UK-trained Cypriot GP caught in post-Brexit recognition rules

Several years of demanding studies, internships and practical training – becoming a doctor is an intensive process requiring lots of time, energy and studying. But once completed, a rewarding career path dreamed of for years awaits. In Cyprus, many students chose to move abroad for their studies, with the United Kingdom after Greece traditionally ranked the top destination for higher education of all kinds. As did Anna, a 34-year-old GP that first studied medicine at the University of Nicosia before moving to Britain for her mandatory supervised practical training or residency. Once her residency was completed, Anna (not her real name) decided it was time to move back home. She packed her belongings to officially launch her career as a general practitioner in Cyprus. This, however, turned out far more challenging than expected. New regulations after Brexit “I brought everything including my car and cat and came back to find a job,” Anna told the Cyprus Mail. Soon after her return in August 2024, Anna started applying for positions to practise as a GP and successfully found a job for which she needed to complete the necessary bureaucratic procedures. And then she hit a brick wall. “They didn’t recognise my GP training,” she explained. Anna had started her practical GP training in the UK in August 2021 – only a few months after Brexit came into effect. What she did not know at the time was that this would have a significant impact on the recognition of her qualifications. “The only reason they rejected my training was Brexit,” she says. Anna said she was told her practical training would not be recognised in full because she began her rotation in the UK after Brexit. Britain’s departure from the EU led to alterations in the medical recognition procedures while practical training in the UK was only three instead of the four years then required in Cyprus. Since 2025, the length of the specialty training has since increased to five years. While the UK was an EU member state, professional qualifications obtained by medical practitioners were automatically recognised. Anna was told that she would have had to complete the entrance exams and be admitted to the Cypriot GP training to actually exercise her profession. “I was already a qualified GP in the UK and found that a bit ridiculous,” she says. The number of years spent in supervised medical training varies widely (Depositphotos) She added that she was told that her documents would first need to be sent to the Cypriot health ministry, and then to Greece as Cyprus still did not have its own programme for exams and residencies, or rotations, for GPs but was instead following the Greek model. “I was told that Greek health ministry would tell me which rotations I had to take,” she says. “My options were going back to the UK or apply to write the Greek exams to get a position to get a training as a GP,” she says. “If you’re changing something so huge it has to be made known – people were not aware of the situation.” Recognition procedures for specialty training of doctors In Cyprus, the authority responsible for the recognition of qualifications of doctors is the Cyprus Medical Council (CMC), which says it is aware of the situation and is making efforts to address the issue. “[We have] already contacted various stakeholders while undertaking further actions towards a possible resolution. However, at this stage, it is not possible to specify how much time this process may require or what the final outcome will be,” the council tells the Cyprus Mail. According to the council, the relevant regulations are set out in article 4d of the law on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU. This article stipulates that EU citizens who commenced their studies or specialty training in the UK before its withdrawal date from the EU retain the right to apply for registration with the Cyprus medical registry and/or the recognition of their specialist qualifications. However, distinct regulations are applicable to professionals who have either commenced their studies or practical training after Brexit. “Where specialty training commenced after the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union, the CMC examines applications in accordance with regulations KDP 357/2003,” the council explained. The CMC added that for GPs, four years of training are required, while the duration of the GP specialty training in the UK is three years, resulting in a shortfall of one year under the old regulations. But since November 2025, recognition of the specialist qualification in general practice requires five years of training, resulting in a shortfall of two years. “Therefore, the date on which a doctor commenced their specialty training is of significant importance,” the CMC added. But it’s not all bad news In the meantime, the CMC has introduced a new system to help doctors who have trained in the UK. “The CMC has decided to recognise certificates of paid professional experience in the specialty obtained after the award of the specialist qualification in the UK, for a period at least equal to the training period that is lacking, so as to meet the minimum specialty training duration established in Cyprus,” the CMC explained. This means that if one or two years of paid professional experience in GP in the UK – obtained after the award of the specialist qualification (CCT) – are submitted, the applicant will be entitled to recognition of the specialist qualification in Cyprus. “Should this not be feasible, the applicant will need to complete the specialty training programme as offered in Cyprus under the Cyprus-Greece bilateral agreement,” the CMC said. The five-year training programme requires the successful completion of the specialty training entrance examinations. “If they choose this option, they will be required to complete an additional two years of training, provided that they successfully pass the specialty training entry examinations. written and oral, which are conducted once a year by the ministry of health,” the Council adds. Based on the bilateral public health agreement between Cyprus and Greece, EU citizens can be trained as resident doctors as full specialty or part of the specialty in hospitals in Cyprus, accredited by the health ministry in Greece. “According to the respective regulations and announcements for resident doctors training in Cyprus, the selection of candidates for the residency positions takes place annually, with an announcement for the available positions for the year to follow, after written and oral examination,” the health ministry writes on its website. This includes two written examinations, one for the non-surgical specialties and one for the surgical specialties, as well as an oral examination for those succeeding in the written examinations. Both the written and oral examinations are in Greek. “Prerequisites for the application are [the] registration with the Cyprus Medical Council and [a] certified copy of the medical degree by the Greek authorities,” it continues. Anna, unsurprisingly defeated by the time-consuming process she would have had to undergo to register as a GP, packed up her car and her cat and went back to the UK. She is currently employed there as a GP.