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Internship in China and internship at home: the Chinese standard and India's rule side by side

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

The graduation internship in China and the internship that India requires of foreign medical graduates are two separate requirements, set by two different bodies. Article 13(3) of the Ministry of Education's 2007 provisions for English-taught undergraduate medical education for international students sets the graduation internship in China at one academic year, not less than 48 weeks. India's rule is set by the National Medical Commission (India) in the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021, which apply to foreign medical graduates seeking permanent registration in India, and it asks for a 12-month internship in the same foreign institution and, separately, a supervised internship in India of at least 12 months. This register is unofficial; for the sections it covers, see this register's section page.

The graduation internship in China: Article 13(3) of the 2007 provisions

The provisions are annex 1 to the Ministry's document 教外来〔2007〕39号, titled Interim Provisions on Quality Control Standards for Undergraduate Medical Education in English for International Students. The English wording below is this site's translation of the Chinese text.

Article 13 divides the curriculum into three parts. Article 13(3) covers the graduation internship and says:

  • The school shall organise and arrange the graduation internship carefully and reasonably.
  • The graduation internship lasts one academic year, not less than 48 weeks.
  • The internship is arranged at the school's teaching hospitals, or at teaching hospitals abroad that are recognised by a foreign health department.
  • The school shall formulate the internship content and requirements strictly according to its teaching plan, and must keep track of the graduation internship.
  • After the graduation internship, international students must take the graduation examination of the school where they study.

Article 13(3) gives no start date or month for the internship, and it names no hospital.

Article 13(2) is a separate provision. It says clinical clerkship (临床见习) shall be completed at the affiliated hospitals and teaching hospitals of the school where the student studies.

India's internship conditions: the 2021 Regulations, Schedule I and the FAQ

The National Medical Commission (India) published the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021 in the Gazette of India on 18 November 2021. Under regulation 5, these regulations do not apply to foreign medical graduates who had acquired their foreign degree or primary qualification before the regulations came into force, or to candidates who were already pursuing their education in a foreign institution before that date. Regulation 5(2) says those people shall be governed by the erstwhile applicable regulations. The Commission's FAQ gives 18 November 2021 as the date (Q2 and Q4).

Regulation 4 says that no foreign medical graduate shall be granted permanent registration unless the graduate meets its conditions. Two of them concern internship:

  • Regulation 4(a)(ii): the graduate has "undergone an internship for a minimum duration of twelve months in the same foreign medical institution."
  • Regulation 4(c): the graduate has "undergone supervised internship in India for a minimum term of twelve months, after applying for the same to the Commission."

Regulation 4 also sets conditions on course length, English-medium instruction, the Schedule I subjects, registration with the regulator in the country where the degree was awarded, and the National Exit Test or other mandated tests. This section covers only the internship conditions.

Schedule I, paragraph 2 adds two further internship rules.

  • Paragraph 2(i)(b) says the graduate should have completed an internship of twelve months, in addition to the course, "in the same foreign institution where the primary medical qualification has been obtained." It also asks for hands-on training in clinical subjects "including but not limited to" Community Medicine, General Medicine, Psychiatry, Paediatrics, General Surgery, Anaesthesia, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Orthopaedics, Otorhinolaryngology, Ophthalmology, Dermatology, Emergency or Casualty services, lab services and their sub-specialties.
  • Paragraph 2(iii) says the entire course, training and internship or clerkship "shall be done outside India in the same foreign medical institution throughout the course of study," and that no part of the 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.

Regulation 4(c) and Schedule I, paragraph 2(iii) are separate provisions, and this page states each as written.

