How to use this tool
- Find the reference code on the certificate. It starts with GM and has 12 more characters in groups of four.
- Type it into the box. Spaces and lowercase letters are fine.
- Tick the box to confirm you received the certificate and have a good reason to check it.
- Optionally, type the surname shown on the certificate to confirm it matches our record.
- Read the result and compare every detail with the document in front of you.
- If anything differs, follow the steps under “What should you do if a certificate looks wrong?”
What does this verification page show?
It shows the facts you need to rely on a certificate, and nothing about the person's health. The table lists exactly what you see and what stays private.
| You will see | You will never see |
|---|---|
| Whether the certificate is valid, revoked or not found | The diagnosis or reason for the certificate |
| The certificate type, such as sick leave or sports fitness | Symptoms, test results or treatment |
| The date it was issued | The person's address, email, phone or date of birth |
| The period it covers, or how long it stays valid | Any other certificate the same person holds |
| The issuing doctor's full name | How the person paid or what they paid |
| The doctor's register, country and registration number | The doctor's private contact details |
| Whether a surname you type matches, if you ask | The name we hold, if your entry does not match |
We show the doctor’s registration so you can check it yourself. Every country in Europe keeps an official list of licensed doctors. Looking the doctor up there confirms they exist and are registered, without relying only on our word.
The result also shows when you checked, so you can print it for your records.
How do I check a certificate from getmedicalcertificate.com?
Enter the reference code in the box above. The check takes a few seconds and needs no account.
Every certificate we issue carries a reference code. The code starts with GM, followed by 12 letters and numbers printed in three groups of four. A typical code looks like GM 7K3Q 9XA2 M4TV.
The last character is a check character. It lets the page spot most typing mistakes before it looks anything up. If you see “This code has a typing mistake”, compare each character again.
We do not use the letters I, L, O or U in codes. If you type an O, the page reads it as a zero. If you type an I or L, it reads it as a one. That avoids errors when a code is read from a photo or a fax.
You can check a code as many times as you need. To protect people’s privacy, the page limits how many codes one connection can check in a short time.
What do the results mean?
Each result tells you what you can rely on and what to do next.
| Result | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Valid | We issued this certificate and it has not been revoked | Compare the type, dates and doctor with the document. If they match, you can treat it as issued by us |
| Revoked | We issued it, but it was later withdrawn or replaced | Do not rely on it. Ask the person for their current certificate |
| Not found | No certificate in our records has this code | Check the code character by character. Ask for a clear copy before drawing any conclusion |
| Typing mistake | The check character does not fit the rest of the code | Look again at each character on the certificate |
| Not our format | The code does not look like one of ours | We cannot check it. Contact the issuer named on the certificate |
A valid result covers the document as we issued it. If the copy you hold shows different dates, a different name or a different doctor, the document may have been changed after issue. Treat the details on our result as the correct ones and follow the steps below.
A certificate whose period has ended still shows as valid. It remains a genuine record of the period it covered.
Why does the result never show a diagnosis?
Because the recipient of a certificate rarely needs it, and health information gets extra protection in law.
The European Commission lists health data among the sensitive kinds of personal data that are subject to specific processing conditions. In the United Kingdom, the Information Commissioner’s Office lists data concerning health as special category data under UK GDPR.
The Commission also describes data minimisation: personal data should be adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary for the purpose. A verification check needs to answer one question: did a registered doctor issue this certificate, for this period? Our result answers that and stops there.
Even the type and dates of a certificate can hint that someone was unwell. That is why the page asks you to confirm you received the certificate before checking. It is also why we never put the code in analytics, and why the result disappears from the address bar once you have seen it.
If you need more medical detail for a workplace decision, ask the person first. Your organisation’s occupational health service, where you have one, is the usual route.
How can you check if any medical certificate is real?
Read it closely, check the doctor on the national register, and contact the issuer if anything is unclear. This works for certificates from any doctor, clinic or service, not only ours.
Use this checklist on any medical certificate:
- Issuer details. Look for the doctor's full name and the name and contact details of the practice, clinic or service. A real issuer can be reached through contact details you find yourself, not only those printed on the document.
