Do India's FMGL Regulations apply if I started MBBS in China before they came into force?

Under India's National Medical Commission (Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate) Regulations 2021, if you took admission to MBBS in China before 18 November 2021, those regulations do not apply to you. You are governed by the earlier applicable regulations instead. This is a rule of the National Medical Commission (India) for Indian students who are foreign medical graduates; for the course and internship background, see this site's course and internship page.

Under regulation 5 of the FMGL Regulations 2021, those regulations do not apply to people who had acquired their foreign degree, or were already pursuing their education in a foreign institution, before the regulations came into force (18 November 2021, per Q2 and Q4 of the Commission's FAQ), and those people are governed by the earlier regulations.

Who the regulations cover (regulation 5)

Regulation 5(1) of the National Medical Commission (Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate) Regulations 2021 (National Medical Commission, India, 18 November 2021) lists three groups the regulations shall not apply to:

• foreign medical graduates who acquired a foreign medical degree or primary qualification prior to the regulations coming into force;
• candidates pursuing their education in foreign institutions prior to the regulations coming into force;
• foreign medical graduates specifically exempted by the Commission or the Central Government by notification.

Regulation 5(2) states that those who acquired a foreign medical degree or primary qualification, and candidates pursuing education in foreign institutions, prior to the coming into force, shall be governed by the erstwhile applicable regulations.

The Commission's FAQ (Q4, National Medical Commission, India) gives the same position in plain language and ties the date to 18 November 2021.

When the regulations came into force

Q2 of the Commission's FAQ (National Medical Commission, India) states the FMGL Regulations 2021 came into force on 18 November 2021, citing regulation 1(2).

So the dividing line for Indian students is the admission date: before 18 November 2021 means the 2021 regulations do not apply; on or after that date they do.

How the October 2026 FMGE bulletin applies the date

The FMGE (Screening Test) October 2026 Information Bulletin, version 2.2 (National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences, India) states, for the October 2026 session, that the eligibility of candidates who took admission to the primary medical qualification on or after 18-11-2021 shall be determined strictly in accordance with the FMGL Regulations 2021, and any candidate found non-compliant with any provision shall be declared ineligible for appearing in FMGE.

The same bulletin states that the FMGE certificate issued to candidates who falsely claim a date of admission prior to 18-11-2021 and pass the examination will be revoked at any time.

For those admitted before 18.11.2021 (Q9 of the June 2026 FAQ)

The Frequently Asked Questions of 8 June 2026 (National Medical Commission, India, Undergraduate Medical Education Board) answer Q9 for candidates admitted prior to 18.11.2021.

Q9 asks whether such candidates, whose internship is recognized under the Screening Test Regulation, 2002 and who completed their internship in offline mode in the same country with a valid compensation certificate, are eligible for permanent registration in India without an additional internship in India. The answer: foreign medical graduates admitted prior to 18.11.2021 may be considered for grant of permanent registration without undergoing additional internship in India, provided they satisfy all conditions under the relevant NMC Regulations and Public Notices dated 07.12.2023, 19.06.2024 and 18.03.2026, as applicable. The final determination shall be made by the concerned State Medical Council on a case-to-case basis, subject to verification of records.

Related questions

If I took admission on or after 18 November 2021, do the regulations apply?

Yes. The FMGE October 2026 bulletin (NBEMS) states that candidates admitted on or after 18-11-2021 have their eligibility determined strictly under the FMGL Regulations 2021, and a candidate found non-compliant with any provision is declared ineligible for that session's examination.

Are students from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal covered by this Indian rule?

The Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021 are the National Medical Commission (India)'s regulations for people seeking registration to practice medicine in India; regulation 2(c) defines a foreign medical graduate as a person without a primary medical qualification from India who seeks a licence for medical practice in India. This page answers the question for Indian students only.

Sources

• National Medical Commission (Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate) Regulations, 2021 — National Medical Commission, India
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): FMGs covered by the FMGL Regulations, 2021 — National Medical Commission, India (Undergraduate Medical Education Board)
• FMGE (Screening Test) October 2026 Information Bulletin, version 2.2 — National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), India
• Frequently Asked Questions No. U-15024/15/2024-UGMEB(Pt) of 8 June 2026 — National Medical Commission, India (Undergraduate Medical Education Board)

Checked 11 October 2026.

This page is an unofficial summary. It is not legal or professional-licensing advice, is not published by the bodies named, promises no admission, examination or registration outcome, and the official text and the regulator's own instructions prevail if they differ.