Special Registration/Enrolment (General)

  1. Who can apply?

    Nurses trained outside Hong Kong who:
    1. are of good character and have good professional conduct;
    2. have completed a pre-qualification nursing programme of normally not less than three years (for registration) or two years (for enrolment);
    3. possess a valid certificate to practise nursing Note 1 issued by a certifying body recognised by the Council from time to time as constituting sufficient evidence of his/her competency to practise nursing at the time of his/her application;
    4. have completed a post-qualification training programme that is relevant to the practice of nursing;
    5. have at least three years of full-time post-qualification clinical experience in a clinic or hospital; and
    6. have been selected for full-time employment as a person with special registration/enrolment in a specified institution.
    Note 1: The certificate to practise nursing must be valid at the time of application. The Council will not process any application that fails to produce such document.
  2. Application Procedures

    1. The applicant should complete the application form, enclose originals and photocopies or notarised copies that are duly legalised/authenticated Note 2 of the following and send all of them (either in person or by post) to the employing institution for verification and submission to the Council:
      1. Hong Kong Identity Card/Passport
      2. Nursing graduation certificate
      3. Valid certificate to practise nursing from the registration authority outside Hong Kong

        (i.e. (i) practising certificate or other equivalent documentary evidence of entitlement to practise nursing outside Hong Kong; and
          (ii) registration/enrolment certificate or official document from the registration authority outside Hong Kong verifying the applicant's "date of initial registration/enrolment".
      4. Documentary proof(s) certifying that the applicant completed post-qualification training programme that is relevant to the practice of nursing
      5. Documentary proof(s) certifying that the applicant possessed at least three years of full-time post-qualification clinical experience in a clinic or hospital issued and/or certified by the applicant's employer(s)
      6. Two unmounted copies of a photograph (passport size) of the applicant taken not more than two years before the date of application
      Note 2: A notarised copy refers to a copy of the original document certified by a qualified person, such as practicing lawyer, notary public, etc.
    2. The applicant should request the training institute(s) to send to the Council his/her transcript(s) stating clearly the course code, full name and grade/result of each attended subject together with a separate record of detailed breakdowns in theoretical and clinical training hours of each subject. Since some of the required information may not be shown on the transcript(s) of the applicant, in order not to delay the application, please also ask the training institute(s) to complete and return to the Council direct the “Verification of Training Details” including a detailed breakdown in the “theoretical training in clock hours and clinical experience in clock hours or weeks of each subject” (if in weeks, the number of hours per week should be stated) (i.e. Form 1(a)) in an official and sealed envelope of the training institute(s) or by email via its official email account.
    3. The applicant should also send the “Verification of Original Registration/Enrolment Outside Hong Kong” (i.e. Form 1(b)) to the registration authority, which issued his/her original registration/enrolment certificate outside Hong Kong, for completion and returning to the Council direct in an official and sealed envelope of the registration authority or by email via its official email account.
    4. Please note that the applicant's training institute/registration authority outside Hong Kong may take three to four months' time on average to complete the “Verification of Training Details” and “Verification of Original Registration/Enrolment Outside Hong Kong” and return them to the Council. The Council will assess the application upon receipt of all the required information and documents from the applicant, training institute and registration authority, and request for clarification/supporting documents as necessary.

      Forms and Application Notes – Special Registration/Enrolment (General)
      Application Form pdf
      Form 1(a) – Verification of Training Details pdf
      Form 1(b) – Verification of Original Registration/Enrolment Outside Hong Kong pdf
      Notes to Employers pdf
      Annex I to Notes to Employers – Certificate of Employment pdf
      Annex II to Notes to Employers – Covering Letter pdf
      Frequently Asked Questions pdf
    5. If the bearer's name on the documentary proofs appears differently, the applicant may be required to approach a statutory body to make a statutory declaration verifying the different names that appear on the documentary proofs submitted for his/her application are all referring to the same person. The original/notarised copy of the statutory declaration should be sent to the Council for assessment upon request.
    6. The Council does not operate a system of reciprocal registration/enrolment. It assesses each application on an individual basis in regard to the theoretical and clinical training hours and contents of the nurse training programme of the applicant. Regarding the required training hours and contents, the applicant may make reference to the following documents setting out the local syllabuses:
      1. “A Reference Guide to the Syllabus of Subjects and Requirements for the Preparation of Registered Nurse (General) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region” and “Core-Competencies for Registered Nurse (General)” for application for special registration (General);
      2. “Core-Competencies for Enrolled Nurses (General) and a Reference Guide to the Syllabus of Subjects and Requirements for the Preparation of Enrolled Nurse (General) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region” for application for special enrolment (General).
    7. Please provide only information and relevant supporting documents that meet the requirements as specified by the Council.
    8. Commonly identified issues resulting in a delay of application:
      1. Incomplete information

        • The applicant needs to fill out the application form entirely and submit all required documents.
        • An application cannot be processed until all information and documents are received by the Council.
        • Please remember to write your full name where necessary.
      2. Mismatched information between documents

        • Information such as names, date of birth, dates of education, etc. provided by the applicant must match with the supporting documents submitted by the training institute/registration authority.
        • Any discrepancies will need to be clarified before the application can be processed further.
      3. Lack of documentary proofs

        • The required documentary proofs and/or supplementary proofs are not provided.
        • The documentary proofs are in languages other than English/Chinese (if the original documents are in other languages, official/certified translation in English must be provided simultaneously).
    9. If the application is incomplete or inconsistent, the Council will require the applicant/employing institution to clarify the discrepancy or provide supplementary information. This will result in prolonged processing time of application.
    10. The prescribed fee for a Certificate of Special Registration or Certificate of Special Enrolment is HK$1,190. No fees will be charged before approval of the application.