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India: registrable where the degree is awarded, what regulation 4 says about a licence abroad

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

For foreign medical graduates who want permanent registration to practice medicine in India, regulation 4(b) of the National Medical Commission (Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate) Regulations, 2021 requires that the graduate be registered with, or otherwise competent to grant a licence to practice medicine in, the country where the medical degree was awarded. This is India's rule, published by the National Medical Commission (India) for people who hold a foreign degree and want to practise in India. This page does not answer whether a degree from China is valid in India; it sets out this one condition, as the regulation, the Commission's FAQ and its May 2025 advisory state it. For the wider topic, see this register's section page on practising back home.

The page uses three documents: the 2021 Regulations, the Commission's FAQ on them, and advisory U-14021/UGMEB-2025 of 19 May 2025. All wording below is the English text of those documents.

What regulation 4(b) says

Regulation 4 begins: "No foreign medical graduate shall be granted permanent registration, unless he has–", and then lists items (a) to (d). Item (b) reads:

(b) registered with the respective professional regulatory body or otherwise, competent to grant license to practice medicine in their respective jurisdiction of the country in which the medical degree is awarded and at par with the license to practice medicine given to citizen of that country;

Three phrases carry the condition. The first is registration with, or competence to grant a licence from, a professional regulatory body. The second is "the country in which the medical degree is awarded". The third is the phrase "at par with the license to practice medicine given to citizen of that country".

Items (a), (c) and (d) cover other matters, such as course length, internship and the National Exit Test. They are not set out here. The guide on the NMC FMGL rules for Indian students covers them.

Who the regulations apply to

Under regulation 5(1)(a) and (b), the regulations do not apply to foreign medical graduates who acquired their foreign degree before the regulations came into force, or to candidates who were already pursuing their education in foreign institutions before that date. Those graduates and candidates are governed by the erstwhile applicable regulations, under regulation 5(2). FAQ Q2 gives the date the regulations came into force as 18 November 2021, and FAQ Q4 gives the same date.

Regulation 5(1)(c) also excludes graduates the Commission or the Central Government specifically exempts by notification. Regulation 5(3) says no grant of permanent registration shall be issued if it infringes upon public policy or national security.

What FAQ Q9 says

FAQ Q9 asks: "Do FMGs need to be registered in the country which awards them the degree?" The answer begins with "Yes", and continues:

FMGs need to be registered with the respective professional regulatory body or otherwise, competent to grant license to practice medicine in their respective jurisdiction of the country in which the medical degree is awarded and at par with the license to practice medicine given to citizen of that country [Reg. 4 (b) of FMGL. 2021]

The FAQ's disclaimer says the FAQs "are in the nature of explanation for ease of understanding of the general public and cannot be upheld in a court of law". It asks readers to refer to the relevant gazette notifications for legal validity.

What the May 2025 advisory restates

Section 3 of advisory U-14021/UGMEB-2025, dated 19 May 2025 and issued by the National Medical Commission (India), Undergraduate Medical Education Board, is headed as rules for students who intend to pursue medical education in foreign countries. Under "Key Requirements", item f restates the condition:

Registered with the respective professional regulatory body or otherwise, competent to grant license to practise medicine in their respective jurisdiction of the country in which the medical degree is awarded and at par with the license to practise medicine given to citizen of that country.

The section then says: "It is firmly advised that for detailed requirements, Schedule I of the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulation, 2021 (FMGL Regulation 2021) shall be complied with, to apply for a licence or permanent registration to practise in India."

What these documents leave open

  • Regulation 4(b) names no country and no professional body.
  • FAQ Q9 names no country and no professional body.
  • Section 3 of the advisory names no country and no foreign university.
  • Regulation 4 names no body that decides whether a particular degree meets item (b).
  • For a degree awarded in mainland China, the phrase "the country in which the medical degree is awarded" refers to China. None of the three documents names a Chinese body, a Chinese licence, or what any Chinese authority grants to foreign graduates. That is outside this page.
  • This page does not say whether any university in China meets item (b).

Questions people ask

Does regulation 4(b) name China or any other country?

Regulation 4(b) names no country. It refers to "the country in which the medical degree is awarded", and it names no professional body. The same is true of FAQ Q9 in its answer to the question.

Who decides whether a particular degree meets regulation 4(b)?

Regulation 4 names no body that decides whether a particular degree meets item (b). FAQ Q9 names no such body, and section 3 of the advisory names no such body either.

Does the 2021 regulation apply to a student who started before 18 November 2021?

Regulation 5(1)(b) says the regulations shall not be applicable to candidates who were pursuing their education in foreign institutions before the regulations came into force. Regulation 5(2) says such candidates shall be governed by the erstwhile applicable regulations. FAQ Q2 and Q4 give 18 November 2021 as the date the regulations came into force.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026.

This page is an unofficial summary of three documents. 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. If the official text or the regulator's own instructions differ from this page, the official text and the regulator's instructions prevail.

MBBS Register Desk