How to apply LDS (UK)

How to apply for the LDS (UK): step by step

Start here if you trained as a dentist outside the UK and want to work as a dentist in the UK through the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England). The LDS (Licence in Dental Surgery) is a three-part exam. When you pass all three parts, RCS England tells the General Dental Council (GDC), and you then apply to the GDC to join the UK register of dentists.

3
Parts
4 / 3 / 3
Tries at each part
5 yrs
After passing Part 1
1,600
Clinical hours

Checked against RCS England, GDC and UK ENIC pages on 9 October 2026 · 18 min read

The route at a glance

Read it from top to bottom. Gold boxes are questions. Each box links to the step that explains it.

The LDS route, from start to register
  1. StartYou have a dental degree from outside the UK.
  2. Get a UK ENIC Statement of Comparability (not needed if you have current GDC temporary registration). Step 2
  3. Get every Part 1 document ready before you book. Step 3
  4. Book Part 1 in its booking window and pay. Email your documents to RCS England the same day. Step 4
  5. Sit Part 1 online at home: Paper A and Paper B. Step 5
  6. QuestionDid you pass both papers at one sitting?
    • YesCarry on to Part 2. Your five years start now.
    • NoBook Part 1 again after your result. You have up to 4 tries.
  7. Gather Part 2 evidence: 1,600 clinical hours, English test, good standing letter, character reference. Step 6
  8. Book Part 2 and sit it in person in London, on two days. Step 7
  9. QuestionDid you pass both parts of Part 2?
    • YesCarry on to Part 3.
    • NoBook Part 2 again after your result. You have up to 3 tries.
  10. Book and sit Part 3: a three-hour practical test on a model head. Step 9
  11. QuestionDid you pass Part 3?All parts must be done within 5 years of passing Part 1.
    • YesComplete the LDS.
    • NoBook Part 3 again after your result. You have up to 3 tries.
  12. Sign the health declaration and pay the £230 completion fee. RCS England sends your name to the GDC. Step 10
  13. Apply to the GDC in MyGDC. Have indemnity cover before you start work. Step 11
  14. FinishYou are on the GDC register. You can now work as a dentist in the UK.

Fees as of 9 October 2026. They change, so check the fees table and RCS England’s own pages.

Step by step

Do the steps in order. Each one says where to go, what to have ready, what to do there, and what comes back. If a word is new to you, see Words you’ll see.

  1. Check that the LDS is your route

    RCS England says the LDS is for dentists trained outside the UK whose qualifications are not recognised for UK registration. You must already hold a dental degree.

    There are no exemptions: everyone must pass all three parts. If you passed Part 1 or Part 2 before summer 2026, you do not have to sit it again.

    You will also need the right to work in the UK. Visas are a separate process. Parts 2 and 3 are sat in person in the UK; to see whether you need a visa to come for them, use the “Check if you need a UK visa” tool on GOV.UK.

    Where
    RCS England’s Licence in Dental Surgery pages (rcseng.ac.uk). You do not need an account yet.
    Do this
    1. Read the LDS page and the LDS Examination Regulations (linked in step 6).
    2. Check that you hold a dental degree that is not recognised for UK registration.
    3. Find the next Part 1 booking window (step 4). Everything in steps 2 and 3 must be ready before it opens.
    Fee
    None.

  2. Get your UK ENIC Statement of Comparability

    This is a letter from UK ENIC, the UK’s official agency for comparing overseas qualifications, saying how your degree compares with UK ones. RCS England calls it a “NARIC certificate”. You need it for a degree from outside the UK and Europe, unless you have GDC temporary registration that is current and can be checked.

    Where
    The UK ENIC website (enic.org.uk), where you apply in your own UK ENIC online account.
    Have ready
    Your final degree certificate; your official transcript (the list of your subjects and grades), signed and dated by your university; certified translations of anything not in English; proof of identity, such as your passport; and proof of any change of name. UK ENIC asks for clear colour photos or scans (JPEG, PDF or bitmap, up to 5 MB each) that show all four corners of each page.
    Do this
    1. On the UK ENIC website, open “Apply for a Statement of Comparability” and choose “Start now” to create your UK ENIC account.
    2. Fill in the application, upload your documents and pay the full fee. UK ENIC says you must submit and pay in full to apply.
    3. Check the “order status” section of your account. UK ENIC messages you there if it needs more documents.
    4. When it is ready, download your e-Statement. You email it to RCS England in step 4.
    Fee
    £69.60, including the e-Statement (as of 9 October 2026).
    How long
    UK ENIC says it can take 15 working days once it has all your documents and payment. If it asks you for more documents, the 15 days start again.
    You get
    An e-Statement to download from your UK ENIC account. It shows your 10-digit UK ENIC reference number and has no expiry date. Then go to step 3.
    Common mistake
    Waiting for the Part 1 window before applying. RCS England warns the statement can take time to get, so get it before you apply.

