healthcare professionals’ licencing & registration abroad
Securing healthcare professionals’ licencing and registration abroad for volunteering
The information below explains the procedures we follow to obtain your short term licencing for healthcare professionals to volunteer in each of our partner countries.
Click on the country below to go to the information.
Separate links for Drs and Dentists to Nurses and Midwives indicates different processes.
Doctors, Dentists, Nurses, Midwives
Dentists. Dental Hygienists, Dental Nurses
Doctors, Dentists, Nurses, & Midwives
Doctors, Dentists, Nurses, & Midwives
(Uganda has simplest, & most affordable process for obtaining a temporary licence)
Do Western licenced healthcare practitioners need to also be locally licenced to carry out short term volunteer placements overseas?
And, as volunteers, do these foreign professionals need to pay?
The answer to both of those questions is ‘Yes!’
Read our blog post where we explain why, and read the statement (below) from the UK’s GMC in response to our query about volunteering without being licenced by the local licencing authority.
Obtaining a health practitioner’s licence and temporary registration for a foreign licenced volunteer in a hospital abroad
Licencing Process and Costs
Country
Temporary Registration of Foreign Drs, and Dentists
Foreign drs and dentists may secure temporary registration to practice in Ghana for up to 12 weeks per year, subject to annual renewal for up to 3 years.
Ghana:
Process for Drs and Dentists
We identify a hospital registered to accept the placement of foreigners to practice.
You complete your application online, which we download then take in person, along with other of your documentation to a zonal office. This has to be supported by 3 letters of reference - two from either doctors or dentists who have been members of the Medical Council for 8 years, or from a Principal Medical Officer; the third has to be from the Regional Director of Health Services of the region in which the hospital is sited
The licence fee has to be paid from within Ghana, which we do.
Registration takes from 2 - 4 weeks after payment
Securing references could take up to 6 weeks
Fees for registering Drs and Dentists
Ghana Registration fee: $759
Ghana Licence fee: $0
Processing costs:
Temporary Registration of Foreign Nurses, and Midwives, Ghana
Foreign nurses, and midwives may secure temporary registration to practice in Ghana for 3 months.
At the discretion of the Board, the nurse / midwife may be exempted from the exam, and also from the 3 month internship
Should the nurse, or midwife sit the examination, and carry out the 3 month internship, they can obtain full-time registration.
Process for Nurses and Midwives
We identify a hospital registered to accept the placement of foreign nurses, and midwives.
You complete your application online, which we download then take in person, along with other of your documentation to a zonal office. This has to be supported by 3 letters of reference - two from either doctors or dentists who have been members of the Medical Council for 8 years, or from a Principal Medical Officer; the third has to be from the Regional Director of Health Services of the region in which the hospital is sited
The licence fee has to be paid from within Ghana, which we do.
Registration takes from 2 - 4 weeks after payment
Securing references could take up to 6 weeks
Fees and costs for the temporary registration of Nurses, and Midwives
Ghana registration fee: $125
Ghana licence fee: $125
Processing costs:
Doctors and Dentists - Temporary Registration
Temporary registration is obtainable for 12 months, limited to practicing in one health facility in Kenya, on submission of an employment (invitation) letter to provide medical or dental treatment for a ‘humanitarian or other valid cause’.
The doctor or dentist will be interviewed and may or may not need to undertake an examination before hand.
Kenya:
Process - Doctors and Dentists
Submit to us your documents, (inc. a certificate of good conduct / police check), a CV, and a letter to the hospital director identifying the benefits of your placement with them.
We identify a hospital for you, either from ones we have agreements with (across the country), or another if you have a specific geographical area in mind, another.
We submit your documents to the hospital, and on receipt of the invitation letter, we take them all to the licencing council to make your application in person. We return within 10 working days to confirm whether your application has been accepted without having to sit the exam. We inform you, so that you may join us in Kenya for your interview.
We arrange the interview time for you, and your licence will be issued, usually within 5 working days, assuming that you are not required to sit an exam.
Nurses and Midwives - Temporary Registration:
There is no mention of temporary registration in the written process for foreign nurses and midwives to be registered in Kenya
On acceptance of your documents, you will be invited for interview, after which you may be asked to sit an exam, or you may proceed directly to a clinical placement, after which you will receive your registration.
We are seeking clarification through the Kenyan licencing authorities to identify if temporary licencing for foreign nurses and midwives is available. (July 2025)
Fees and Costs
Process: $350
Cost of licence: $155
(KES 20,000)
Dentists, Dental Nurses, Dental Hygienists
Dental practitioners joining us on placement with the Sri Lanka Army, and practicing in the Sri Lankan Army’s hospitals can practice on their own licence.
Sri Lanka:
Fees and Costs
Sri Lanka licence fee: $0
Sri Lanka Registration fee: $0
Temporary registration for all foreign healthcare professionals
Licenced foreign health practitioners, (doctors, dentists, nurses, and midwives) may gain temporary registration through application.
You will require your documentation, as well as an invitation letter from a hospital director
Tanzania:
Process
We will identify a hospital for you, and secure the necessary invitation letter from the hospital director to accompany your application.
We shall send that with your documents to the licencing authority.
Fees and Costs
Tanzania Registration Fees:
(a) 1 - 10 days: $200
(b) 11 - 90 days: $300
(c) 3 - 12 months: $500
Tanzania Costs: $175
Temporary registration for all foreign healthcare professionals
Through arrangement with the relevant board, our partner will submit your documents, and the hospital’s invitation letter to the relevant health board.
Once approved, those practicing 01-12 weeks, will have a their local licence certified prior to their arrival.
Those practicing 13+ weeks (or wishing to extend their practice beyond 12 weeks), will be interviewed in person prior to the licence being granted/extended.
Uganda:
Fees and Costs
12 wk Licence & Registration: $200
Local admin costs: $175
Please note:
All fees on this page are additional to our standard charges for elective students, and volunteers.
Those wishing to use our licencing services, but not join our programmes and benefit from our professional 24/7 in-country support, will be charged a GAFV Registration Fee of $1,250, and sign a waiver.