Skip to content

FMGE: who may sit the screening test, from chapter 4 of the bulletin

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

This page sets out who may sit the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE), which the bulletin calls the Screening Test, under the October 2026 information bulletin published by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), India. Under chapter 4 of that bulletin, a candidate must be an Indian citizen or an Overseas Citizen of India, must hold a primary medical qualification that the Indian Embassy concerned confirms, and must show that the result of the final examination for that qualification was declared on or before 31 August 2026. The rules come from India's screening test regime for people who want provisional or permanent registration in India, and they are written for that purpose; this page is not a guide to practising in any other country.

For practising back home, see this register's section page on practising back home.

The bulletin is for the October 2026 session only. Each session's bulletin sets out its own dates and conditions, so the reader should check the bulletin for the session in question and confirm the current status with the NBEMS and the relevant medical council.

Who conducts the test

Chapter 1 of the bulletin says the Screening Test was introduced through the Screening Test Regulations 2002. It says NBEMS has been entrusted with conducting the test under those regulations. It says the role of NBEMS is limited to conducting the test, publishing the result and handing over the result to the National Medical Commission (India) and to all State Medical Councils.

Chapter 1 also quotes the regulation's wording. An Indian citizen or Overseas Citizen of India who holds a primary medical qualification from an institution outside India, and who wants provisional or permanent registration with the Medical Council of India or a State Medical Council on or after 15 March 2002, shall have to qualify a screening test conducted by the prescribed authority.

Who may sit: the criteria in chapter 4

Chapter 4 sets out the criteria in the following order. The bulletin does not number them in the text, so the list below follows its order only.

  1. The candidate is a citizen of India or an Overseas Citizen of India.
  2. The candidate holds a primary medical qualification that the Indian Embassy concerned confirms to be a recognised qualification for enrolment as a medical practitioner in the country where the awarding institution is situated.
  3. The result of the final examination for that primary medical qualification was declared on or before 31 August 2026.
  4. The candidate submits proof that clearly establishes that the final examination result was declared on or before 31-08-2026, and that the candidate has successfully completed all required courses with eligible results, as the institution requires.

Chapter 4 says that the candidature shall be cancelled and the candidate shall be declared INELIGIBLE if the proof does not clearly establish the result date, or does not clearly specify that the candidate was declared PASS or QUALIFIED in all mandatory required courses.

Chapter 4 also lists the documents a candidate must have. These are the Eligibility Certificate (if applicable) and the Provisional Pass Certificate or Degree Certificate of the primary medical qualification, duly apostilled or attested by the Indian Embassy concerned. Chapter 4 says that candidates who fail to submit the documents prescribed in the bulletin will not be allowed to appear and will be declared ineligible to appear.

Chapter 4 also states who decides what. It says NBEMS determines eligibility to appear solely on the basis of the information and documents in the application form, which the candidate declares to be correct and factual. It says the State Medical Councils determine eligibility for registration at the time of provisional or permanent registration.

Chapter 4 says that eligibility for an admit card is purely provisional. It says that if ineligibility is detected at any stage, the candidature shall be cancelled, even if the result has been declared or the Pass Certificate has been issued.

Exemption from the test

Chapter 4 says that a candidate seeking provisional or permanent registration in India does not have to qualify the Screening Test if the candidate holds an undergraduate medical qualification from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States. The candidate must also hold a postgraduate medical qualification from one of those countries and have been recognised for enrolment as a medical practitioner in that country. China is not among the countries that this paragraph names.

Dates that depend on the admission date or the rule

The table below gives each date with the document it comes from. Each rule keeps the scope its document gives it.

Rule Date or scope in the text Document
Screening test for those with a primary medical qualification from outside India On or after 15 March 2002 Bulletin, chapter 1; NMC information desk page
NEET for those intending to obtain a primary medical qualification outside India On or after May 2018, under a notification published on 1 March 2018 in the Gazette of India Bulletin, chapter 4
Validity of NEET result Valid for three years from the declaration of result, under a notification published on 14 March 2019 in the Gazette of India Bulletin, chapter 4
Eligibility under the National Medical Commission (Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate) Regulations, 2021 Candidates who took admission to the primary medical qualification on or after 18 November 2021 Bulletin, chapter 4

Chapter 4 also says that the FMGE certificate issued to candidates who falsely claim a date of admission before 18 November 2021 and pass the examination will be revoked at any time.

Whenever a condition of the National Medical Commission (Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate) Regulations, 2021 is given here, note the following. Under regulation 5, those regulations do not apply to foreign medical graduates who acquired a foreign medical degree or primary qualification before the regulations came into force, or to candidates who were pursuing their education in foreign institutions before that date. Under regulation 5(2), such people are governed by the earlier applicable regulations. The FAQ gives 18 November 2021 as the date the regulations came into force, in its Q2 and Q4.

The FAQ's disclaimer says that the FAQs explain the regulations for the general public and cannot be upheld in a court of law. The regulations are the legal text.

What the National Medical Commission information desk page says

The page titled "For Students to Study Abroad" on the National Medical Commission (India) website restates the screening test requirement. Its heading refers to Indian citizens and Overseas Citizens of India who have obtained a primary medical qualification from a foreign medical institution. It says that such a person who wants provisional or permanent registration must qualify a screening test conducted by the prescribed authority.

The page says that the test is conducted according to the schedule announced by the prescribed authority. It says the procedure follows the scheme announced by the National Medical Commission. It says the prescribed authority must intimate the result to the candidates, the National Medical Commission and the State Medical Councils. It says candidates who qualify may apply to the National Medical Commission or to any State Medical Council for provisional or permanent registration.

Questions people ask

Who conducts the FMGE screening test?

Chapter 1 of the October 2026 bulletin says NBEMS conducts the Screening Test. It says NBEMS's role is limited to conducting the test, publishing the result and handing the result to the National Medical Commission (India) and all State Medical Councils.

Does chapter 4 exempt graduates of Chinese universities from the test?

Chapter 4 does not name China. Its exemption paragraph names Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. It requires an undergraduate and a postgraduate medical qualification from one of those countries, and recognition for enrolment as a medical practitioner in that country. This page does not decide whether any particular qualification meets a condition.

What happens if the proof does not show the result date?

Chapter 4 says that if the proof does not clearly establish that the final examination result was declared on or before 31-08-2026, or does not clearly specify a PASS or QUALIFIED declaration in all mandatory required courses, the candidature shall be cancelled and the candidate shall be declared INELIGIBLE.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026.

This page is an unofficial summary. It is not legal, medical or professional-licensing advice, it is not published by the bodies named, and it promises no admission, examination or registration outcome. The official text and the regulator's own instructions prevail if they differ.

MBBS Register Desk