The Recognition of Professional Qualifications and Implementation of International Recognition Agreements (Amendment) Regulations 2023

Procedure to be followed on application for recognition

10.—(1) A regulator must—

(a) within one month of receiving an application, acknowledge receipt in writing to the applicant and inform the applicant if any document is missing from the application;

(b) give the applicant adequate time to complete the requirements and procedures of the application process;

(c) deal promptly with the application and notify the applicant of its decision in writing before the end of the period of four months beginning with the day after the day on which the complete application was submitted.

(2) A regulator may require an applicant to provide, in their application, evidence of their professional qualifications.

(3) The evidence a regulator may require under paragraph (2) must be no more than is necessary to demonstrate that the applicant holds professional qualifications that are comparable to the professional qualifications required to access and pursue the same profession in the United Kingdom or that part of the United Kingdom for which the profession is regulated.

(4) Where access to, and pursuit of, a regulated profession by a person whose professional qualifications were obtained in the United Kingdom is subject to conditions other than the possession of specific professional qualifications, a regulator may require the applicant to provide, in their application, evidence to demonstrate that they satisfy those conditions.

(5) The evidence a regulator may require under paragraph (4) must be no more than is necessary to demonstrate that the applicant satisfies those conditions.

(6) Without prejudice to any power of a regulator to make provision about the authentication of copies of documents, a regulator must accept copies of documents in place of originals unless it requires original documents to protect the integrity of the recognition process.