How to revalidate without a responsible officer
Written by Dr Sudhir Tapase, GMC appraiser · Published 2 November 2026
Most doctors revalidate through a responsible officer (RO) at their designated body. Some doctors have no connection to one. If that is you, the GMC sets out extra steps. This guide gives the overview and points to the detail.
Use the GMC’s connection tool, and see designated body and responsible officer explained. If you are working in the UK, the GMC suggests exploring whether you can connect to one of the membership organisations that are also designated bodies: the British College of Aesthetic Medicine, the Faculty of Homeopathy, the Faculty of Medical Leadership & Management, the Faculty of Occupational Medicine, the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine, the Faculty of Public Health and the Independent Doctors Federation. Contact them directly to find out whether you meet their criteria.
You are responsible for arranging an appraisal every year. The GMC says it must be carried out by a licensed doctor who meets its criteria. These include:
- being connected to a designated body or an approved suitable person;
- having carried out at least five appraisals for that body in the 12 months before yours;
- having no conflict of interest with you; and
- being able to verify that your supporting information is fit for purpose.
You need the six types the GMC expects. Our revalidation checklist lists them with the GMC’s frequencies.
After the appraisal, your appraiser completes the GMC’s appraiser report form, REV12. You upload it to your annual return, and you must not complete any part of it yourself. See REV12 form explained. Completing it with me is an optional £50 add-on to a booked appraisal.
You submit an annual return through your GMC Online account, usually once a year, with at least three months’ notice. You can save your progress and edit it until you submit, and it becomes read-only once submitted. It covers your employment and practice history for the whole 12-month period (paid, voluntary and non-medical roles, and any breaks), your registration and licensing history, your fitness-to-practise declaration and details of your appraisals. You also upload your REV12 form, but not your supporting information for appraisal. A fee is payable when you submit, so check the current amount with the GMC. The GMC may verify what you submit, for example by contacting you, your appraiser, your employer or an overseas regulator. If it asks for more information, you must respond within 28 days. In exceptional circumstances, it may ask for more than one annual return in a year.
If you don’t meet the GMC’s requirements for your annual return and don’t give a reasonable excuse, the GMC says it will begin the process of withdrawing your licence to practise.
Paper form (REV10). If you can’t complete your annual return online, the GMC has a paper version, REV10, which you may use only if you have no responsible officer or suitable person and the GMC has asked you for an annual return. Send your evidence together with it, with an English translation of anything not in English, and don’t send payment with the form. The GMC says it will contact you to take payment, and that it won’t assess your return until the fee is paid.
The GMC usually asks for this in the year you are due to revalidate, and you must meet its standard. It may also ask for a certificate of good standing if you have been registered overseas.
Standard appraisal £550; short notice £700; REV12 completion £50.
GMC, Revalidation requirements for doctors; Additional requirements for doctors without a connection; Guide for appraisers: the appraiser report form (REV12).