NMC PIN checks for nursing agencies

How to check a PIN

Go to the NMC’s search the register page. The NMC recommends searching by PIN; you can also search by first and last name together.
Confirm the result is the person in front of you, and check the registration status, any conditions or orders, the register entry (nurse, midwife or nursing associate, and sub-part) and the expiry date.
Keep a dated record of the check on the candidate’s file.

The register covers nurses and midwives across the UK, and nursing associates in England only.
A result shows the name, registration status, geographical location, expiry date, register entry, start date and recorded qualifications.
Removals and suspensions are shown only if they were made after 1 January 2008.

Checking many PINs at once

The NMC’s Employer Confirmation Service lets an employer check up to 10 PINs at a time. Agencies, including multi-branch agencies, can apply for logins; there is one login per person, issued within 5 working days.

What each status means for placing someone

Status	What it means
Registered	On the register with no restrictions or cautions
Interim suspension order	Cannot practise while an investigation or appeal is pending
Suspended or removed	Cannot practise
Conditions of practice order	Can practise only within the conditions, which may rule out certain settings or require supervision or retraining. Lasts 1 to 3 years and is reviewed before it expires
Interim conditions	Restrictions while an investigation is under way, reviewed regularly
Undertakings	Agreed measures to address a current clinical risk
Caution order	Can practise without restriction. Lasts 1 to 5 years
Sanction pending	A final sanction takes effect after the 28-day appeal period or any appeal; an interim order may restrict practice meanwhile

Where there are conditions, read them in full and check the placement fits within them before you book the shift. NHS bodies and organisations providing NHS services must also check the Healthcare Professional Alert Notice (HPAN) system.

Revalidation and the annual fee

Registrants revalidate every three years. The application is due by the first day of the month their registration expires.
Revalidation needs 450 practice hours (900 for dual registration), 35 hours of CPD (20 of them participatory), 5 pieces of practice-related feedback, 5 written reflective accounts, a reflective discussion, a health and character declaration, professional indemnity, and confirmation.
The annual fee is £143 from 1 October 2026, up from £120, for anyone whose payment notification arrives on or after that date.
If revalidation or the fee is missed, registration lapses automatically, and readmission takes 2 to 6 weeks. A nurse whose registration has lapsed cannot work as a nurse.

How often to re-check

The NMC does not set a re-check interval for employers or agencies, and the NHS registration standard asks only for mechanisms to respond to regulator action. So the interval is your decision, and your framework or client contract may set one for you. Checking at registration, before each new placement and around the expiry date catches the changes that matter.

Doctors and allied health professionals

Doctors: the GMC register shows registration and whether a doctor holds a licence to practise, which is needed to practise in the UK. Licensed doctors revalidate every five years. Since 13 December 2024 the GMC also regulates physician associates and anaesthesia associates.
Allied health professionals: the HCPC register covers 15 professions, with a multiple-registrant search for employers. Registrants renew every two years in profession-specific windows.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check a nurse’s NMC PIN?

Search for the PIN on the NMC’s search the register page, confirm the result is the right person, and check the registration status, any conditions, the register entry and the expiry date. Agencies can use the NMC Employer Confirmation Service to check up to 10 PINs at once.

Can an agency place a nurse with conditions of practice?

Only within the conditions. A conditions of practice order restricts how the nurse can practise, for example ruling out certain settings or requiring supervision, so the placement must fit the conditions. A nurse with an interim suspension order, or who is suspended or removed, cannot practise.

How much is the NMC annual fee?

£143 a year from 1 October 2026, up from £120, for registrants whose payment notification arrives on or after that date.

Collecting these documents without the chasing

Getting Docs asks each candidate for exactly the documents they still owe, over WhatsApp or email, checks that what comes back is the right document and can be read, and files it onto the candidate’s record in your ATS. It does not carry out the checks in this guide for you: the verification and the decision stay with your compliance team. It makes sure the documents are in front of them.

See how it works for healthcare staffing (UK) and social care staffing (UK), or book a short call.

Related guides

NHS Employment Check Standards: a compliance checklist for healthcare agencies: The six NHS Employment Check Standards a healthcare staffing agency must meet before supplying a worker to the NHS in England, plus training and occupational health, as updated July 2026.
DBS checks for agency workers: levels, fees and the Update Service: Which DBS check level an agency worker needs, who can request it, the fees from 5 October 2026, how to use the DBS Update Service, and how often to recheck.

Official sources

This guide was checked against these sources on 2 October 2026:

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules, fees and document lists change: check the official sources above before you rely on any detail, and take advice for your own situation.