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Home > Registration of Medical Practitioners > Licences of Registration and Practising Certificates > Practising Certificates / Retention Certificates

Registration of Medical Practitioners

Licences of Registration and Practising Certificates

Practising Certificates

Section 20A of the Medical Registration Ordinance stipulates that a registered medical practitioner “shall not practise medicine, surgery or midwifery in Hong Kong, or any branch of medicine or surgery in Hong Kong, unless he is the holder of a practising certificate which is then in force”. 

Any person on applying for full registration, limited registration or temporary registration with the Medical Council is also required to apply for a practising certificate by:-

(a)
the payment of the prescribed fee for the issue of the practising certificate; and

(b)
the submission of application form to declare whether he / she has been convicted in Hong Kong or elsewhere of any offence punishable with imprisonment.

Validity of practising certificates

For a registered medical practitioner on limited registration or temporary registration, the practising certificate shall be in force for the period specified in the certificate. 

For a registered medical practitioner on full registration:-

(a)
where the practising certificate is issued pursuant to an application made during the course of a year in respect of the following year, the certificate shall be in force for a period of 12 months commencing on 1 January of the following year; or

(b)
where the practising certificate is issued pursuant to an application made during the course of a year in respect of that year, the certificate shall be in force from the time of its issue until the end of the year.

Any registered medical practitioner should apply for renewal of the practising certificate if he / she will be practising beyond the expiry date of the certificate.

Annual renewal of practising certificates

Every registered medical practitioner on the Resident List of the General Register is invited to renew his / her annual practising certificates and is informed of the application procedures by the Central Registration Office under the Department of Health in around September every year.

Payment of the prescribed fee may be made either by:-

(a)

Autopay

Any registered medical practitioner interested to use autopay may approach the Central Registration Office for Autopay Authorization Form

(b)

Settling the General Demand Note issued by the Central Registration Office

Other than those registered medical practitioners choosing to settle the payment by autopay, every registered medical practitioner will receive a general demand note and be advised to settle the payment by one of the following means:-

  • Internet Payment;
  • Automated Teller Machines (“ATM”) of local banks;
  • Payment by Phone Service (“PPS”);
  • By Phone Banking
  • Through the "Pay e-Cheque" portal
  • In person at post offices or convenience store (e.g. any 7-Eleven, Circle K, VanGO Convenience Store and China Resources Vanguard Supermarket, etc.) by cash; or
  • By cheque/bank draft/cashier order sent to the Treasury (address: P.O. Box No. 28000, Gloucester Road Post Office, Hong Kong).

For details, please refer to the Treasury's website.

The payment status of the demand notes may be checked vide the Treasury Hotline (at 2845 8866) or the Treasury website.

The Application Form for practising certificate should be submitted to the Central Registration Office by fax or by post.

Deeming provision

A registered medical practitioner shall be deemed to have obtained the certificate when he / she had duly applied and paid the prescribed fee for the issue of the practising certificate.

Retention Certificates

For a registered medical practitioner who is on the Non-resident List of the General Register, he / she is required to apply for the annual retention certificate by paying the prescribed fee and submitting the application form to declare whether he / she has been convicted in Hong Kong or elsewhere of any offence punishable with imprisonment. The application procedure is similar to that for the annual practising certificate.

Failure to Renew Annual Practising / Retention Certificates

Section 19(1)(b) of the Medical Registration Ordinance provides that the Medical Council may order the removal from the General Register of the name of any person who has not, before 30 June of a year, obtained his / her practising / retention certificate for that year.

If a person’s name is removed from the General Register, he / she will cease to be a registered medical practitioner and cannot continue to practise. It is a criminal offence under section 28(2) of the Ordinance for a person whose name is not on the General Register to practise medicine or surgery. The offence is punishable by a fine and imprisonment.