Step By Step
How Online Medical Certificate Requests Work
This page explains exactly what happens from the moment you submit your request to the point where a certificate is issued or a refund is processed.
Step 01
Complete the secure form
Tell us about your symptoms, dates, and why you need a certificate. The goal is to give the reviewing doctor enough clear context to assess the request properly.
Step 02
Pay the one-off fee
You pay £39 securely online. This starts the clinical review process and places your request in the doctor review queue.
Step 03
GMC-registered doctor review
A doctor reviews the information you submitted. If more context is needed, the request may be declined rather than issued on incomplete information.
Step 04
Receive your PDF by email
If appropriate, the certificate is issued as a signed PDF and sent to your inbox, usually within 2 hours during business hours.
Before You Start
Before you start
- Make sure your dates are accurate before submitting the form.
- Use an email address you can access easily, because the certificate is delivered digitally.
- Read the pricing and refund pages first if you want the service boundaries before paying.
If you want the service boundaries first, read pricing and the refund policy before you submit payment.
After Payment
What happens after payment
- Payment does not guarantee a certificate.
- It does guarantee that your request is reviewed by a doctor.
- If the doctor cannot issue a certificate, you receive a full refund.
If you need more detail on what a private certificate is, read our medical certificate guide. For a practical patient example, read how to get a sick note online in the UK.
Clinical Outcome
If a certificate cannot be issued
Not every request results in a certificate. If the reviewing doctor decides the request is not clinically appropriate based on the information provided, the certificate is not issued.
In that case, we explain the decision and process a full refund. If you are deciding between services, the best next pages are pricing, private medical certificates, and the booking form.