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How to Verify Medical Credentials

A step-by-step guide to checking a doctor's registration and specialist status, clinic authorisation in the UK and Turkey, and what JCI accreditation shows.

By Vireon Medical Editorial TeamFirst published Evidence checked through

Short answer

Verifying medical credentials means checking, at the official source, that the doctor is licensed to practise, holds the specialist status claimed for the procedure, and works in a facility that is legally authorised for the care you need. In the UK the public medical register is run by the General Medical Council (GMC);1 in Turkey, facilities treating international patients need a Ministry of Health health-tourism authorisation under a regulation published on 26 April 2025.8 Accreditation such as Joint Commission International (JCI) is a signal about organisational systems, not proof that an individual doctor is right for you.14 Credentials are the minimum, so they should be read alongside the clinician’s own assessment, the aftercare plan and your own circumstances.

At a glance

What to checkWhere to check itWhat it tells you
Doctor’s licence (UK)GMC medical register1Registration status and licence to practise
Doctor’s registration (Turkey)Provincial medical chamber documents; the doctor’s diploma and specialist certificate6That the doctor is registered and qualified in a specialty
Specialist certification (US)American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) member boards5Assessment in a specific specialty, beyond the basic licence
Facility authorisation (Turkey)Ministry of Health health-tourism lists9Whether the facility is authorised to treat international patients
AccreditationThe accrediting body itself13Organisational quality systems, not individual skill
The main checks and what each one can and cannot show.
On this page

Why verification matters

A website, a certificate on a wall or a logo in an advert is a claim, not a check. The NHS advises anyone considering treatment abroad to find out how surgeons and clinics are regulated in the chosen country, and to confirm how standards are enforced, not just that rules exist.3 Safety standards may not match those at home, and overseas clinics may not provide follow-up treatment.3

Verification answers three separate questions. Is this person legally allowed to practise medicine here? Are they trained in the specialty that covers my procedure? Is the building they work in authorised for this kind of care? A yes to one question says nothing about the others.

Step-by-step checklist

  1. Get the full name of the doctor who will treat you. Not the clinic brand, not a coordinator. Ask whether the same person will carry out the procedure and handle complications.
  2. Ask for the registration number and the regulator. In the UK this is the GMC reference number, which can be searched directly.1 Elsewhere, ask which body holds the doctor’s licence.
  3. Check the register yourself. Use the regulator’s own website, not a link or screenshot supplied by the clinic or an agent.
  4. Confirm the specialty matches the procedure. Ask what specialist training and certification the doctor holds and which body issued it.35
  5. Ask about experience with your specific procedure. Years in practice and how often they perform it are reasonable questions.3
  6. Check the facility. In Turkey, look the hospital or clinic up on the Ministry of Health’s authorised health-tourism lists, and check any agent on the authorised intermediary list.10
  7. Verify any accreditation claim at the source. A logo is not evidence; the accrediting body is.
  8. Confirm the aftercare plan in writing. Who handles complications, where follow-up happens, and how your records reach your doctor at home.2
  9. Check insurance. Ask what cover the practitioner holds, and tell your own travel insurer about planned treatment.24
  10. Take time. Two consultations with a cooling-off period between them is the pattern the NHS describes.3

Checking a doctor in the UK

Doctors who practise medicine in the UK must hold registration with a licence to practise.1 The GMC’s online medical register lists UK doctors and shows their registration status, training and other information. It can be searched by GMC number or by name.1

When you look a doctor up, check three things: that the name and number match what you were given, that the licence to practise is current, and what the record says about the doctor’s registration type and training. If the record does not match the claims made to you, ask why before going further.

A UK registration matters even if treatment happens abroad. Some clinics advertise that a UK-registered doctor is involved. Confirm what that doctor will actually do, and remember that the facility abroad is regulated by the country it is in, not by UK bodies.

Checking a doctor in Turkey

In Turkey, provincial medical chambers (tabip odası) register doctors as members. These chambers work together within the Turkish Medical Association (Türk Tabipleri Birliği, TTB).7 The Istanbul chamber, for example, asks new members for a diploma or specialty certificate and a printout from the Ministry of Health’s Doctor Information Bank, among other documents.6

We could not confirm a public online tool that lets patients look up any Turkish doctor’s registration and specialty in one place. In practice, reasonable steps are:

  • Ask for copies of the doctor’s medical diploma and specialist certificate (uzmanlık belgesi), with the issuing body named.
  • Ask which provincial chamber the doctor belongs to and contact that chamber directly using details from its own website.6
  • Confirm that the doctor works at a facility on the Ministry’s authorised health-tourism list (see below).9
  • Ask your doctor at home to help interpret the documents, and to judge whether the specialty fits the procedure.2

Specialist status and board certification

A licence shows that a doctor may practise medicine. It does not show that they are trained in the specialty your procedure belongs to. That is the job of specialist certification.

