The idea of going to another country and start a life as a doctor there from scratch sounds daunting, but it’s not impossible. We, as doctors, have to jump through a lot of hoops in our own country in terms of career progression and job satisfaction. And it’s not as though it’s bed of roses outside the country. You won’t just pass a few exams and be consultant. In the end, the decision is yours, as you are the one who will have the last say. I can only input what I have done to get to where I am now.
In this post I would specifically talk about the required papers a Bangladeshi doctor needs to obtain, and also the ways to obtain them.
Table of Contents
What are the papers?
I assume you have passed your MBBS and either completed or are currently doing your internship.
Papers you may obtain before internship finishes:
- Your main MBBS certificate.
- Your academic transcript. (provided you’ve already collected all the marksheets of the professional exams)
Papers you obtain after your internship is done:
- Internship completion certificate from your hospital.
- BMDC full registration.
Papers you need to obtain after you pass PLAB 1:
- Certificate of Good Standing from BMDC.
- Letter from BMDC stating internship was accepted.
- Police Clearance Certificate.
All the papers that you need from the BM&DC for your GMC registration and the process to obtain them are discussed in this post how to obtain papers from BM&DC for GMC registration : Part 2 (Bangladeshi Doctors).
The other required papers like passport, IELTS test report form I shouldn’t need to elaborate further.
Also the uniqueness of everyone’s case for UK Visa application demands further elaboration and detail about the documents it may need. Here’s the post about UK Visa Guidance : Supporting Documents (Part 2 of 3).
About the Police Clearance Certificate, it is better if you take one with you to the UK as it is sometimes required by your trust to issue you a Certificate of Sponsorship for your TIER 2 Visa. Please check this page to get detailed instructions about how to get one.
Back to our main discussion. In this post I will talk about obtaining main MBBS Certificate and academic transcript. The BMDC papers will be discussed in another post.
Main MBBS Certificate
(The discussed steps here are for Dhaka university. Other universities may differ slightly)
Why the “main” MBBS Certificate?
Because there is a provisional one too, which you can obtain anytime after your results are out. But as a rule of most of the universities our medical colleges are affiliated with is that they can’t provide you with a main certificate before convocation happens. Don’t worry, you won’t have to attend convocation to obtain that. It is just that you will have to apply for it AFTER convocation.
How to apply for MBBS certificate (main/provisional)?
The university your medical college is affiliated with will provide you one. There is an application process which involves:
- A filled application form (which is obtainable from the university’s registrar’s office 2nd floor or your medical college’s students’ section). The form also requires a copy of passport sized photo. The form should be signed and sealed by the principal of your medical college.
- A photocopy of your final prof exam admit card, attested by the principal also. (If you have lost it, you can also provide your final prof’s marksheet attested copy)
Dhaka University Registrar’s Building
Your next moves step by step are as follows:
- Firstly, you take these papers to the Registrar’s office, DU to a room where they charge ?15 for the form (if you obtained that from your college, not from there) and attach a number to the form and staple everything together.
- Then you take it to another room where they approve it and signs an amount to pay. (you’ll see the amount at the back of that application form.)
- Now with that that form you take it the Janata Bank, TSC Branch. Inside the bank you will find a yellow form, three same sections – fill it up… deposit the money, the banker will keep two and return you one portion of the yellow paper.
- KEEP THAT YELLOW PAPER SAFE. This is the proof you applied for one and when you receive it you’ll have to show it.
- Take the form back where they approved it in the DU Registrar’s office.
- They will write the date you will have to come to pick up behind your valuable yellow paper.
As far I remember it costs 300 BDT for the main certificate, and takes about 7 days. Urgent pay can make it happen in 2 days.
Main MBBS Certificate done.
Academic Transcript
(Again, the process described here is for Dhaka University)
This is basically an accumulation of your marksheets. Our medical college also provided an academic transcript with the same info, but as your decorated certificate of MBBS is titled with the affiliated university, it’s always better to have it.
No, you won’t need it anywhere in the PLAB process per se, but it holds vital information like the exact date of your passing MBBS (which is not stated in your decorated certificate).
What do you need?
- Photocopies of all your marksheets.
- A filled application form (?50) available in the transcript branch on the first floor of the DU registrar’s office.
- Copy of your MBBS Certificate.
Janata bank, TSC Branch, Dhaka
Exact same process of certificate withdrawal.
- Checked and signed with an amount written.
- Bank deposit. Return with yellow slip.
- Submit and wait.
It costs ?1000 for the transcript, which takes a month. Urgent service costs either double or more which provides it in 7 days.
An important reminder here, you DO NOT need either your MBBS certificate or transcript to appear for PLABs. You will need these AFTER you pass the PLABs and apply for GMC registration. But it’s wise to keep the papers collected before even you go for PLAB 2 so that it makes your life easy and saves your valuable time after PLAB 2.
If you had given PLAB 1 during your internship, which is highly recommended, and already obtained the mentioned papers the only remaining paper connected to your institution is Internship Completion Certificate. There should be a logbook which has to be completed and signed from all the specialties and units you’ve rotated. I will suggest you start working on that one month before your internship finishes. Keep the logbook as it contains a lot of information about your internship.
To summarize, the timeline for collecting the papers can be as follows.
| May 2018 | Passed Final Professional Exam |
| May-June 2018 | Your hospital and college should collaborate and arrange for your provisional registration with BMDC to commence your Internship. |
| During Internship | Get your MBBS Certificate (If they can’t provide you with main before 2020, keep a provisional at hand).
Get your final prof marksheet. Apply to get academic transcript. |
| May-June 2019 | Internship ends and you obtain the internship completion certificate. |
These papers involve a amount of running around from one place to another and then back again, but now that you have at least an idea of what to do, it shouldn’t be so bad. Good luck!
