For Application for Registration (Sick Children)

1. Who can apply?

  1. Nurses trained outside Hong Kong who:

    1. have attained the minimum age of 21 years;

    2. have successfully completed one of the following programmes:

      • a pre-registration children’s nursing full-time programme of not less than 3 academic years or equivalent at a university, college, polytechnic or other training institute as recognized by the Nursing Council of Hong Kong (“the Council”) from time to time; or

      • other full-time programme(s) of paediatric and adolescent nursing, specially designed for nurses having a qualification of Registered Nurse (General) while joining the programme as approved by the Council from time to time, and the programme must not be less than 1 academic year in length;

    3. are of good character; and

    4. possess valid certificate(s) to practise nursing and care of sick children Note 1 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 and care of sick children at the time of his/her application.

    Note 1:  The certificate to practise nursing and care of sick children must be valid at the time of 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 submit originals and photocopies or notarized copies Note 2 of the following:

    1. Nursing graduation certificate(s)

    2. Hong Kong Identity Card/Passport

    3. Valid certificate(s) to practise nursing from local registration authority
      (i.e. (i) practising certificate(s) or other equivalent documentary evidence of entitlement to practise as a Registered Nurse (Sick Children) and/or a Registered Nurse (General) outside Hong Kong; and
        (ii) registration certificate as a Registered Nurse (Sick Children) and/or a Registered Nurse (General) or official document from local registration authority verifying the applicant’s “date of initial registration”.)

    Note 2: 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(s) to send us 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 individual applicant, in order not to delay the application, the applicant should also ask the training institute(s) to complete and return to the Council direct the “Verification of Training Details” on pages 6 to 9 of the application form in an official and sealed envelope of the training institute.

  3. The applicant should also send the “Verification of Original Registration” on page 10 of the application form to the registration authority, which issued his/her original registration certificate(s) outside Hong Kong, for completion and returning to the Council direct. Please note that the completed “Verification of Original Registration” must be returned by the registration authority to the Council and in an official and sealed envelope of the issuing authority when it reaches the Council.

  4. Please note that the applicant’s training institute(s)/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. Please note that clarification/ supporting documents may be required if the provided information is unclear or inadequate. The applicant should take this into account if he/she intends to take up employment as a registered nurse (sick children) in Hong Kong, particularly within a short period of time.

  5. Please note that 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 different names appear on the documentary proofs submitted for his/her application are all referring to the same person. The original/notarized 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. It assesses each application on an individual basis in regard to the theoretical and clinical training hours and contents of the nursing training programme of the applicant. Regarding the required training hours and contents, the applicant may make reference to the local syllabus “A Reference Guide to the Syllabus of Subjects and Requirements for the Preparation of Registered Nurse (Sick Children) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region”, which will be reviewed by the Council from time to time and is available for download at the Council’s website at www.nchk.org.hk. The applicant will be approved to sit for the Licensing Examination only if he/she has fulfilled the requirements of the Council.

  7. 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, including items 2a to 2c above.

  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.

      • 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. 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 of Hong Kong, 1/F, Shun Feng International Centre, 182 Queen’s Road East, Wanchai, Hong Kong. Applications sent by fax or by email will not be processed. The office hours of the Secretariat are as follows:

    1. 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.
      (Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays)

  10. For any enquiries, please contact the staff of the Council Secretariat at (852) 2527 8351 during office hours, or by e-mail to nc@dh.gov.hk.

3. Examination Arrangement

  1. Format:

    1. The Licensing Examination for Registration (Sick Children) normally 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 of the Licensing Examination before he/she can register 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. Applications for deferment beyond the two-year limit will normally 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 normally not be entertained. 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:
    The Council normally organizes the written part of the Licensing Examination in March and practical part in June every year respectively.

  4. The Secretariat will inform applicants of the details of the application procedures and payment method for the Licensing Examination in writing directly.

  5. The examination fee is HK$860 for the Licensing Examination for Registration (Sick Children). Fees are subject to revision and are not refundable.