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Four regulators, one degree: who decides what for a China-trained doctor going home

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

If you trained in China and plan to practise at home, the rule that applies to you is set by your home country's medical regulator, not by this register. This page sets out, one country at a time, what the regulators' own documents say for India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, and the date or scope that each rule carries.

The register is an unofficial list of the medical schools on China's Ministry of Education list for English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine. It is not a government, university or regulator website, and it accepts no applications. For the register's page on practising back home, see this register's section page on practising back home.

India

The Screening Test is described in the information bulletin of the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) for the FMGE (Screening Test) October 2026 session, version 2.2. The bulletin says that, under the Screening Test Regulations 2002, an Indian citizen or Overseas Citizen of India who holds a primary medical qualification awarded by a medical institution outside India, and who wants provisional or permanent registration with the Medical Council of India or any State Medical Council on or after 15 March 2002, shall have to qualify a screening test conducted by the prescribed authority for that purpose, as per section 13 of the Act.

The bulletin says that the role of NBEMS is limited to conducting the test, publishing the result and handing the result over to the National Medical Commission and the State Medical Councils. The introduction quoted here gives no examination date, fee or result date. Each session has its own bulletin, so the dates and fees for a given session must be taken from that session's bulletin.

The Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021 are a separate set of rules. They were published in the Gazette of India on 18 November 2021. Regulation 5 says that these regulations shall not be applicable to foreign medical graduates who acquired a foreign medical degree or primary qualification before the regulations came into force, and to candidates who were pursuing their education in foreign institutions before they came into force. Under regulation 5(2), those people are governed by the erstwhile applicable regulations. Regulation 5(1)(c) also excludes foreign medical graduates specifically exempted by the Commission or the Central Government by notification. Regulation 5(3) says that no grant of permanent registration to practise medicine shall be issued if it infringes upon public policy or national security.

This page does not say whether any university or course meets these conditions. Ask the National Medical Commission (India) how the regulations apply to a particular case.

Pakistan

The Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PM&DC) publishes the National Registration Examination (Medical): Standard, Structure and Syllabus 2024. Section I of that standard says that PM&DC will conduct the National Registration Examination (NRE) at a national level, and that the examination is held under section 18 of the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council Act 2022.

Section I is the only part of the standard set out on this page, so this page gives no structure, syllabus or pass mark from the standard. The standard is the 2024 edition. Check PM&DC's current notice for the sitting you plan to take.

Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council Act, 2010 (Act No. 61 of 2010) provides for registration under the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council. Section 22 of the Act, as published on the Laws of Bangladesh site of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, is written in Bengali. The English below is this site's own translation of the Bengali text.

Sub-section (1) reads: notwithstanding anything in any other law, a medical practitioner or dental practitioner may not practise allopathic medicine, or describe himself as a medical practitioner or, as the case may be, a dental practitioner, without registration under this Act.

Sub-section (2) reads: a person who violates sub-section (1) commits an offence and is punishable with imprisonment for three years, a fine of one lakh taka, or both.

This page does not say whether the Council recognises any university's degree. It also does not set out the Council's current examination procedure, fees, forms, schedules or list of recognised foreign institutions. Ask the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council for its current procedure.

Nepal

The Medical Education Commission (MEC), Nepal, publishes the Accreditation Standards for MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) 2024. Under the heading "Licensing Examination", the standard says: "There is a provision of licensing examination by the respective council after acquiring the academic degree." That sentence names no format, subject, date or pass mark.

The Nepal Medical Council is a different body from the National Medical Commission (India). Its home page says that the Council was established in 2020 BS (1964 AD) by the act of Parliament. It describes the Council's role as moving from registration alone to conducting a licensing examination before registration, and then to monitoring and regulating medical education. The welcome paragraph names no format, subject, pass mark or date for that examination, and it says nothing about graduates of foreign universities. Check with the Nepal Medical Council how the examination applies to a graduate of a foreign university.

Questions people ask

Who conducts the screening test for Indian citizens and Overseas Citizens of India?

According to the NBEMS information bulletin for the October 2026 session, NBEMS conducts the Screening Test, and its role is limited to conducting the test, publishing the result and handing the result over to the National Medical Commission and the State Medical Councils.

Does the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021 apply to someone who started studying abroad before they came into force?

Regulation 5 says the regulations shall not be applicable to foreign medical graduates who acquired a foreign medical degree or primary qualification before they came into force, and to candidates who were pursuing their education in foreign institutions before then. Under regulation 5(2), those people are governed by the erstwhile applicable regulations.

Does Bangladesh law set a penalty for practising allopathic medicine without registration?

Yes. Under section 22(2) of the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council Act, 2010, a person who violates sub-section (1) commits an offence and is punishable with imprisonment for three years, a fine of one lakh taka, or both.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026.

This page is an unofficial summary and 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