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Singapore Medical Council

Specialist registration

Before a doctor practises as a specialist in Singapore, he / she must obtain specialist accreditation from the Specialists Accreditation Board and submit an online application to the SMC to add their name to the Register of Specialists.

Last updated 7 April 2025

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Application procedures
Timeframe for processing

Application procedures

  1. First obtain specialist accreditation from the Specialists Accreditation Board (SAB). Information on specialist accreditation application is available on SAB's website.

  2. At the same time, the doctor is required to apply to add his name to the Register of Specialists by submitting an online application to SMC. A one-time payment of SGD$500 is applicable per specialty.

The doctor is encouraged to apply for both specialist accreditation with SAB and registration with SMC concurrently. Processing of the specialist registration will be held in abeyance pending the successful accreditation by SAB.

Subject to Section 22 of the Medical Registration Act, the doctor’s name will be added into the Register of Specialists on the approval date of his / her application for Specialist Registration by SMC. Back-dating of registration date for specialist registration is not legal and therefore will not be allowed.

Note:

Registration of at least 1 Registrable Postgraduate Qualification
(for inclusion in the ‘Register of Medical Practitioners’ with SMC (strongly encouraged))

Doctors applying for specialist registration are encouraged to apply to include at least 1 registrable postgraduate qualification into the Register for Medical Practitioners. Please refer to the "Display of qualifications" page for more information on application and fee for inclusion of a postgraduate qualification.

Application for inclusion of your postgraduate qualification can be submitted concurrently with your specialist registration with the SMC, if such an application has not been submitted previously.

Timeframe for processing

Provided all documentation required by SMC is submitted, the average turnaround time for an application for specialist registration (local-trained specialists) is about 4 weeks. Processing time may be longer for complex cases and during peak periods.

The doctor / employing institution will receive an email from the SMC Secretariat once both certificates (Specialist Accreditation and Specialist Registration) are ready for collection.