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Pakistan: PM&DC, foreign medical graduates and the registration examination, an overview by document

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

The rules on this page are those of Pakistan's Medical & Dental Council (PM&DC), and they concern graduates of foreign medical institutions who seek provisional registration in Pakistan and later the National Registration Examination (NRE) before a full license. The eligibility wording differs from one document to the next, so each document is set out below in date order, with its own date and its own words. For the register's own page on practising back home, see this register's section page.

Press release of 14 September 2025

The press release is issued by the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council. It states that the Council clarifies its legal position on the registration of foreign medical graduates (FMGs), in response to concerns circulated on social media. It describes three categories of Pakistani graduates who obtained degrees from foreign institutions, mainly in Afghanistan, Central Asian Republics such as Kyrgyzstan, and Iran. It states that most of these graduates started their foreign education while the PMDC Ordinance 1962 and the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) Act 2020 were in place.

On provisional registration, the press release says that the PM&DC Act 2022 provides for the Council to assess and recognize foreign medical institutions. It says that only graduates of foreign institutions duly recognized by PM&DC are eligible for provisional registration. Such graduates may be granted provisional registration, but they are mandatorily required to pass the NRE before they obtain a full license to practise.

The press release records a Council decision on a second group. Graduates who enrolled at the time of the erstwhile PM&DC or PMC, and whose institutions are not yet recognized under the new law, will be issued provisional registration once they qualify for the NRE examination.

On the examination itself, the press release says that only graduates of foreign institutions included in the ECFMG accredited lists are eligible to appear in the NRE. It describes this as a standard practice also adopted by different countries. It also says that the requirement to pass an examination before a provincial or full license began with the Council in the early 1990s under the PM&DC Ordinance 1962.

Public notice of 22 October 2025

Public Notice No. Exam-59/2025, dated 22 October 2025 and published by the PM&DC Registrar, says that the Council has initiated the process of recognition of foreign medical and dental institutions that award undergraduate degrees to Pakistan nationals. It adds that the PM&DC website is updated from time to time.

On provisional registration, the notice says that graduates of foreign institutions not recognized by the PM&DC shall not be issued provisional registration unless they have qualified from a PM&DC recognized institution.

On eligibility to appear in the NRE, the notice says that the recognition of the respective foreign regulatory authority, along with accreditation of the institution by the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), shall be the standard criteria. It tells candidates that they may visit the ECFMG website to review the recognition status of a foreign institution.

Notification of 31 July 2026

Notification No. PF-5-ADR-PM&DC/2026/1220, dated 31 July 2026 and published by the PM&DC Registrar, is about the eligibility of Pakistani nationals graduating from foreign medical and dental institutions for the NRE. This section uses the first paragraph and the two closing sentences of the notification.

The first paragraph says that, under the policy approved by the Council in its decision dated 24 July 2025, the PM&DC reiterates that only Pakistani nationals who have obtained their primary medical or dental qualification from foreign institutions recognized by the Education Commission on Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) shall be eligible to appear in the NRE, subject to fulfillment of all other applicable requirements.

The closing sentences say that the PM&DC shall not entertain any request for exemption, relaxation, or special dispensation from the prescribed eligibility requirements. They also say that the notice is issued in the public interest to avoid hardship and to ensure that prospective students are fully aware of the regulatory requirements governing recognition of foreign medical and dental qualifications in Pakistan.

NRE standard 2024: preamble and purpose

The document is the National Registration Examination (Medical): Standard, Structure and Syllabus 2024, published by the PM&DC. This section uses only its Section I and Section II. It is the 2024 edition, so check the PM&DC's current notice for the sitting you plan to take.

Section I, the preamble, says that the PM&DC will conduct the NRE at a national level. The examination is held under section 18 of the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council Act 2022.

Section II, on purpose, says that the NRE 2024 is designed to gauge the ability of MBBS graduates' competence to practise independently. It states that passing the NRE, in both its theory and clinical skills examination components, is mandatory for obtaining a full license to practise as General Practitioner.

The eligibility paragraph of Section II says that candidates who have graduated from PM&DC approved foreign medical colleges with an MBBS/MD or equivalent degree, as per the approved foreign degree nomenclature, along with a provisional license issued by the PM&DC, are eligible to sit the NRE 2024.

Section II also gives three further points. The NRE 2024 will be conducted at multiple centers across Pakistan. The NRE will be held at least twice a year. There is no bar on the number of times a candidate can attempt the complete NRE.

The eligibility wording of this standard refers to PM&DC approved foreign colleges and a provisional license issued by the PM&DC. The press release of 14 September 2025 and the notices of 22 October 2025 and 31 July 2026 use the terms recognition and ECFMG accreditation, as set out in the sections above. Each is given here with its own date.

Questions people ask

Who may sit the National Registration Examination under the 2024 standard?

Section II of the NRE standard 2024 says that candidates who have graduated from PM&DC approved foreign medical colleges with an MBBS/MD or equivalent degree, along with a provisional license issued by PM&DC, are eligible to sit the NRE 2024. The notification of 31 July 2026 uses a different test, saying that Pakistani nationals must have obtained their primary medical or dental qualification from institutions recognized by the ECFMG.

How often is the National Registration Examination held?

Section II of the NRE standard 2024 says that the NRE will be held at least twice a year. The standard is the 2024 edition, so the PM&DC's current notice for a particular sitting should be checked.

Is there a limit on the number of attempts?

Section II of the NRE standard 2024 says that there is no bar on the number of times a candidate can attempt the complete NRE.

Can a graduate of an institution not recognized by PM&DC receive provisional registration?

Under the public notice of 22 October 2025, graduates of foreign institutions not recognized by the PM&DC shall not be issued provisional registration unless they have qualified from a PM&DC recognized institution. The press release of 14 September 2025 describes a separate group of graduates whose institutions are not yet recognized under the new law, and says they will be issued provisional registration once they qualify for the NRE.

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