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India: the supervised internship after returning, as the regulations and FAQs describe it

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

This page covers one rule: the supervised internship in India that the National Medical Commission (India) sets for foreign medical graduates who seek permanent registration to practise in India. The conditions come from the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021, and from the Commission's FAQs, and the main requirement is an internship of at least 12 months in India, after applying for it to the Commission. The rules of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal are not covered here; for practising back home in those countries, see this register's section page.

Who the 2021 regulations cover

Regulation 5(1)(a) and (b) of the National Medical Commission (Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate) Regulations, 2021 say that these regulations do not apply to foreign medical graduates who acquired a foreign medical degree before the regulations came into force, and to candidates who were pursuing their education in foreign institutions before that date. Regulation 5(2) says that such graduates and candidates shall be governed by the erstwhile applicable regulations. Q2 and Q4 of the Commission's FAQ give the date the regulations came into force as 18 November 2021.

The conditions for permanent registration

Regulation 4 of the 2021 regulations says that no foreign medical graduate shall be granted permanent registration unless the graduate has met the following conditions:

  1. Regulation 4(a)(i): undergone a course leading to a foreign medical degree with a minimum duration of 54 months.
  2. Regulation 4(a)(ii): undergone an internship for a minimum duration of 12 months in the same foreign medical institution.
  3. Regulation 4(a)(iii): received a foreign medical degree with English as the medium of instruction.
  4. Regulation 4(a)(iv): studied the mandatory subjects specified in Schedule I.
  5. Regulation 4(b): registered with the respective professional regulatory body, or otherwise competent to grant a licence to practise medicine, in the country where the degree was awarded, at par with the licence given to citizens of that country.
  6. Regulation 4(c): undergone a supervised internship in India for a minimum term of 12 months, after applying for the same to the Commission.
  7. Regulation 4(d): cleared the National Exit Test or such other mandated test or tests conducted by the Commission.

The internship in India

Regulation 4(c) sets the internship in India at a minimum term of 12 months. The FAQ, in Q14, answers the question "Is it mandatory for FMGs to do internship in India?" with "Yes". Q14 adds that, in addition to the 12-month internship in the same foreign medical institution, FMGs are required to undergo a supervised internship in India for a minimum term of 12 months.

Q15 says that FMGs should apply for internship with the respective State Medical Council through the National Medical Commission. Regulation 4(c) uses different wording: it refers to applying "to the Commission". Both texts are given here as written.

Q12 says that the internship of FMGs shall be as per the National Medical Commission (Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship) Regulations, 2021. That regulation is named in the FAQ and is not summarised on this page.

Q17 says that internship or clerkship and clinical posting and training are separate phases of practical learning. It says clinical posting and training is part of the 54-month MBBS course, while internship is done after the course is completed.

What Schedule I says about where training is done

Schedule I, paragraph 2(i)(b), says that a foreign graduate should have completed an internship of 12 months, in addition to the course in paragraph 2(i)(a), in the same foreign institution where the primary medical qualification was obtained.

Schedule I, paragraph 2(iii), says that the entire course, training and internship or clerkship shall be done outside India in the same foreign medical institution throughout the course of study. It also says that no part of medical training and internship shall be done in India, or in any country other than the country from which the primary medical qualification is obtained.

Schedule I, paragraph 2(iv), says that the total duration of the foreign medical graduation course shall be completed within ten years from the date of joining the course.

The FAQ's list of eligibility conditions for internship

Q16 of the FAQ lists the conditions an FMG must have to be eligible for internship in India. The list repeats the regulation 4 conditions, and it adds two items: passing the screening test, the National Exit Test or such other mandated test conducted by the Commission, and obtaining provisional registration from the respective State Medical Council. In the FAQ, two items are both printed as "(vi)"; the first of them is the test item and the second is the provisional registration item.

Foreign graduates admitted before 18 November 2021 (FAQ of 8 June 2026)

The Commission's FAQ No. U-15024/15/2024-UGMEB(Pt) of 8 June 2026 answers queries raised about the Public Notice of 18 March 2026. Q9 concerns candidates who took admission before 18 November 2021 in foreign medical universities, where the internship is recognised under the Screening Test Regulations, 2002, and who completed the internship offline in the same country with a valid compensation certificate. Q9 answers that such FMGs "may be considered" for permanent registration without an additional internship in India, provided they satisfy the conditions of the relevant NMC Regulations and Public Notices dated 07.12.2023, 19.06.2024 and 18.03.2026, as applicable. The FAQ says the final determination is made by the concerned State Medical Council, case by case, after verification of records.

Q10 concerns FMGs who completed compensatory physical training and internship at their parent foreign institution and can show this with documentary evidence. Q10 says they "shall not ordinarily be required" to undergo additional clerkship or compensatory training in India solely to repeat training already completed abroad. The FAQ adds the exceptions "unless otherwise required under applicable Regulations or upon deficiencies being noticed by the State Medical Council, during verification".

Q11 says that a compensation certificate is "one of the documents that may be considered during verification". It says that provisional registration, permanent registration, internship or any other benefit remains subject to compliance with the applicable regulations, notices and verification by the State Medical Council.

The National Exit Test Regulations, 2023

The National Medical Commission (National Exit Test) Regulations, 2023, in the passage on foreign graduates' eligibility for internship, says that a medical student who has completed undergraduate medical education overseas, and has fulfilled the applicable requirements in the Foreign Medical Graduate Regulations of the Commission, is eligible for Compulsory Rotating Internship as approved for such students. That eligibility is subject to criteria. This page reports criterion (a) only: passing each of the six Theory Papers of NExT Step 1 as provided in Section 2.3(2) of the regulation. The Regulations are a gazette notification dated 27 June 2023.

The 2021 regulations refer to the National Exit Test in regulation 4(d), and the FAQ refers to it in Q16. For the current status of the National Exit Test and its dates, check with the National Medical Commission (India) directly.

Questions people ask

Is the internship in India mandatory for a foreign medical graduate?

Yes, according to Q14 of the Commission's FAQ. Q14 adds that the supervised internship in India must last a minimum of 12 months, in addition to the 12-month internship in the same foreign medical institution. Regulation 4(c) sets the same minimum.

Where should a foreign medical graduate apply for the internship in India?

Q15 of the FAQ says FMGs should apply for internship with the respective State Medical Council through the National Medical Commission. Regulation 4(c) says the internship in India is undertaken "after applying for the same to the Commission". Both texts are given as written.

Does a compensation certificate by itself give a right to registration?

No. Q11 of the FAQ of 8 June 2026 says that a compensation certificate is one of the documents that may be considered during verification. It says that grant of provisional registration, permanent registration, internship or any other benefit remains subject to compliance with the applicable regulations, notices and verification by the concerned State Medical Council.

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