In the United States, the 24 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) run board certification. An unrestricted licence, a medical degree and residency training are prerequisites, and certification then assesses competencies such as patient care, medical knowledge and professionalism, with ongoing requirements to maintain it.5 ABMS directs patients to its Certification Matters service to check whether a doctor is certified.5

Other countries use different systems: specialist registers, national specialist certificates or college fellowships. The principle is the same. Ask which body certified the specialty, then check with that body. Be cautious with memberships of associations that anyone can join for a fee; they are not the same as specialist certification.

Facility licensing and authorisation

Turkey regulates health tourism under the Regulation on International Health Tourism and Tourist Health (Uluslararası Sağlık Turizmi ve Turistin Sağlığı Hakkında Yönetmelik), published in the Official Gazette on 26 April 2025, issue 32882.8 The Ministry of Health announced that the new regulation had come into force.12

Under this framework, facilities and intermediary agencies hold an international health tourism authorisation certificate (yetki belgesi). The Ministry publishes lists of authorised hospitals, medical centres, outpatient clinics and other facilities, and a separate list of authorised intermediary agencies.9 The lists were last updated on 5 October 2026 at the time of writing.10

An additional requirement is coming in. Authorised hospitals, laboratories, medical centres and dialysis centres must be accredited by TÜSKA, Turkey’s national health-care accreditation institute, and other authorised facilities must obtain a Ministry certificate, by 31 December 2026. Facilities that do not complete this may not continue to accept international patients.811

In the UK and elsewhere, ask which authority licenses the facility and check with that authority. A facility being licensed tells you it meets local legal minimums; it does not tell you which procedures it is equipped for, so ask that separately.

What accreditation does and does not mean

JCI accredits hospitals, academic medical centres, laboratories, ambulatory care centres and other organisations, and describes accreditation as a performance assessment focused on patient safety and quality of care.13

Research supports a narrower reading than marketing suggests. A 2021 systematic review of 76 studies found accreditation consistently associated with better safety culture, better process measures, efficiency and shorter length of stay. It found no association with patient satisfaction or 30-day readmission, and conflicting results for mortality and hospital-acquired infections. Only one included study was a randomised trial, so cause and effect remain uncertain.14

Accreditation suggestsAccreditation does not show
The organisation has quality and safety systems that were assessed13That your individual surgeon is qualified or experienced in your procedure
Better process measures and safety culture on average14Better outcomes for any one patient14
The facility met standards on the date it was assessedThat a separate clinic using the hospital’s name shares the accreditation
Reading accreditation claims carefully.

Accreditation also belongs to a specific organisation. If an agent or clinic cites it, check that the accredited name and address match the place you will be treated.

Red flags

Warning signs

  • A hard sell, pressure to decide quickly, or little information.2
  • No discussion of complications and no mention of aftercare.2
  • Meeting only sales staff, or being asked to pay before seeing or meeting the surgeon.3
  • Surgery sold as part of a holiday package.3
  • Choosing a clinic from social media promotion; influencers are usually paid.4
  • The doctor’s name or registration number is withheld, or does not match the register.
  • An agent who is not on the Ministry’s authorised intermediary list, when treatment is in Turkey.10

Questions worth asking

  • What is your full name, registration number and licensing body?
  • Which body certified your specialty, and in what year?
  • How often do you perform this procedure?
  • Is this facility authorised for international patients, and under what name?
  • Who will manage a complication after I return home?

Frequently asked questions

Is a JCI-accredited hospital enough?

No. Accreditation assesses the organisation, not the individual doctor, and its link with patient outcomes is inconsistent.14 Check the doctor separately.

Can I trust certificates the clinic sends me?

Treat them as a starting point. Confirm details with the issuing body or regulator using contact details you find yourself.

How do I know a Turkish clinic is allowed to treat foreign patients?

Check whether it appears on the Ministry of Health’s lists of facilities holding an international health tourism authorisation.9 From 31 December 2026, authorised facilities also need TÜSKA accreditation or a Ministry certificate to continue.8

Does a UK-registered doctor at a foreign clinic mean UK standards apply?

