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Study abroad · Medicine

MBBS abroad

Indian students go abroad for MBBS (commonly to Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Nepal and others) mainly for lower cost and easier admission than the extremely competitive NEET-UG cut-offs for Indian medical seats. The degree only becomes usable in India if it satisfies the National Medical Commission's Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate (FMGL) Regulations, 2021, and the graduate then clears India's own licensing exam and completes an internship in India — this record is about those NMC rules, not about any one country's admission process.

What changed recently

  • 18 November 2021: National Medical Commission (Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate) Regulations, 2021 notified in the Gazette of India (Part III, Section 4, No. 581) — introduced the 54-month minimum course + 12-month internship at the same foreign institution + English-medium + Schedule-I mandatory-subjects framework for anyone starting a foreign medical degree on/after this date; also caps total course completion at 10 years from joining. Source: Gazette notification No. UGMEB/NMC/Rules & Regulations/2021, nmc.org.in.
  • 27 June 2023: NMC National Exit Test Regulations, 2023 notified in the Gazette (Part III, Section 4, No. 447) — set out NExT Step 1 (theory, taken after final-year MBBS) and NExT Step 2 (practical/clinical, taken after internship) as the intended common licensing exam for Indian MBBS graduates AND foreign medical graduates alike, replacing the final-MBBS exam and the FMGE once in force. Source: nmc.org.in.
  • 13 July 2023: NMC Public Notice (Coordination & Vigilance Division) announced that NExT is DEFERRED 'on the advice of the Ministry, dated 11.07.2023, till further directions from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.' As a result, FMGE (Screening Test Regulations, 2002) remains the exam actually in use for foreign medical graduates as of the date this record was checked. Source: nmc.org.in public notice PDF, signed by the NMC Secretary.

Watch out for

  • The entire course AND internship must be completed in the SAME foreign institution, in the SAME country where the primary qualification is obtained — splitting study across two countries, or doing any part of the clinical training/internship in India or a third country, breaks eligibility for permanent registration (FMGL Regulations 2021, Schedule-I, clause (iii)).
  • A degree that does not entitle the holder to a medical-practice licence in the country where it was awarded (equivalent to that given to that country's own citizens) will not qualify for NMC registration, regardless of course length — verify the destination university's/country's own licensing rules before enrolling, not just its degree name.
  • This research pass could not find NMC public notices from 2023-2026 naming specific countries or specific foreign universities (e.g. recognition warnings, blacklists) among the roughly 1,000 notices on the NMC 'What's New' page — check nmc.org.in's own notices/circulars directly, by country and university name, before committing to any specific institution.
  • NExT has not actually started despite being notified in 2023 — do not assume NExT is the current exam; as of this check, FMGE (the older Screening Test) is what foreign medical graduates must actually clear.
  • Course/tuition costs vary enormously by country and institution and were not published on any NMC page — these are set by the foreign university/government, not the NMC, so treat any specific cost figure as unverified unless it comes from that country's own official source.

The basics

Bachelor's
Minimum 54 months of foreign medical-degree coursework PLUS a minimum 12-month internship at the SAME foreign institution (for anyone who began their foreign medical degree on or after 18 November 2021, when the FMGL Regulations 2021 came into force) — source: NMC (Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate) Regulations, 2021, regulation 4(a) and Schedule-I
Exams — bachelor's
NEET-UG (mandatory since May 2018 for admission to any foreign MBBS-equivalent course, if the student is an Indian citizen/OCI) · FMGE (Foreign Medical Graduates Examination), conducted by the National Board of Examinations — the current operative 'screening test' since NExT is deferred; 3 papers (Pre-Clinical, Para-Clinical, Clinical Medicine incl. Obstetrics & Gynaecology), English, 3 hours per paper, pass = minimum 50% in EACH paper in the SAME attempt, held twice a year, unlimited attempts · National Exit Test (NExT) Step 1 and Step 2 — legislated by the NMC National Exit Test Regulations, 2023 as the intended eventual single exam for both Indian MBBS graduates and FMGs, but its rollout has been deferred since 13 July 2023
Work after graduating
To practice medicine in India, a Foreign Medical Graduate must be granted 'permanent registration' under the FMGL Regulations 2021, which requires: (a) for those who started their foreign degree on/after 18 Nov 2021 — the 54-month course + 12-month internship at the same foreign institution + English medium + Schedule-I mandatory subjects; (b) registration/licence to practice in the country where the degree was awarded, equivalent to that given to that country's own citizens; (c) a further 12-month SUPERVISED INTERNSHIP in India, applied for to the Commission; and (d) clearing the National Exit Test or whichever other test the Commission mandates (currently FMGE, since NExT is deferred). Indian citizens/OCIs who acquired their foreign degree, or who were already studying abroad, BEFORE 18 November 2021 are instead governed by the older Screening Test Regulations, 2002: they must pass the FMGE (unless exempt) and must complete a Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) in India if they did not complete equivalent practical training abroad. Holders of BOTH an undergraduate AND a postgraduate medical qualification from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK or the USA, recognised to practise there, are exempt from the FMGE.

