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India: who the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations cover and who they do not

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

This page sets out India's rule on who falls under the National Medical Commission (Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate) Regulations, 2021. The regulations cover a foreign medical graduate, meaning a person without an Indian basic medical degree who seeks a licence to practise medicine in India, and regulation 5 lists the cases where they do not apply. The rule is India's, and this page does not describe the rules of Pakistan, Bangladesh or Nepal or decide any individual case. For the register's pages on practising back home, see this register's section page.

Who counts as a foreign medical graduate

Regulation 2(c) defines a "Foreign Medical Graduate" as "a person who does not have basic graduation or primary qualification (undergraduate medical degree) from any University or medical college or institution in India, to seek license for medical practice in India". Q1 of the Commission's FAQ gives the same definition and cites regulation 2(c).

Regulation 5 sets out the exclusions. Under regulation 5, the 2021 Regulations do not apply to people who acquired their foreign degree, or were already pursuing their education in a foreign institution, before the regulations came into force. Those people are governed by the earlier regulations. Q2 and Q4 of the FAQ date the coming into force to 18 November 2021.

When the regulations came into force

Regulation 1(2) says the regulations "shall come into force on the date of their final publication in the Official Gazette of India." The regulations appear in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part III, Section 4, dated 18 November 2021. Q2 of the FAQ gives the date as 18th Nov, 2021, citing regulation 1(2).

Who the regulations do not apply to

Regulation 5(1) begins "Notwithstanding anything contained in regulation 4". This page does not set out regulation 4. Regulation 5(1) then provides that the regulations "shall not be applicable":

  • (a) to foreign medical graduates who have acquired a foreign medical degree or primary qualification, as the case may be, prior to the coming into force of these regulations;
  • (b) to candidates who are pursuing their education in foreign institutions prior to the coming into force of these regulations; and
  • (c) to such foreign medical graduates who are specifically exempted by the Commission or the Central Government, as the case may be, by notification.

Regulation 5(2) provides that the people described in (a) and (b) "shall be governed by the erstwhile applicable regulations." Q4 of the FAQ lists the same three cases, with the date 18th Nov, 2021.

Regulation 5(3) provides that "no grant of permanent registration to practice medicine shall be issued if the same infringes upon public policy or national security."

The prohibition in regulation 3

Regulation 3 reads: "No foreign medical graduate shall practice medicine in India, unless he is granted permanent registration in accordance with the provisions of these regulations."

Regulation 2(e) defines "Permanent Registration" as the registration of eligible persons "with a duly recognised primary medical qualification as regulated under the provisions of Chapter VI of the Act", which permits or provides a licence "to independently practice modern scientific system of medicine or allopathy in India, as regulated under the Permanent Medical Regulations, 2021."

The June 2026 FAQ: what it is for

The Commission's Frequently Asked Questions No. U-15024/15/2024-UGMEB(Pt), dated 8 June 2026, were based on queries raised by foreign medical students and State Medical Councils about the Public Notice of 18 March 2026.

  • Q1 says the Public Notice of 18 March 2026 was issued to clarify implementation of the Public Notice of 7 December 2023. The clarification concerns the verification and recognition of compensatory physical training done by foreign medical graduates during the period affected by the COVID-19 pandemic or the Ukraine-Russia War.
  • Q1 also says the Public Notice of 18 March 2026 "does not create any new category of eligibility or confer any additional relief" beyond what the applicable regulations and earlier Public Notices already permit.
  • Q2 says the Public Notice of 18 March 2026 does not supersede the Public Notice of 7 December 2023. It is clarificatory and shall be read in conjunction with that notice.

The FAQ says it is "issued solely for guidance and facilitation of uniform implementation of the Public Notices." It also says that if it is inconsistent with the statutory provisions, Regulations, Public Notices or directions, "the latter shall prevail." The text of the Public Notice of 18 March 2026 is not reproduced here, so this page describes it only through these answers.

The FMGE (Screening Test) October 2026 bulletin, chapter 4, by date of admission

Chapter 4 of the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) bulletin for the October 2026 session sets out the eligibility criteria. The table below shows the date-based provisions in that chapter and the regulation 5 provisions that link to them.

Date or period What the cited text says Where it is
Degree acquired, or study already under way, before 18 November 2021 The 2021 Regulations shall not be applicable, and the candidate shall be governed by the erstwhile applicable regulations Regulation 5(1)(a) and (b), 5(2); FAQ Q4
Admission on or after 18 November 2021 Eligibility is determined strictly under the 2021 Regulations as amended; a candidate found non-compliant with any provision shall be declared INELIGIBLE for the FMGE Chapter 4 of the October 2026 bulletin
Qualification acquired, or admission obtained, before 15 March 2002, or admission during 15 May 2013 to 3 January 2014 (both dates included) The Eligibility Certificate requirement shall not be necessary for Indian citizens or Overseas Citizens of India in the cases stated Chapter 4 of the October 2026 bulletin, under the 2002 Eligibility Requirement

Chapter 4 also says the following for the October 2026 session.

  • A candidate must be "a citizen of India or Overseas Citizen of India."
  • The result of the final examination for the primary medical qualification "should have been declared on or before 31 August 2026." Candidates must submit proof that establishes this date and that they were declared PASS or QUALIFIED in all mandatory required courses.
  • Under a notification published on 1 March 2018 in the Gazette of India, Indian citizens and Overseas Citizens of India who intend to obtain a primary medical qualification from an institution outside India on or after May 2018 "shall have to mandatorily qualify" the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to MBBS.
  • 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."

Who decides

Chapter 4 says the eligibility of a candidate to appear in the FMGE "shall be solely determined on the basis of information and documents furnished by the candidate" in the application form. It also says that the eligibility for registration as a medical practitioner "shall be determined by SMCs at the time of provisional / permanent registration." The chapter states that it "is the sole responsibility of the candidate" to fulfil the stated criteria.

Questions people ask

Who is a foreign medical graduate under the 2021 Regulations?

Under regulation 2(c), a foreign medical graduate is a person who does not have a basic graduation or primary qualification (undergraduate medical degree) from any university, medical college or institution in India, and who seeks a licence for medical practice in India. Q1 of the FAQ gives the same definition.

From which date do the 2021 Regulations come into force?

Regulation 1(2) says the regulations come into force on the date of their final publication in the Official Gazette of India. Q2 of the Commission's FAQ gives that date as 18th Nov, 2021.

Do the 2021 Regulations apply to a candidate who was already studying abroad before they came into force?

Regulation 5(1)(b) says the regulations shall not be applicable to candidates who are pursuing their education in foreign institutions prior to the coming into force of these regulations. Regulation 5(2) says such candidates shall be governed by the erstwhile applicable regulations.

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. If the official text or the regulator's own instructions differ from this page, the official text and those instructions prevail.

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