response in 2020 made it necessary to suspend Parts 1 and 2 of the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) last year. As part of that suspension, the scheduled Part 1 and Part 2 exams in April 2020 were cancelled.

We have now reached an agreement with our exam provider to run one sitting of the Part 2 exam in January 2022. This sitting will be offered to those candidates who remain booked onto the cancelled April 2020 Part 2 exam in the first instance (subject to the provisions of the ORE legislation). Places will then be offered to candidates who are approaching the statutory five-year deadline between first attempting the Part 1 exam and passing the Part 2 exam. For this reason, it is highly likely that places on this exam will not become available to other candidates on the Part 2 Candidate List.

All candidates who may become eligible for this exam will be contacted over the coming weeks. Please do not contact the GDC to seek a place or confirm whether you will be offered a place on the January 2022 exam.

We are currently working through all options to prepare a 2022 schedule of both Part 1 and Part 2 of the exam and will provide an update on this work as soon as possible.

Safety restrictions brought in as part of the COVID-19 response in 2020 made it necessary to suspend Parts 1 and 2 of the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) last year.

It has always been our aim to resume the ORE as soon as it is safe and viable to do so, and we had hoped to be able to run an exam in September this year. However, in consultation with our exam providers, it is now clear that this will not be possible.

While broad COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted in England, infection prevention and control measures for all healthcare settings remain. Due to the clinical nature of the Part 2 ORE exam, it is hosted in a hospital and the continuing social distancing requirements mean that our exam provider is unable to run the exam at a viable capacity.

Anyone who was booked onto the cancelled April 2020 exams may wish to request a refund and return to the candidate list in the interim.

We know that there are some candidates who have either now exceeded the five-year time limit between Part 1 and Part 2, or shortly will, and we will be in contact with them once the future ORE schedule is confirmed.

We continue to work with our exam providers towards the full resumption of the ORE and will provide further information as soon as it becomes available.

The safety restrictions brought in as part of the COVID-19 response made it necessary to suspend Parts 1 and 2 of the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) last year.

With the continued easing of restrictions, work is underway to resume the ORE and we are close to agreeing dates in September 2021 with our exam providers for one sitting of each part of the exam.

These exam places will be prioritised for candidates who were booked on to the cancelled April 2020 exams and who have retained their booking, which means there will be extremely limited places, if any, released for new bookings.

We will be writing to April 2020 candidates shortly once the arrangements have been finalised, and subsequently to all candidates on the waiting list should any September 2021 places become available.

We continue to work with our exam providers towards the full resumption of the ORE and we look forward to publishing the schedule once it has been agreed.

Finally, we know that there are some candidates who have either now exceeded the five-year time limit between Part 1 and Part 2, or shortly will, and we will be in contact with them once the future ORE schedule is confirmed.

As a result of the safety restrictions brought in as part of the COVID-19 response, it was necessary to suspend Parts 1 and 2 of the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) earlier this year. Our aim is to resume the ORE as soon as it is safe and viable to do so.

The law requires the GDC to appoint a dental authority to run the ORE on its behalf. Through ongoing work and discussions with our exam providers, it is now clear that due to the continuing COVID-19 restrictions, it will not be practicable to run any sittings of the exams in 2020.

Candidates who booked a place on the cancelled April exams may wish to request a refund and return to the candidate list in the interim.

We also know that there are some candidates who have either now exceeded the five-year time limit between Part 1 and Part 2, or shortly will. We will be in contact once the future ORE schedule is confirmed.

In the meantime, regular discussions with our exam providers continue, and we will provide further information as soon as it is available.

Parts 1 and 2 of the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) were suspended earlier this year due to safety restrictions brought in as part of the COVID-19 response. We understand the impact that this decision has had on dentists whose ambition it is to practise in the UK, and our aim is to resume the ORE as soon as it is safe and viable to do so.

Ongoing work and discussions with our exam providers tell us that, due to the nature of the ORE and the continuing COVID-19 restrictions, it is still not possible to run the ORE at this time and we will be unable to run the exams that were provisionally set for August and September.

We understand that this will not be welcome news for those waiting to sit the exams and we share their frustration. For candidates who booked a place on the cancelled April exam, we also understand they may wish to request a refund and return to the candidate list, and we want to be clear that this option remains open.

We also know that there are some candidates who have either now exceeded the five-year time limit between Part 1 and Part 2, or shortly will, and we appreciate that this will be a further cause for uncertainty and concern. For those affected, please note that we will be in contact individually once the future ORE exam schedule is confirmed.

On Thursday 12 March 2020 at 14:30 we will re-open the booking for the ORE Part 1 April 2020 examination (to be held from 14 – 17 April 2020). The booking for this examination will be closed upon reaching full capacity. All bookings must be made through eGDC​.

Please note that there is currently only 1 space available. However, we will update our website with the final number of available places before the booking opens.

Please check that you have log-in details for your eGDC account and that you can log in before this date.

We would like to highlight to candidates that the April Part 1 candidate list will be submitted to the examination provider as soon as the booking closes. There will be no opportunity to request a refund under the ORE refund policy, therefore we strongly recommend only candidates who are certain that they can attend the examination login and attempt to book a place. As a direct result cheque bookings will not be available for this re-opening. All candidates must make payment through eGDC only.