  3. Get every Part 1 document ready before you book

    RCS England says: “Please do not apply online if you have any documentation missing”. If documents are missing, your place can be withdrawn.

    • A scan of your original attested final degree certificate. A provisional certificate is not accepted.
    • Your UK ENIC statement.
    • A scan of the photo page of your valid passport, showing the expiry date.
    • Certified translations of anything not in English.
    • Proof of any change of name, if your names differ.
    • The LDS rules also ask for “certificates showing that the studies and courses undertaken were in line with” the GDC’s Safe Practitioner Framework. The Application Guidance says the Framework itself is not a document you send, but RCS England does not say which certificates count, so ask RCS England before you book.
    • If you need changes to how you sit the exam (reasonable adjustments), send your report and email [email protected] the first time you ask.
    Where
    Your university (for your degree certificate and any official translation of it), a qualified translator, and your passport.
    Do this
    1. Scan your original attested final degree certificate.
    2. Scan the photo page of your passport so the expiry date shows. It must not have expired.
    3. Get translations of anything not in English: a certified translation by a qualified translator, or, for your degree certificate, an official translation by your university with its stamp and the dean’s name and signature.
    4. Check that your name is the same on your passport and degree certificate. If it is not, get proof of the change, such as a marriage certificate.
    5. Ask RCS England about the Safe Practitioner Framework certificates (see above) at [email protected].
    6. Keep all the scans together, ready to email on the day you book.
    Fee
    None at this step.
    Common mistake
    Booking under a different name or title. RCS England says the name you book under must be the one on your passport and degree certificate, and you may not use the title “Dr” unless you also hold a doctorate.

  4. Book and pay for Part 1 when the window opens

    You book on Eventbrite (a ticket-booking website) during a short booking window. Places are limited, and a window can close early once it is full. You pay when you book.

    Next sitting (as of 9 October 2026): booking window 13–23 December 2026, exam on 6 April 2027. RCS England says it will offer 2,000 Part 1 places a year from 2027. Other 2027 dates are not yet published.

    Where
    The booking link on RCS England’s LDS Part 1 page, which takes you to Eventbrite. Your documents go by email to [email protected].
    Have ready
    All your step 3 scans, your current address, a working email address, at least one phone number, and a way to pay.
    Do this
    1. When the window opens, go to the LDS Part 1 page and follow the booking link to Eventbrite.
    2. Fill in the online form, with your name exactly as on your passport and degree certificate. If you need reasonable adjustments, select that option on the form.
    3. Pay the fee.
    4. Then email all your documents to [email protected]. Do not post them. RCS England’s pages give different deadlines for this, so send them the same day you book.
    Fee
    £1,025 per sitting, as listed for the upcoming sittings (9 October 2026). The same page shows a different figure at the top, so check the fee shown when you book.
    You get
    An admission letter, at least four weeks before the exam, with your unique candidate number, the exam date, the time and how long it lasts. Then go to step 5.
    Common mistake
    Booking before your documents are ready. If RCS England does not receive them in time, you lose your place.

  5. Sit Part 1 online

    Part 1 is two papers, A and B, sat on your own computer while someone watches you online (this is called remote proctoring).

    • Each paper has 150 single best answer questions and lasts three hours.
    • Each paper is two 90-minute sections of 75 questions, with a 10-minute break. You cannot go back to the first section after the break.
    • Paper A: clinically applied dental science, and human disease.
    • Paper B: clinical dentistry, law and ethics, and health and safety.

    You must pass both papers at one sitting. If you fail either paper, you sit the whole of Part 1 again. RCS England lists one exam date for each sitting. Your confirmation email, about four weeks before, gives the start time of each paper in UK time.

    You need: a computer with a webcam and microphone, a phone to use as a second camera, a stable internet connection, and a quiet, well-lit room where you are alone. If you are not seen on the video recording, RCS England cannot give you a result.

    Where
    At home, or anywhere quiet and private, on your own computer, using the Surpass exam software. RCS England sends the links by email.
    Do this
    1. Read RCS England’s guidance for online dental exams, and download Surpass to your computer in advance.
    2. In the last week before the exam, RCS England emails you to do a system check. Do it. If the email has not come five days before the exam, check your junk folder, then email [email protected].
    3. A day or two before, you get an email with the link to your exam.
    4. On the day, start setting up your computer and phone camera 30 minutes before the start time. The exam link goes live at the start time.
    Results
    By email, about 5 to 6 weeks after the exam, showing your overall result. A full breakdown follows in your RCS England online account within two weeks, with a PDF by email.
    Tries
    Up to 4.
    Next
    If you pass, carry on to step 6. If not, book Part 1 again after your result.
    Common mistake
    Forgetting that the start times are UK time. Work out the time where you are from your confirmation email.