Not to the facility. The clinic is regulated where it operates, so find out how that country regulates surgeons and clinics.3

Will my travel insurance cover complications?

Often not. Travel insurance does not normally cover problems arising from surgery, so tell your insurer about your plans and check the practitioner’s own cover.23

Bottom line

Check the person, the specialty and the place separately, each at its official source. Accreditation and authorisation are useful filters, but they do not replace a named, qualified doctor and a written plan for what happens if something goes wrong.

Sources

  1. General Medical Council. The medical register. GMC; undated. https://www.gmc-uk.org/registration-and-licensing/the-medical-register. Accessed 5 November 2026.
  2. NHS. Treatment abroad checklist. NHS; 2023. https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/healthcare-abroad/going-abroad-for-treatment/treatment-abroad-checklist/. Accessed 5 November 2026.
  3. NHS. Cosmetic surgery abroad. NHS; 2023. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cosmetic-procedures/cosmetic-surgery-abroad/. Accessed 5 November 2026.
  4. NHS. Before you have a cosmetic procedure. NHS; 2023. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cosmetic-procedures/before-you-have-a-cosmetic-procedure/. Accessed 5 November 2026.
  5. American Board of Medical Specialties. Board certification. ABMS; 2026. https://www.abms.org/board-certification/. Accessed 5 November 2026.
  6. İstanbul Tabip Odası (Istanbul Medical Chamber). Membership procedures (üyelik işlemleri). İstanbul Tabip Odası; undated. https://www.istabip.org.tr/ozel-hekimlik-burosu. Accessed 5 November 2026.
  7. Türk Tabipleri Birliği (Turkish Medical Association). Home page. TTB; undated. https://www.ttb.org.tr/. Accessed 5 November 2026.
  8. T.C. Sağlık Bakanlığı, Sağlık Turizmi Daire Başkanlığı (Ministry of Health, Health Tourism Department). Sağlık turizmi yetki belgesine sahip sağlık tesislerinin dikkatine (Notice to health facilities holding a health tourism authorisation certificate). Ministry of Health; 2026. https://shgmturizmdb.saglik.gov.tr/TR-117812/saglik-turizmi-yetki-belgesine-sahip-saglik-tesislerinin-dikkatine.html. Accessed 5 November 2026.
  9. T.C. Sağlık Bakanlığı, Sağlık Turizmi Daire Başkanlığı. Uluslararası sağlık turizmi yetki belgesi alan sağlık tesisleri (Health facilities holding an international health tourism authorisation certificate). Ministry of Health; 2026. https://shgmturizmdb.saglik.gov.tr/TR-68016/uluslararasi-saglik-turizmi-yetki-belgesi-alan-saglik-tesisleri.html. Accessed 5 November 2026.
  10. T.C. Sağlık Bakanlığı, Sağlık Turizmi Daire Başkanlığı. Yetki belgesi listeleri güncellenmiştir (Authorisation certificate lists updated). Ministry of Health; 2026. https://shgmturizmdb.saglik.gov.tr/TR-121294/yetki-belgesi-listeleri-guncellenmistir.html. Accessed 5 November 2026.
  11. T.C. Sağlık Bakanlığı, Sağlık Turizmi Daire Başkanlığı. Sağlık turizmi sertifikasyon kriter seti (Health tourism certification criteria set). Ministry of Health; 2026. https://shgmturizmdb.saglik.gov.tr/TR-118129/saglik-turizmi-sertifikasyon-kriter-seti.html. Accessed 5 November 2026.
  12. T.C. Sağlık Bakanlığı, Sağlık Turizmi Daire Başkanlığı. Yeni sağlık turizmi yönetmeliği (New health tourism regulation). Ministry of Health; 2025. https://shgmturizmdb.saglik.gov.tr/TR-108367/yeni-saglik-turizmi-yonetmeligi.html. Accessed 5 November 2026.
  13. Joint Commission International. Accreditation. JCI; undated. https://www.jointcommissioninternational.org/what-we-offer/accreditation/. Accessed 5 November 2026.
  14. Hussein M, Pavlova M, Ghalwash M, Groot W, et al. The impact of hospital accreditation on the quality of healthcare: a systematic literature review. BMC Health Services Research; 2021;21:1057. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-07097-6

Article history

  • — First published.