Important information in relation to booking examinations through eGDC

Please note that eGDC has multiple log-in prevention. This means that if you are logged into your eGDC account on more than one device or more than one browser window you will receive a warning message stating that 'we have detected that your log-in is in use on another device so you have been automatically logged out'.

In regard to the examination booking screen:

• You will be able to see the current time in the United Kingdom
• 8 hours before an examination you are eligible to book is scheduled to open, the examination will appear in the 'bookings tab' and display the following message 'unavailable - opening at 14:30'
• You will need to click refresh at 14:30 when the examination opens
• You will be automatically logged out of eGDC if you have been logged in for more than 15 minutes 
• When an examination you were eligible to book has filled, the booking screen will display 'closed - examination full' for 2 hours after.

The following booking rules apply:

• If you click 'book exam and pay' with no intention of sitting the examination or making payment, you will be prevented from booking the next available examination.
• Do not log into eGDC at this time if you do not wish to sit the examination. ​

Payment for an examination position is required at the time of booking (no later than 1 hours after making the booking). If you do not have the funds to make payment at the time, do not attempt to book a place. Please note that we anticipate a high demand for this booking, in line with the normal booking procedure places will be allocated on a first come first serve basis from 14:30, and we would ask candidates who are not able to make payment within the hour not to attempt to book a place. 

Please ensure that you read our withdrawal and refund policies before booking a place on to the examination.

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact the Examinations Team.

On Thursday 27 February 2020 at 14:30 we will re-open the booking for the ORE Part 2 April 2020 examination (to be held from 2 – 5 April 2020). The booking for this examination will be closed upon reaching full capacity. All bookings must be made through eGDC​.

Please note that there are currently only 9 spaces available.

Please check that you have log-in details for your eGDC account and that you can log in before this date.

We would like to highlight to candidates that the April Part 2 candidate list will be submitted to the examination provider as soon as the booking closes. There will be no opportunity to request a refund under the ORE refund policy, therefore we strongly recommend only candidates who are certain that they can attend the examination login and attempt to book a place. As a direct result cheque bookings will not be available for this re-opening. All candidates must make payment through eGDC only.

Important information in relation to booking examinations through eGDC

Please note that eGDC has multiple log-in prevention. This means that if you are logged into your eGDC account on more than one device or more than one browser window you will receive a warning message stating that 'we have detected that your log-in is in use on another device so you have been automatically logged out'.

In regard to the examination booking screen:

You will be able to see the current time in the United Kingdom.

8 hours before an examination you are eligible to book is scheduled to open, the examination will appear in the 'bookings tab' and display the following message 'unavailable - opening at 14:30'

You will need to click refresh at 14:30 when the examination opens

You will be automatically logged out of eGDC if you have been logged in for more than 15 minutes 

When an examination you were eligible to book has filled, the booking screen will display 'closed - examination full' for 2 hours after.

The following booking rules apply:

If you click 'book exam and pay' with no intention of sitting the examination or making payment, you will be prevented from booking the next available examination.

Do not log into eGDC at this time if you do not wish to sit the examination. ​

Payment for an examination position is required at the time of booking (no later than 1 hours after making the booking). If you do not have the funds to make payment at the time, do not attempt to book a place. Please note that we anticipate a high demand for this booking, in line with the normal booking procedure places will be allocated on a first come first serve basis from 14:30, and we would ask candidates who are not able to make payment within the hour not to attempt to book a place. 

Please ensure that you read our withdrawal and refund policies before booking a place on to the examination.

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact the Examinations Team.

On Thursday 21 November 2019 at 14:30 we will open the booking for the ORE Part 2 January 2020 examination (to be held from 23-26 January 2020). The booking for this examination will be closed upon reaching full capacity. All bookings must be made through eGDC​.

Cheque bookings are only available to candidates being sponsored by an organisation working with refugees or a charity. Please call the Examinations Team prior to Thursday 21 November 2019 to check the booking procedure if this applies to you on +44(0)20 7167 6050.

If you are a priority candidate you will have already received a separate email with instructions on how to secure your place on this exam.  

Payment for an examination position is required at the time of booking (no later than 1 hour after making the booking). If a candidate does not have the funds to make payment at the time, please do not attempt to book a place. Please note that we anticipate a high demand for this booking, in line with the normal booking procedure places will be allocated on a first come first serve basis from 14:30, and we would ask candidates who are not able to make payment within the hour not to attempt to book a place. 

All candidates are advised to read our withdrawal and refund policies before booking a place on to the examination.

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact the Examinations Team here or call +44(0)20 7167 6050.

• You will be able to see the current time in the United Kingdom.
• Eight hours before an examination you are eligible to book is scheduled to open, the examination will appear in the 'bookings tab' and display the following message 'unavailable - opening at 14:30'
• You will need to click refresh at 14:30 when the examination opens
• You will be automatically logged out of eGDC if you have been logged in for more than 15 minutes 
• When an examination you were eligible to book has filled, the booking screen will display 'closed - examination full' for two hours after.

• If you click 'book exam and pay' with no intention of sitting the examination or making payment, you will be prevented from booking the next available examination.
• Do not log into eGDC at this time if you do not wish to sit the examination.