Nursing Council Licensing Examination

Updated on 23 August 2011
(last version - August 2010)

1. Who can apply?

Nurses trained outside Hong Kong who:

  1. have attained the minimum age of 21 years for registration or have attained the minimum age of 20 years for enrolment;

  2. have completed at least 3 years nursing training for registration or have completed at least 2 years nursing training for enrolment;

  3. are of good character; and

  4. possess a valid certificate to practise nursing issued by such certifying body as may be recognized 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. The Council will not process any application that fails to produce such document.

2. Application Procedure

  1. The applicant should complete the application form and enclose originals and/or photocopies* of the following:

    1. Nursing graduation certificate

    2. Hong Kong Identity Card/Passport

    3. Valid certificate to practise nursing from local registration/enrolment authority (e.g. Nurse registration/enrolment certificate and Practising certificate)

    * Note: If the applicant submits the application in person, he/she has to bring the originals and photocopies of the above items to the Council for verification. The original documents will be returned immediately after verification of the photocopies submitted. If the applicant submits the application by post, he/she is required to send true copies of these documents, duly legalized/authenticated by notarization, to the Council.

  2. The applicant should request the training institute to send us his/her transcript stating clearly the detailed breakdowns in theoretical and clinical hours of each subject. Since some of the required information may not be shown on the transcript of the individual applicant, in order not to delay the application, please also ask the training institute to complete and return to this Council direct the 'Verification of Training Details’ and ‘Record of Training’ on pages 6 to 10 of the application form.

  3. The applicant should also send the ‘Verification of Original Registration’ on page 11 of the application form to the registration authority, which issued his/her original registration certificate outside Hong Kong, for completion and returning to this Council direct.

  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/Original Registration’ and return them to the Council. The Council will assess the application only when all the required information and documents are provided. You should take this into account if you intend to take up employment as a registered/enrolled nurse in Hong Kong, particularly within a short period of time.

  5. The Council does not operate a system of reciprocal registration/enrolment. It assesses each application on an individual basis in regard to the length and contents of the theoretical and clinical nurse training of the applicant. The applicant will be approved to sit for the Licensing Examination only if he/she has fulfilled the requirements of the Council.

  6. Deadline of application:

    1. While applications are processed all year around, only those duly completed applications with all the required documents received by the Council by the end of October each year will be assessed and the applicants concerned will be notified whether they are eligible to sit for the Licensing Examination to be held next year.

    2. The Council will assess the application only when all required information and documents are provided as required by the Council, including items 2.(a) to 2.(c) above.

  7. Commonly identified mistakes which result in a delay of application:

    1. Incomplete information

      • It is important to fill out the application entirely and submit all required documentation.

      • An application cannot be processed until all information is collected.

      • Please remember to sign your full name where necessary.

    2. Matching information between documents

      • Information such as names, birth dates, dates of education, etc. must match supporting documents submitted by the applicant.

      • Any discrepancies will need to be clarified before the application can be processed further.

  8. After an applicant has completed the application form, he/she is required to submit it, together with the documents required, either in person or by post, to the Secretariat of the Nursing Council, 1/F, Shun Feng International Centre, 182 Queen’s Road East, Wanchai, Hong Kong. Applications sent by fax will not be processed. The office hours of the Secretariat are as follows:

    Mondays: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
    Tuesdays to Fridays: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
    (The Secretariat is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays)

  9. For any enquiries, please feel free to contact the staff of the Council Secretariat at tel. no. 2527 8351 during office hours, or by e-mail to ncmcdh@netvigator.com.

3. Examination Arrangement

  1. Format:

    1. The Licensing Examination for registration and enrolment consists of the written and practical parts. There will be no exemption for any part of the Licensing Examination.

    2. The applicant must pass the written part before he/she will be allowed to take the practical part, and must pass both parts before he/she can register/enroll with the Council.

  2. Time frame in taking the Licensing Examination for eligible applicants

    1. The applicant is required to make his/her first attempt of the Licensing Examination within two years from the date the Council issues its initial approval for sitting the Licensing Examination to him/her. Application for deferment beyond the two-year limit will not be entertained.

    2. If the applicant fails to pass any part of the Licensing Examination, he/she is required to re-sit the failed part only. Nevertheless, the applicant has to re-sit the failed part within one year from the date of his/her last attempt, except with the special permission of the Council and subject to such conditions as to training or instruction as the Council may impose.

    3. If the applicant fails to pass the practical part of the Licensing Examination within three years from the date he/she passes the written part, he/she needs to re-sit both the written and practical parts.

    4. If the applicant fails to pass the Licensing Examination on three occasions, he/she will not be entitled to re-sit the Licensing Examination again without the special permission of the Council. Such applications for special permission should be sent to the Council within two weeks of the date of the result notification letter. Applications received after the two-week period will not be entertained normally. Submission of a fresh application does not mean an applicant will be given further chances to re-sit the Licensing Examination. The following are some of the examples cited for reference:

      Scenario 1 : 1st attempt pass in the written part
      fail in the practical part
      2nd attempt fail in the re-take of the practical part
      3rd attempt fail in the re-take of the practical part
      Scenario 2 : 1st attempt fail in the written part
      2nd attempt pass in the re-take of the written part
      fail in the practical part
      3rd attempt fail in the re-take of the practical part
      Scenario 3 : 1st attempt fail in the written part
      2nd attempt fail in the re-take of the written part
      3rd attempt pass in the re-take of the written part
      fail in the practical part
      Scenario 4 : 1st attempt fail in the written part
      2nd attempt fail in the re-take of the written part
      3rd attempt fail in the re-take of the written part
  3. Schedule of Licensing Examination:

    1. The Council usually organizes written and practical parts of the Licensing Examination every year according to the following schedule:

      Type of examination Written Part Practical Part
      Licensing Examination for Registration March Jan/Feb and June
      Licensing Examination for Enrolment March August


    2. For the Licensing Examination to be held in 2012, the Council is planning to organize the written and practical parts of the Licensing Examination in any date(s) within the following time frames:

      Type of examination Written Part Practical Part
      Licensing Examination for Registration 5th March 2012 4th - 5th January 2012,
      11st - 15th June 2012
      Licensing Examination for Enrolment 2nd March 2012 August 2012


  4. The Secretariat will inform applicants of the details of the examination in writing directly.

  5. The examination fee is $715 for the Licensing Examination for Registration and $765 for the Licensing Examination for Enrolment. Fees are subject to revision and are not refundable.