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Restore as a fully qualified individual

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Overview

If you have previously registered with us as a dispensing optician or optometrist, and for any reason have allowed your registration to lapse, or we have removed you from the register, you must restore to the register to continue to practise.

If you continue to practise as an optometrist or dispensing optician while unregistered, you are committing an offence and could be prosecuted.

Please remember unless you receive written notification from us that your restoration application has been granted, you are currently not registered, and cannot undertake any of the following restricted activities:

  • The testing of sight
  • The fitting of contact lenses
  • The supply of optical appliances to customers who are registered blind or partially sighted
    The supply of optical appliances to customers aged under 16 years
  • The supply of zero powered contact lenses

Once you have been restored you will be informed of your GOC number starting with a D- or 01-. As of 1 April 2021, we have introduced a lifetime number for new and restoring students, fully qualified registrants and optical businesses applying for registration on the GOC register.

End of cycle notice – Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

As a fully qualified registrant, CPD is a statutory requirement to ensure that you keep your skills up-to-date and develop new ones in order to practise safely and protect your patients.

We are approaching the end of the 2022-24 CPD cycle. CPD points are allocated on a pro rata basis depending on the date an individual enters the register and how much of the CPD cycle remains. If you register between now and the end of 2024, you will need to complete the requisite amount of CPD points as stated in your MyCPD account once registered by 31 December 2024. Please note, the CPD points you complete to restore to the register do not count towards the current CPD cycle requirements once restored to the register.

You can find out more about CPD and what’s expected in our CPD guidance for registrants. If you have any queries, email cpd@optical.org.

How to apply

Information you will need to complete your application to the fully qualified register

To complete this application form you will need:

  • Contact information, including your home address and/or practice address(es)
  • Details of the educational institute where you completed your qualifications and details of the qualifications you achieved
  • Details of the required indemnity insurance
  • Information about why you were removed from the register and details about any unregistered activities you may have completed during your period of non-registration
  • Details of any declarations you may need to make about your fitness to practise. Find out more about when and how to make a declaration
  • If you are applying for a low income fee - details of your gross annual personal income from all sources
  • A completed identification form and correctly certified identification.
What are the CPD requirements?

To meet your CPD restoration requirements, you will first need to create a restoration account on MyCPD. Once it has been created, your MyCPD account will automatically calculate any previous CPD shortfall you may have, and your restoration requirements.

In order to restore your registration following removal, you will have to:

  • Complete any shortfall you have in meeting your CPD requirements from a previous CPD cycle which can include some or all of; CPD points, domains, interactive points and peer reviews.
  • Demonstrate that in the last 12 months you have completed:
    • a minimum of 12 general CPD points from provider led CPD and achieved at least six of these points from interactive CPD;
    • all of the general domains for their professional group; and
    • ensure you have undertaken one peer review.

Please note: points completed as part of your restoration cannot be carried over and counted towards the current CPD cycle requirements.

What you get on successful application
  • You will receive an email confirming your restoration including your new GOC number. You cannot keep or use any previous GOC number. If you were initially registered on or after 1 April 2021 and your restoration application is successful, you will keep your lifetime GOC number.
  • You can access your MyGOC account. This area of the website will allow you to update your details, download a receipt, set up a direct debit and complete annual retention. 
  • The registration year runs from 1 April to 31 March. Your annual renewal fee will be due by 15 March each year.
Begin your application

Related content

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Lifetime registration numbers

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Introduction to CPD and registrant requirements

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Registration fees