- Registration number. Many certificates show the doctor's registration with the national medical register or medical council. Note the number and the country.
- Dates. Check the date of issue and the period covered. Look at whether the dates make sense together and with what you were told.
- Signature. Look for a handwritten or electronic signature and, where the issuer uses one, a stamp or seal.
- Consistency. The person's name, the dates and the type of certificate should match across the whole document.
- A verification route. Some issuers print a code, QR code or phone number for checks. Use it, but reach the issuer's site or number by typing it yourself rather than following a link on the document.
No single item proves a certificate is genuine or false. Handwritten notes from a family doctor often lack codes and stamps and are still real. Look at the whole picture, and ask before you decide.
If the certificate is in a language you do not read, ask the person for a translation or contact the issuer. Do not guess at what a field means.
How do you check a doctor's registration on a national register?
Search the official medical register of the country where the doctor is registered, using the doctor's name or registration number. Most registers in Europe offer some kind of public search.
Examples we have confirmed:
| Country | Register | How to search |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | The medical register kept by the General Medical Council | Search by name or GMC reference number to see registration status. You can enter several reference numbers at once |
| Ireland | The register of the Medical Council | Anyone can check whether a doctor is registered to practise. The council advises searching by registration number, since names can be spelled differently |
| Netherlands | The BIG register | Search by name or BIG number. The search is in Dutch |
For other countries, look for the national medical council, medical chamber or health ministry list of licensed doctors. In some countries, regional bodies keep the records.
Two points help when you search. Search by number where you can, since names are often spelled differently across languages. The Irish Medical Council also notes that if a search finds nothing, it does not always mean the doctor is unregistered.
Where a register shows conditions, suspensions or restrictions, they may sit in the full record rather than the summary. Open the full entry before you rely on it.
On our results, the register, country and number appear next to the doctor’s name. We also show when we last checked that registration ourselves.
What should you do if a certificate looks wrong?
Stay calm, keep it confidential, and check the facts before you act. Most problems turn out to be honest mistakes, such as a typo in a code or a date.
- Check again. Type the code slowly. Compare every detail on our result with the document.
- Ask the person. Tell them the code did not match, or that something differs, and ask for a clear copy or the original PDF. Do not ask for their diagnosis.
- Contact the issuer. Use contact details you find yourself. For our certificates, contact usthrough the site with the code and your question. We can confirm or correct the facts on the record, but we will not discuss the person’s health.
- Follow your own policy.Use your organisation’s sickness absence, attendance or claims procedure. HR, the school office or the claims team usually decides the next step.
- Keep it private. Share the certificate and your concerns only with people who need to know. Store copies securely and delete them when your policy says so.
- Get advice before serious steps. Before any disciplinary step, refusal or report, take advice from HR, a legal adviser or the relevant authority in your country.
A not found result on its own does not prove anything. A code read from a blurred photo, a missing character or a certificate from a different issuer can all give that result.
If you believe a doctor’s details are being misused, the national register body in that country is the right place to report it.
Bulk checks for HR teams and insurers
Organisations that check many certificates can ask for bulk access. It uses the same rules as the single check.
With bulk access you can upload a spreadsheet of codes or connect your own systems through an API key. Each code returns the same fields as the single check: status, type, dates and doctor registration. The name match is not available in bulk.
Access is given to organisations, not individuals. We check the organisation first and agree a data processing agreement. Keys can be rotated or switched off by your administrator at any time. Every bulk check is logged against the key, without storing names.
To ask for bulk access, use the “Check many certificates at once” link on this page.
Worked example: an employer checks a sick leave certificate
This example uses made up details.
Sara works in HR. An employee sends a sick leave certificate by email. It shows the code GM 7K3Q 9XA2 M4TV, an issue date of 13 October and a period from 13 to 17 October.
Sara types the code as “gm7k3q9xa2m4tv”. The page reads it correctly. She ticks the purpose box and adds the surname on the certificate.
