Is MBBS in China valid in India?

The National Medical Commission (India)'s Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021 name no country as "valid" or "invalid" for a medical degree. For an Indian citizen who holds a foreign medical degree — including one from a mainland China university — permanent registration in India is possible only by meeting the conditions those regulations set; a China degree is treated like any other foreign degree because the regulations name no country. The National Medical Commission (India) and the State Medical Councils decide each case, and this page promises no registration outcome.

For the examination and registration steps, see the licensing exams page.

No practice without permanent registration

Regulation 3 of the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021 (National Medical Commission, India, 18 November 2021) states that no foreign medical graduate shall practice medicine in India unless granted permanent registration under these regulations.

Conditions for permanent registration

Regulation 4 sets the conditions. A foreign medical graduate shall not be granted permanent registration unless he has:

• (a)(i) undergone a course leading to a foreign medical degree with a minimum duration of fifty-four months;
• (a)(ii) undergone an internship for a minimum duration of twelve months in the same foreign medical institution;
• (a)(iii) received a foreign medical degree with medium of instruction in English; and
• (a)(iv) studied the mandatory subjects specified in Schedule I;
• (b) registered with the respective professional regulatory body, or otherwise competent authority, that grants a licence to practice medicine in the jurisdiction of the country where the degree is awarded, at par with the licence given to a citizen of that country;
• (c) undergone a supervised internship in India for a minimum term of twelve months, after applying to the Commission; and
• (d) cleared the National Exit Test or such other mandated test or tests conducted by the Commission.

Schedule I requirements

Schedule I, paragraph 2(iii) (see regulation 4) states 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, and 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) states that the total duration of the foreign medical graduation course shall be completed within ten years from the date of joining the course.

Who these regulations apply to

The Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021 came into force on 18 November 2021 (regulation 1(2); FAQ Q2 and Q4, National Medical Commission (India)).

Under regulation 5, the regulations do not apply to people who had acquired their foreign degree, or were already pursuing their education in a foreign institution, before that date; those people are governed by the earlier applicable regulations (regulation 5(2)). Regulation 5(1) also exempts foreign medical graduates specifically exempted by the Commission or the Central Government by notification.

Regulation 5(3) states that no grant of permanent registration shall be issued if it infringes public policy or national security.

No endorsed list of foreign institutions

The National Medical Commission (India)'s Information Desk page "For Students to Study Abroad" states that the National Medical Commission does not endorse any list of foreign medical institutions or universities for MBBS or equivalent course. The page advises that, before taking admission in a university outside India, confirmation of the fee structure and course details — which should be commensurate with MBBS courses in India, such as content, duration and internship — should be obtained directly from the university or institution concerned.

Sources

• National Medical Commission (Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate) Regulations, 2021 — National Medical Commission, India
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): FMGs covered by National Medical Commission (Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate) Regulations, 2021 — National Medical Commission, India (Undergraduate Medical Education Board)
• For Students to Study Abroad (Information Desk page) — National Medical Commission, India

Checked 11 October 2026.

This page is an unofficial summary, 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.