Your timeline from India

for the main intake
  1. Before applying abroadQualify NEET-UG — mandatory since May 2018 for any Indian citizen/OCI seeking a primary medical qualification from outside India; the NEET-UG result itself is treated as the required 'Eligibility Certificate' (subject to meeting the eligibility criteria in the Regulations on Graduate Medical Education, 1997) — source: NMC Screening Test Regulations 2002 FAQ (Q9) and NMC 'General Information for study abroad' page
  2. Before choosing a university/countryVerify the course is taught in English, is a minimum 54-month programme (for post-18-Nov-2021 admissions) with a 12-month internship at the SAME institution, covers the mandatory subjects in Schedule-I of the FMGL Regulations 2021 (Community Medicine, General Medicine, Psychiatry, Paediatrics, General Surgery, Anaesthesia, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Orthopaedics, ENT, Ophthalmology, Dermatology, Emergency/Casualty and lab services), and that the degree entitles the holder to register/get a medical-practice licence in that country on par with that country's own citizens
  3. During the courseComplete the ENTIRE course, training and internship in the SAME foreign institution, outside India, throughout — no part of the medical training or internship may be done in India or in any country other than the one where the primary medical qualification is obtained; total course duration must be completed within 10 years of joining
  4. After the foreign degree and internshipRegister with the destination country's own professional regulatory body / obtain a licence to practice there (a mandatory condition for NMC recognition, not optional)
  5. On return to IndiaApply to the Commission (NMC) and complete a further 12-month SUPERVISED INTERNSHIP in India; separately, clear the National Exit Test (NExT) 'or such other mandated test or tests conducted by the Commission' — in practice, this is currently the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE), conducted by the National Board of Examinations, since NExT has been administratively deferred (see recent_changes)
  6. Final stepOnly after permanent registration is granted (course + internship abroad + destination-country licence + Indian supervised internship + cleared screening/exit test) can the graduate practice medicine in India

Where to apply, funding, official help

Application platforms

Official links

Next

Best universities for medicineThe published clinical-medicine ranking, filterable by country.See the list → NEET-UG practiceRequired by NMC for Indian students going abroad for MBBS.Practise →

This guide was built from: nmc.org.in/general-information · nmc.org.in/equivalence-of-foreign-medical-qualification · nmc.org.in/page/rules-regulations-rules-regulations-nmc · nmc.org.in/storage/cms/rules-regulation-nmc/22bEhC9b9MY6TgjvDdFheBsyRYp8Hdj1K0gHsOjD.pdf · nmc.org.in/storage/cms/rules-regulation-nmc/WCV2WyMwAKXFRrCK5DjIdFUQ1Y5qTgZOoB8lURQX.pdf · nmc.org.in/storage/cms/rules-regulation-nmc/St3HZdCApLritNHkt2kYvveP5SmsodlCoj2I0e0K.pdf · nmc.org.in/storage/cms/rules-regulation-nmc/4rcYmolXQVOo0WCXmyFm9H3QPAFoqqth7JfQwgPe.pdf · nmc.org.in/ — checked 2026-09-28.

Where this comes from

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