What does India require a foreign MBBS course to cover?

Unofficial · Sources checked 11 October 2026

Under India's National Medical Commission (Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate) Regulations, 2021, a foreign MBBS course for an Indian student who seeks to practice medicine in India must include theory, practical and clinical training equivalent to the Indian MBBS, a twelve-month internship in the same foreign institution with hands-on clinical training, and instruction in English. The course content shall be commensurate with the Indian MBBS under the Regulations on Graduate Medical Education, 1997, and the institution shall make its curriculum available for review at the time of joining. Under regulation 5, these regulations do not apply to people who had already acquired their foreign medical degree, or were already pursuing their education in a foreign institution, before 18 November 2021 (per Q2 and Q4 of the Commission's FAQ), and such students are governed by the earlier regulations.

The course and internship section of this site gives short answers on each point. The rules below are India's, taken paragraph by paragraph from Schedule I of the regulations.

Guiding principle (Schedule I, paragraph 1)

The guiding principle for licensing a foreign medical graduate to practice in India is to ensure that the foreign medical graduate fulfils education and training equivalent or commensurate with that of an Indian medical graduate. (Schedule I, paragraph 1 — National Medical Commission (Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate) Regulations, 2021; National Medical Commission, India; 18 November 2021)

Course and training: theory, practical and clinical (Schedule I, paragraph 2(i)(a))

Any person who pursues the foreign medical degree should have undergone a course of theory, practical and clinical training equivalent to the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) of India. (Schedule I, paragraph 2(i)(a) — FMGL Regulations 2021; NMC India; 18 November 2021)

Internship in the same institution (Schedule I, paragraph 2(i)(b))

The course should be followed by an internship of twelve months in the same foreign institution where the primary medical qualification was obtained, along with 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

(Schedule I, paragraph 2(i)(b) — FMGL Regulations 2021; NMC India; 18 November 2021)

Course content and the 1997 Indian regulations (Schedule I, paragraph 2(ii)(a))

The course and internship or clinical clerkship shall be commensurate with the MBBS course of India in accordance with the Regulations on Graduate Medical Education, 1997 and subsequent amendments thereto, and shall include the subjects mentioned therein as are duly recognised by the Commission under sub-section (2) of section 61 of the NMC Act, 2019. (Schedule I, paragraph 2(ii)(a) — FMGL Regulations 2021; NMC India; 18 November 2021)

Curriculum available for review (Schedule I, paragraph 2(ii)(b))

The course curriculum shall be made available for review by appropriate authorities, and if necessary on the website of the institution or university where the course is being pursued, at the time of joining the course. (Schedule I, paragraph 2(ii)(b) — FMGL Regulations 2021; NMC India; 18 November 2021)

Clinical posting during the course versus internship (FAQ Q17)

Clinical posting and training during the 54-month course and the internship or clerkship are separate phases of practical learning. Clinical posting and training is part of the 54 months of the MBBS course; the internship is done after completion of the MBBS course but is an integral part of the undergraduate medical education degree. (FAQ Q17 — FMGL Regulations 2021 FAQ; NMC India, Undergraduate Medical Education Board)

The FAQ also lists the subjects to be studied during the course at Q7: a course of theory, practical and clinical training equivalent to the Indian MBBS; a twelve-month internship in the same foreign institution with the clinical subjects listed above; and the requirement that the course be commensurate with the Indian MBBS under the Regulations on Graduate Medical Education, 1997. (FAQ Q7 — FMGL Regulations 2021 FAQ; NMC India, Undergraduate Medical Education Board)

Five areas where a deviation may lead to disqualification (Alert Note, July 2025)

India's National Medical Commission advised Indian students in its Alert Note of July 2025 that any deviation in the following areas may result in disqualification from obtaining registration in India:

Duration of the course
Medium of instruction
Syllabus and curriculum
Clinical training
Internship or clerkship arrangements

(Alert Note No. U-15021/1/2024-UGMEB, July 2025 — NMC India, Undergraduate Medical Education Board)

Get course details from the university directly (Information Desk)

The National Medical Commission states that it does not endorse any list of foreign medical institutions or universities for MBBS or an equivalent course. Before taking admission in a university outside India, the public is advised to obtain confirmation of the details of the course directly from the university or institution concerned — including that the course should be commensurate with the MBBS courses in India as to content, duration and internship. (For Students to Study Abroad, Information Desk — NMC India)

Sources

National Medical Commission (Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate) Regulations, 2021 — National Medical Commission, India
Frequently Asked Questions: FMGs covered by the FMGL Regulations, 2021 — National Medical Commission, India (Undergraduate Medical Education Board)
Alert Note No. U-15021/1/2024-UGMEB, July 2025 — National Medical Commission, India (Undergraduate Medical Education Board)
For Students to Study Abroad (Information Desk) — 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.