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NMC revalidation requirements
The NMC sets eight requirements, all met over the three years since the person's registration was last renewed or they joined the register. Each one is explained on the NMC's revalidation pages.
Practice hours
450 hours, or 900 if renewing two registrations, for example as a nurse and a midwife
Continuing professional development (CPD)
35 hours relevant to your practice, at least 20 of them participatory learning
Practice-related feedback
5 pieces, written or verbal, from patients, colleagues, managers or an appraisal
Written reflective accounts
5, on the NMC's form, each about CPD, feedback or an experience and how it relates to the Code
Reflective discussion
With another NMC registrant, covering your 5 accounts, recorded on the NMC's form
Health and character
A declaration when you apply, including any charges, convictions or cautions
Professional indemnity
A declaration that you have, or will have when practising, appropriate cover. Most employers provide it.
Confirmation
A confirmer, ideally your line manager, confirms you have met the requirements, in your final year
When is NMC revalidation due?
Every three years from when the person joined, or rejoined, the register. The application is due on the first day of the month their registration expires: if the renewal date is 30 April, the application is due on 1 April.
The NMC sends a reminder, the Registration Renewal Notice, 60 days before the application is due, and the person can apply through MyNMC at any point in those 60 days. The requirements must already be met by then.
Across the three years
Build up practice hours, CPD, feedback and reflective accounts. The NMC recommends working towards the requirements throughout.
In the final year
Get confirmation, so it is as recent as possible. The reflective discussion comes before it, or as part of it.
60 days before the application date
The NMC sends the Registration Renewal Notice and the person can apply through MyNMC
1st of the month the registration expires
The revalidation application is due
Every year
Pay the annual registration fee
The confirmer and the reflective discussion
Where possible, the confirmer should be the person's line manager, who doesn't need to be on the NMC register. The confirmer looks at the evidence and confirms the requirements have been met. They are not assessing fitness to practise or the quality of the person's work, and confirmation can take place as part of an appraisal.
The reflective discussion is with another NMC registrant. If the confirmer is on the NMC register, it can be part of the confirmation discussion. If not, the reflective discussion must come first. Family members and close friends can't act as a confirmer.
Each year the NMC selects a random sample of applications for verification and may contact the confirmer, so it recommends that confirmers keep a record of the people they confirm.
What an employer should keep a record of
Revalidation is the individual's responsibility, but the NMC's information for employers says they have an important role in supporting it. One record per nurse, midwife or nursing associate lets managers plan confirmations and see dates coming.
The reflective accounts and the NMC's forms are the person's own records, and they are not submitted to the NMC. Agree with each person what, if anything, the organisation keeps.
- NMC PIN, registration type and renewal date
- The application due date, the 1st of the renewal month
- The confirmer and the date of the confirmation discussion
- Whether the reflective discussion has been held
- CPD hours so far, including participatory hours
- When the register was last checked, and what it showed
NMC revalidation checklist
A short list to print or copy into your own plan.
- Find your renewal date in MyNMC and work out your application date
- Log your practice hours as you go
- Record 35 hours of CPD, at least 20 participatory, with evidence
- Collect 5 pieces of practice-related feedback
- Write 5 reflective accounts on the NMC's form
- Hold your reflective discussion and have the form signed
- Check your professional indemnity cover
- Meet your confirmer in your final year and have the confirmation form signed
- Apply through MyNMC within the 60 days, and pay your annual fee
How SkillProof helps
SkillProof keeps each person's registration record with their NMC PIN, renewal date and attachments, and reminds them and their manager before the date comes round. Registration records and reminders are included from Growth. Starter covers basic checks.
From Growth, CPD records with categories and cycles sit on the same staff profile, and each nurse can see and add their own CPD in a personal view, ready for the confirmation discussion.
SkillProof doesn't submit revalidation, act as a confirmer or check the NMC register for anyone. The guide to checking the NMC register shows how to record a check you make yourself.
Official guidance used for this guide
Checked
NMC revalidation guidance used for this article. Always check the NMC's current requirements.
Questions this guide answers
How often do nurses revalidate?
Every three years, from when they joined or rejoined the NMC register. They also pay an annual registration fee every year.
How many CPD hours do nurses need for revalidation?
35 hours over the three years, of which at least 20 must be participatory learning: learning that involves interaction with one or more other professionals, in person or online.
How many practice hours do I need for NMC revalidation?
450 hours over three years, or 900 if you are renewing two registrations, for example as a nurse and a midwife.
Who can be my confirmer?
Where possible, your line manager, who doesn't need to be on the NMC register. Without a line manager, the NMC recommends another NMC registrant, or else another UK-regulated healthcare professional. Family members and close friends can't confirm.
When is my revalidation application due?
On the first day of the month your registration expires. The NMC sends a reminder 60 days before, and you can apply through MyNMC at any point in those 60 days.
Does SkillProof submit revalidation?
No. SkillProof keeps registration dates, CPD records and reminders. Each person applies through MyNMC, and the confirmer signs the NMC's own form.