The result says:
- Status: valid
- Type: sick leave certificate
- Issued: 13 October
- Period covered: 13 to 17 October
- Doctor: the doctor’s full name, with the register, country and registration number
- Surname: matches
Sara then searches that number on the national register for the country shown. The doctor appears as registered. She files the result with the absence record and does not ask about the illness.
Now suppose her copy had said 13 to 24 October. The dates would differ from our result. Sara would ask the employee for the original PDF before taking any other step. She would then contact us through the site if the difference remained.
If you are the person on the certificate
The person you give your code to can see the fields listed above and nothing medical. They cannot see your diagnosis, address or contact details.
Share your code only with the people who need your certificate. If a detail on your certificate is wrong, contact us. A doctor reviews the request. If a correction is needed, the old certificate is revoked and a new one with a new code is issued.
For advice on when you need a certificate at all, see do I need a sick note. For whether employers accept online certificates, see is an online medical certificate valid.
How getmedicalcertificate.com can help
Every certificate we issue carries a reference code anyone can check on this page. That makes it quick for an employer, school, club or insurer to confirm it.
If you need a certificate yourself, a doctor reviews your case first. You pay only after that review, and the price is EUR 34.99 per certificate. If the doctor cannot issue a certificate, you get a full refund.
Approved certificates arrive as a signed PDF, usually within about 30 minutes of the doctor’s approval. We cover 42 countries in Europe, and certificates are issued in English. We offer sick leave, fitness, sports fitness and general medical certificates. A doctor always decides, so we cannot promise a certificate will be issued or accepted.
Need a certificate yourself? Start a request and a doctor will review your case.
Frequently asked questions
Type the reference code from the certificate into the verification page at getmedicalcertificate.com. The code starts with GM and has 12 more characters. The result shows whether the certificate is valid, revoked or not found, with its type, dates and the issuing doctor's registration. No diagnosis is shown.
No. The verification page can only check certificates issued through getmedicalcertificate.com. For any other certificate, contact the issuer using contact details you find yourself, and check the doctor's registration number on the national medical register of the country shown. A code in another format will show a message saying we cannot check it.
No. The result never shows the diagnosis, symptoms or treatment. It shows only the status, certificate type, issue date, period covered and the issuing doctor's name and registration. The European Commission lists health data as sensitive personal data with specific processing conditions, so the page shows only what a recipient needs to rely on the certificate.
Revoked means getmedicalcertificate.com issued the certificate but it was later withdrawn, for example because it was replaced by a corrected version. You should not rely on a revoked certificate. Ask the person for their current certificate, which will have a different reference code. The result shows the date of revocation and the reason category.
First, check the code character by character against the certificate, since a typing or scanning mistake is the most common cause. Then ask the person for a clear copy or the original PDF. A not found result alone does not prove a certificate is false. If the problem remains, contact the issuer and follow your organisation's own procedure.
Search the official medical register of the country where the doctor is registered, ideally by registration number. In the United Kingdom, the General Medical Council lets you search by name or reference number. In Ireland, the Medical Council register lets anyone check a doctor. In the Netherlands, you can search the BIG register by name or BIG number.
A verification check does not need the illness, and our page never shows it. Rules on what an employer may ask differ by country and are set by national law and the employment contract. Check the rules for your country, ask HR or a legal adviser, and use an occupational health service where one exists.
Share it only with the person or organisation that needs your certificate. Anyone with the code can see the certificate type, issue date, period covered and the issuing doctor's details, but never your diagnosis or contact details. The page limits how many codes one connection can check, and codes are random, so they cannot be guessed easily.
Yes, organisations can ask for bulk access to check many getmedicalcertificate.com codes at once. They can upload a spreadsheet or connect through an API key. Each code returns the same fields as a single check, with no medical detail. Access needs an organisation check and a data processing agreement, and every bulk check is logged without storing names.
For a getmedicalcertificate.com certificate, contact us through the site with the reference code and your question. We can confirm the facts on the record but will not discuss the person's health. For other certificates, contact the issuer directly. If you think a doctor's details are being misused, report it to the national medical register body in that country.
Have a question we did not answer? Ask the assistant.