  6. Build up your Part 2 evidence early

    Some of this can take months, so start while you prepare for Part 1.

    • 1,600 clinical hours. At least 1,600 hours personally treating patients in the dental chair, before you sit Part 2. They can come from your degree, from work, or both. You prove them on the LDS Clinical Reference Form, signed by your dental school dean (for degree hours) or by a registered professional who employed you (for work hours). You can use more than one referee.
    • English. IELTS Academic with 7.0 overall and no section below 6.5, less than two years old when you send it (IELTS One Skill Retake is accepted). Or TOEFL with at least: overall 5, reading 4, listening 4.5, speaking 4, writing 5.
    • English exemptions. The LDS rules list these: you have indefinite leave to remain in the UK; you have a recent dental degree (first degree or postgraduate) from a UK institution, or one taught and examined entirely in English; you qualified in a country where English is the first language; or you have practised dentistry there for at least six months in the last two years. The LDS Part 2 page also names EEA nationals. Check with RCS England before you rely on an exemption.
    • Good standing letter from the dental regulator where you last worked, and from where you qualified if different. It must be no more than three months old when you apply. A registration certificate, a yearly practising certificate or a university letter is not accepted. If one is truly impossible to get, RCS England accepts a sworn statement witnessed by a solicitor.
    • LDS Character Reference Form. Your referee must be a registered professional and not a relative. Fill in sections 1 to 4 and sign before they sign.
    • Proof of your Part 1 pass from the last five years. You do not need to resend your degree or ENIC statement if you sent them for Part 1.
    Where
    RCS England’s LDS Part 2 page, for the two forms. Then your dental school or employers, an IELTS or TOEFL test centre, your dental regulator(s) and a referee.
    Do this
    1. Download the LDS Clinical Reference Form and the LDS Character Reference Form (Word files, links below).
    2. Send a clinical reference form to each person who can confirm your hours: your dean for hours during your degree, or a registered employer for hours after it. Print as many copies as you need.
    3. Fill in sections 1 to 4 of the character reference form and sign it. Then give it to your referee, who must sign on the same day as you or later.
    4. Unless an exemption applies, book and sit IELTS Academic (or TOEFL).
    5. Ask your regulator(s) for an original good standing letter. Time it so the letter is under three months old when you book Part 2.
    Fee
    None to RCS England at this step. English tests are paid to the test provider.
    Common mistake
    An IELTS Test Report Form that is two years old or more when you send it. RCS England asks for one less than two years old.

  7. Book Part 2, after your Part 1 result

    Book on Eventbrite in the window, through the booking link on the LDS Part 2 page, and send your documents with your booking.

    LDS Part 2 sittings and booking windows, as of 9 October 2026
    Part 2 sittingBooking window
    16–27 February 202717–27 November 2026
    14–26 March 20278–18 December 2026
    23 May – 5 June 202719–29 January 2027
    July, September and November 2027Not yet published
    Where
    The booking link on RCS England’s LDS Part 2 page (Eventbrite). Your documents go by email to [email protected].
    Do this
    1. Wait until you have your Part 1 result.
    2. When the window opens, follow the booking link, fill in the form and pay.
    3. The same day, email all your step 6 documents, with proof of your Part 1 pass, to [email protected]. RCS England says you do not need to send a follow-up email.
    Fee
    £1,793 per sitting, as listed for each sitting (9 October 2026). The page shows a different figure at the top, so check the fee shown when you book.
    You get
    An admission letter by email at least six weeks before the exam, with the venue address, registration time and exam date. Then go to step 8.
    Common mistake
    Booking Part 2, or a resit, before your current result is out. The LDS rules say you may lose the fee.

  8. Sit Part 2 in person

    Part 2 is in London unless RCS England says otherwise. It has two parts, on two separate days (next to each other or with a rest day between). Keep two days free within the dates listed.

    • OSCE: 12 short stations of 7 minutes each, each testing a clinical skill.
    • Structured clinical reasoning: six 20-minute cases that you discuss with examiners.

    You must pass both parts at the same sitting. Your admission letter comes at least six weeks before. Bring it and photo ID (passport or driving licence).

