Bermuda has long been an attractive destination for doctors trained in the UK and Ireland. The island offers internationally respected healthcare employers, a high standard of living, competitive tax-efficient salaries, and a healthcare system that closely mirrors the standards and structures familiar to anyone who has worked in the NHS or HSE.
At Ad Opus Recruitment, we specialise in placing healthcare professionals into roles in Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, and one of the most common questions we hear from candidates is: how do I actually get registered to practise there? This guide walks you through the process.
Who regulates doctors in Bermuda?
Medical practitioners in Bermuda are regulated by the Bermuda Medical Council (BMC). The register itself is administered through the Office of the Chief Medical Officer (OCMO), which handles all applications, verifies credentials, and presents complete applications to the Council for a decision.
One important point to understand from the outset: you cannot register speculatively. All applicants must be eligible for employment in Bermuda, which for overseas doctors means having a verifiable offer of employment. Your prospective employer submits the application on your behalf, together with a cover letter setting out your intended work plans. This is one of the reasons working with a specialist recruiter pays off, because the registration process only begins once a job offer is in place.
Categories of registration
The BMC recognises several categories of registration and authorisation. The ones most relevant to UK and Irish doctors are:
Full Registration. This is the standard route for doctors relocating to Bermuda permanently or on a multi-year contract. It is granted for two years at a time and requires you to primarily practise and reside in Bermuda. Within Full Registration there are three sub-categories: General Practitioner, Specialist, and Provisional. Specialist registration requires completion of specialist training recognised by the Council, which for UK and Irish doctors typically means your CCT or CSCST and relevant Royal College qualifications. Provisional registration is available to doctors who have completed recognised specialist training but not yet attained board certification or its equivalent, with five years allowed to achieve it.
Visiting Practitioner (short-term). For established specialists providing services in Bermuda alongside a fully registered local practitioner, for up to three months in a calendar year.
Locum Tenens. For doctors covering a fully registered physician’s temporary absence, again capped at three months within a calendar year. This is a popular route for UK and Irish consultants wanting to test the waters before committing to a permanent move.
House Officer. For doctors who have not yet completed the training required for full registration. House Officers practise under supervision within Bermuda Hospitals Board facilities for a one-year period.
There is also a Telemedicine Physician category for doctors providing services to Bermuda facilities remotely from overseas.
What documents will you need?
A complete application to the OCMO typically includes:
- The correct application form for your registration category, submitted by your employer if you are not Bermudian
- An employer cover letter detailing your intended work
- The application fee
- A notarised or original copy of your current passport
- Evidence of eligibility for employment, normally your job offer letter or employment contract
- A notarised copy of your primary medical degree
- Notarised copies of specialist qualifications, including residency or higher specialist training completion certificates, fellowships, and board certification or equivalent
- Evidence of your current registration, for example your GMC or Irish Medical Council registration
- A Certificate of Current Professional Standing from every jurisdiction in which you have been registered in the past five years, dated within the last twelve months and sent directly from the regulator to the OCMO
- A current CV with full education and employment dates
- One character reference and one professional reference, each on letterhead, dated within the last twelve months, and from different referees
- Evidence of medical indemnity insurance coverage for Bermuda
A practical tip on the Certificates of Good Standing: both the GMC and the IMC can issue these directly to overseas regulators, but processing takes time, so request them early. Note that the certificate must come from every regulator you have been registered with in the past five years, even if you never actually practised in that jurisdiction.
For Irish-trained doctors, one additional point is worth flagging. Bermuda partners with EPIC (run by Intealth, the organisation behind ECFMG) for primary-source verification of credentials for doctors whose primary medical qualification was obtained outside Bermuda, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, or the Caribbean. Ireland is not on that exempt list, so Irish medical graduates may be asked by the Council to have their credentials verified through EPIC. If this applies to you, it is sensible to set up your EPIC portfolio early, as verification can add weeks to the timeline. UK medical graduates are exempt from this requirement.
Exams and interviews
The good news for most UK and Irish doctors is that the process is far less onerous than registration in some other jurisdictions.
Specialists are required to attend an interview with the Council, accompanied by their employer or an appropriate designate who can confirm the work arrangements. There is no exam for board-certified or equivalently qualified specialists.
General practitioners without recognised certification face a longer path: an online qualifying exam (the NBME’s International Foundations of Medicine Clinical Science Examination), followed by an oral exam covering common general practice scenarios, and then the Council interview. In practice, UK GPs holding MRCGP and Irish GPs holding MICGP are well positioned, but the Council assesses each application on its merits.
Timelines: plan for at least two months
The Council typically meets on the second Thursday of each month, and complete applications must be submitted at least two weeks before the meeting. The OCMO confirms receipt and provides feedback within two weeks, but only complete applications go forward to the Council.
Crucially, registration and immigration are entirely separate processes. The BMC registers you to practise; the Department of Immigration issues your work permit, and the work permit is not granted until after you are registered. For this reason, the official guidance recommends that overseas applicants submit their registration application at least two months before their intended start date. In our experience, building in extra contingency beyond that is wise, particularly if Certificates of Good Standing or EPIC verification are involved.
Employers are informed of the Council’s decision within five working days of the meeting, and once approved, your name is added to the register and your registration certificate is issued.
Staying registered
Full registration runs on a fixed two-year cycle, with all registrations expiring on 31 May of even-numbered years. Renewal applications must be submitted by 1 February ahead of expiry. No exam or interview is needed at renewal, but you must keep up your continuing medical education: the current requirement is 40 hours of CME per two-year registration period, and the Council audits compliance on a random basis.
How Ad Opus Recruitment can help
The Bermuda registration process is straightforward when it is managed well, but the moving parts, from employer-submitted applications to regulator-issued certificates and immigration sequencing, mean that timing and coordination matter enormously.
We work with leading healthcare employers across Bermuda and the Cayman Islands and support our candidates through every stage: securing the role, assembling the application pack, coordinating with the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, and aligning registration with the work permit process so you can start on time.
If you are a UK or Irish trained doctor considering a move to Bermuda, get in touch with the team at Ad Opus Recruitment for a confidential conversation about current opportunities.
This article is provided for general guidance only and reflects the Bermuda Medical Council’s published registration guidelines at the time of writing. Requirements and fees can change, so always confirm current requirements with the Office of the Chief Medical Officer before applying.