The Commission's FAQ on the 2021 Regulations gives plain-language answers. Its disclaimer says the FAQ explains the regulations for ease of understanding and cannot be upheld in a court of law, so the regulation is the rule and the FAQ is the explanation. Its answers include:

  • Q12: internship of foreign medical graduates is governed by the National Medical Commission (Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship) Regulations, 2021. This page does not describe that document.
  • Q13: the minimum duration is twelve months in the same foreign medical institution, citing regulation 4(a)(ii).
  • Q14: in addition to that internship, foreign medical graduates are required to undergo a supervised internship in India for a minimum term of twelve months.
  • Q15: foreign medical graduates should apply for internship with the respective State Medical Council through the Commission.
  • Q16: the eligibility conditions for internship in India, in items (i) to (v), followed by two items both numbered (vi). The second (vi) concerns provisional registration from the respective State Medical Council.
  • Q17: internship or clerkship and clinical posting during the 54-month course are separate phases of practical learning.

The table below sets the three requirements side by side, one row for each document or provision.

Requirement Provision and publisher Duration Where
Graduation internship (China) Article 13(3), 2007 provisions, Ministry of Education One academic year, not less than 48 weeks The school's teaching hospitals, or teaching hospitals abroad recognised by a foreign health department
Internship in a foreign institution (India) Regulation 4(a)(ii), 2021 Regulations, National Medical Commission (India) Minimum 12 months The same foreign medical institution
Supervised internship (India) Regulation 4(c), 2021 Regulations, National Medical Commission (India) Minimum term 12 months India, after applying to the Commission

This page does not say whether a graduation internship under Article 13(3) meets any condition in the 2021 Regulations. That decision belongs to the Indian bodies named in the rules and FAQ. Under Q15, applications go to the State Medical Council through the Commission.

The June 2026 FAQ on internship: Q9 to Q11

The Commission's Frequently Asked Questions No. U-15024/15/2024-UGMEB(Pt), dated 8 June 2026, was prepared by the Undergraduate Medical Education Board on queries from foreign medical students and State Medical Councils about the Public Notice issued on 18.03.2026. The FAQ's answers to Q9 to Q11 concern internship and compensatory training, and they apply to the cases they describe.

Q9 asks whether candidates admitted to foreign medical universities before 18.11.2021, whose internship is recognised under the Screening Test Regulations, 2002, and who completed the internship offline in the same country with a valid compensation certificate, can be granted permanent registration in India without an additional internship in India. The answer is that they "may be considered" for permanent registration without additional internship in India, provided they satisfy all conditions in the Commission's relevant regulations and public notices dated 07.12.2023, 19.06.2024 and 18.03.2026, as applicable. The concerned State Medical Council makes the final determination, case by case, after verifying the records.

Q10 asks whether foreign medical graduates who have already made up online studies at their parent institution must do additional clerkship in India. The answer is that graduates who have completed the requisite compensatory physical training and internship at the parent foreign institution, and can substantiate it with satisfactory documents, "shall not ordinarily be required" to do additional clerkship or compensatory training in India for training already completed abroad. The exceptions are those stated in the applicable regulations and deficiencies noticed by the State Medical Council during verification.

Q11 asks whether a compensation certificate alone entitles a foreign medical graduate to registration. The answer is no. A compensation certificate is one of the documents that may be considered during verification. Provisional registration, permanent registration, internship or any other benefit remains subject to the applicable regulations, public notices and verification by the concerned State Medical Council.

Questions people ask

Does Article 13(3) set the graduation internship in China at one academic year?

Yes. Article 13(3) of the 2007 provisions says the graduation internship lasts one academic year, not less than 48 weeks, and that it is arranged at the school's teaching hospitals or at teaching hospitals abroad recognised by a foreign health department.

How long must the internship in the same foreign institution be under India's 2021 Regulations?

Regulation 4(a)(ii) requires an internship of a minimum duration of 12 months in the same foreign medical institution. Schedule I, paragraph 2(i)(b) says the internship is completed in addition to the course, in the same foreign institution where the primary medical qualification was obtained.

Does the June 2026 FAQ say a compensation certificate gives automatic registration?

No. Q11 of the FAQ says that a compensation certificate is one of the documents that may be considered during verification, and that registration or any other benefit remains subject to compliance with the applicable regulations 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.

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