    Where
    RCS England in London, unless your admission letter says otherwise.
    Have ready
    Your admission letter email, and photo ID that shows your name, signature and photo, such as a current passport or driving licence.
    Results
    By email, about four weeks after, showing your overall, OSCE and SCR results. A full breakdown follows in your RCS England online account within two weeks.
    Tries
    Up to 3.
    Next
    If you pass, go to step 9. If not, book Part 2 again after your result.
    Common mistake
    Not keeping two days free. The two parts are on separate days, which can fall anywhere within the dates listed.

  9. Book and sit Part 3

    Part 3 is one day, in person: a 180-minute practical test on a dental manikin (a model head) in a clinical skills laboratory. Your admission letter tells you the venue.

    LDS Part 3 sittings and booking windows, as of 9 October 2026
    Part 3 sittingBooking window
    February 2027 (exact date not yet published)2–12 November 2026
    June 202723 March – 2 April 2027
    October 2027Not yet published
    Where
    The booking link on RCS England’s LDS Part 3 page (Eventbrite). Proof of your passes goes by email to [email protected].
    Documents
    Proof of your Part 1 and Part 2 passes from the last five years, emailed within two weeks of booking.
    Do this
    1. After your Part 2 result, book in the window and pay.
    2. Within two weeks, email proof of your Part 1 and Part 2 passes to [email protected].
    3. Your admission letter comes by email at least six weeks before, with the venue, registration time and date. Bring it and photo ID (name, signature and photo) on the day.
    Fee
    £1,736 per sitting, as listed for each sitting (9 October 2026). Check the fee shown when you book.
    Results
    By email. RCS England gives about four weeks in one place and 5 to 6 weeks in another. A full breakdown follows in your RCS England online account.
    Common mistake
    Sending proof of your passes late. The Part 3 page says you are then withdrawn without a refund.
    Tries
    Up to 3.

  10. Complete the LDS

    Sign the health declaration (the form is at the end of the Application Guidance) and pay the £230 completion fee. Only if you cannot sign the declaration: send original hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV certificates from an accredited UK laboratory, no more than three months old, within three months of passing Part 3. Without the declaration or the certificates, you cannot apply to the GDC.

    An older RCS England guide (December 2025) also asks for a UK Basic Life Support certificate at this stage. The current documents do not. Ask RCS England whether you need one.

    RCS England then sends your name to the GDC.

    Where
    RCS England, by email to [email protected]. The health declaration form is on the last pages of the LDS Application Guidance.
    Do this
    1. Print the health declaration from the Application Guidance, then sign and date it.
    2. Scan it and email it to [email protected]. Do not post it.
    3. Pay the £230 completion fee. If RCS England has not told you how, ask at [email protected].
    Fee
    £230 completion fee (as of 9 October 2026).
    You get
    RCS England sends your name to the GDC. Then go to step 11.
    Common mistake
    If you cannot sign the declaration, missing the deadline for the blood test certificates. They must reach RCS England within three months of passing Part 3.

  11. Apply to join the GDC register

    The GDC lists the RCS England LDS among the qualifications that lead to registration as a dentist. To apply:

    • read the GDC’s guidance and set up a MyGDC account (the GDC’s online account);
    • complete the Route to Registration questions, then apply online;
    • do the online identity check with a valid passport or UK photocard driving licence;
    • give a character reference from a professional who has known you for over 12 months and is not family;
    • ask your last regulator to send a good standing certificate straight to the GDC, no more than three months old when you register;
    • give English language evidence, a health declaration and a declaration of any convictions;
    • declare that you will have indemnity by the time you start work (cover that pays out if a patient makes a claim against you).

    It is illegal to work as a dentist in the UK before you have a registration number. To provide NHS dental care in England, other than in hospital (secondary) care, you must also join the NHS Dental Performers List. Primary Care Support England (PCSE) says graduates from outside the EU usually first have to show their training is equivalent to UK foundation training (the competence assessment route).

    Where
    MyGDC, the GDC’s online account, at mygdc.gdc-uk.org. Start with the GDC’s “Key facts about registration” page.
    Do this
    1. On the MyGDC sign-in page, choose ‘No account? Create one’, enter your email address, then type in the code the GDC emails you.
    2. Follow the list above, in order.
    3. Ask your last regulator to email the good standing certificate to the GDC at [email protected].
    Fees
    An application fee: the GDC does not say which of its fee bands applies to LDS holders, so check with the GDC. Then a registration fee that depends on the month you join: in 2026, £698 in January down to £58.17 in December. If you join in November or December you also pay the £698 annual retention fee (as of 9 October 2026).
    You get
    A GDC registration number. Only then may you work as a dentist in the UK. For NHS work in England, the Performers List comes next (see above).
    Common mistake
    Reusing the good standing letter from your Part 2 booking. For the GDC it must be no more than three months old when you register.

  12. Have indemnity in place, and stay registered

    The GDC says dental professionals “are required by law to have appropriate indemnity or insurance in place before they practise.” After you join, you pay the annual retention fee each year to stay on the register.

    Fee
    Annual retention fee for dentists: £698 for 2026, covering 1 January to 31 December (as of 9 October 2026).
    Every year
    Renew and pay the annual retention fee in your MyGDC account.

Words you’ll see

  • Attested copy: RCS England asks for a “scanned original attested copy” of your degree certificate; if you are not sure what counts, ask RCS England before you book.
  • Certified translation: an exact English translation by a qualified translator, or, for a degree certificate, an official translation by your university with its stamp and the dean’s signature.
  • UK ENIC Statement of Comparability: a certificate from UK ENIC, the UK agency for overseas qualifications, showing how your degree compares with UK ones; RCS England calls it a “NARIC certificate”.
  • Eventbrite: the ticket-booking website RCS England uses to take LDS bookings and payments.
  • Admission letter: the email RCS England sends before each exam, with your unique candidate number, the date and time, and (for Parts 2 and 3) the venue.
  • Remote proctoring: being watched online through your webcam and phone while you sit Part 1 away from an exam centre.
  • Surpass: the exam software you download to your own computer for Part 1.
  • Safe Practitioner Framework: the GDC’s standard for what a new UK dentist must know and be able to do, which the LDS tests.
  • Good standing letter: a letter from a dental regulator saying you are allowed to practise and have not been suspended, disqualified or banned.
  • Affidavit or affirmation: a sworn statement witnessed by a solicitor or other legal professional, accepted only if you truly cannot get a good standing letter.
  • IELTS Academic and TOEFL: English tests that RCS England accepts at the scores given in step 6.
  • OSCE: a circuit of short timed stations, each testing a clinical skill.
  • SCR (structured clinical reasoning): case discussions with examiners about diagnosis and treatment planning.
  • MyGDC: the GDC’s online account, where you apply to join the register and later renew.
  • The register: the GDC’s official list of dentists who are allowed to work in the UK.
  • Indemnity: cover that pays out if a patient makes a claim against you.
  • NHS Dental Performers List: the list a dentist must be on to give NHS dental care in England, apart from hospital (secondary) care.

Documents checklist

Tick things off as you go. Nothing is saved: the ticks clear when you leave the page.

Part 1 (send when you book)

Part 2 (send when you book)

Part 3 (within two weeks of booking)

After Part 3

GDC application

Fees

All fees as of 9 October 2026. RCS England says dates and fees may change. Always check the official page before you pay.

LDS route fees as of 9 October 2026
FeeAmount
UK ENIC Statement of Comparability£69.60
LDS Part 1, per sitting£1,025
LDS Part 2, per sitting£1,793
LDS Part 3, per sitting£1,736
LDS completion fee (after Part 3)£230
Withdrawing before the closing dateRefund minus a 20% admin charge
GDC registration applicationCheck with the GDC which fee applies to LDS holders
GDC registration fee, dentists, 2026£698 (January) down to £58.17 (December); November and December also pay the annual retention fee
GDC annual retention fee, dentists, 2026£698

One sitting of each part plus the completion fee adds up to £4,784. That is our sum, before ENIC, English tests, travel to the UK for Parts 2 and 3, GDC fees, indemnity and any resits.

Questions people ask

Can I book first and send my documents later?

No. RCS England says: “Please do not apply online if you have any documentation missing or incomplete.” Missing documents mean your place is withdrawn. Send everything the day you book.

Can I book my resit, or the next part, before my result comes out?

No. The LDS rules say you may not apply for a resit or the next part before you have your current result. You may lose the fee.

Does every try come with a guaranteed seat?

No. RCS England says the number of tries is a maximum, not a promise of a place. Places are first come, first served.

I passed the old Part 1 or Part 2. Do I sit it again?

No. RCS England says that if you passed Part 1 or Part 2 before summer 2026, you will not have to resit it to go on to the new Part 2 or Part 3.

Can I be excused any part of the LDS?

No. The rules say: “There are no exemptions. All candidates must pass all three Parts.”

What if my internet drops during Part 1?

Use a strong connection. RCS England cannot give results to candidates who were not watched through their video recording during the exam.

Preparing for Part 1? See our LDS Part 1 course.

Official sources

Every fact on this page comes from these pages and documents. All were checked on 9 October 2026.

Also worth reading

LDSThe LDS in 2026: the three parts explainedHow to applyThe ORE route, step by step