When you study MBBS abroad, there is one rule that completely decides your future as a doctor in India:

👉 After completing your MBBS abroad, you must get a license to practice as a doctor in the same country where you studied.

Parents and students, please note that this rule applies only to students who go abroad for MBBS after 2021.
So, do not compare yourself with those who went abroad before 2021 — for them, these rules do not apply.

This is one of the major rules passed by the National Medical Commission in the official 2021 Gazette.
And apart from this, there are other rules you must follow as well.
But this rule is the most important that you must know, because each country has its own licensing procedure, and you should choose a country based on how easy or difficult the licensing procedure will be.

This requirement comes directly from the official NMC Gazette 2021 – Clause 4(b).

This is not optional.
This is not just a guideline.
This is a strict and mandatory rule for all students who study MBBS abroad after 2021.

According to the NMC Gazette:

“FMGs must be registered with the professional regulatory body of the country or otherwise competent to grant a license to practice medicine in that country, and this license must be equivalent to the license given to its own citizens.”

(Regulation 4(b) of FMGL 2021)

In simple words:

✔ This license must be equivalent to the license given to the country’s own citizens.

This means the foreign medical graduate must be recognised in the same way as a local doctor is recognised.
In other words, the graduate must be able to practice medicine independently, without guidance or supervision from a senior doctor.

Here’s why this is important:

• In some countries, like Georgia, MBBS graduates are allowed to work as junior doctors immediately after graduation.

• A junior doctor cannot sign prescriptions or provide medicines independently. They work under the supervision of a senior doctor, like an intern.

• According to NMC 2021, a foreign medical graduate must become an independent practitioner to be considered a licensed doctor.

• Being a junior doctor is not enough, because only an independent doctor is legally allowed to practice and make decisions without supervision.

📌 Why did NMC make this rule?

To protect students.

Some countries provide MBBS degrees but do not allow those students to get a license there.
This means the country itself does not treat them as doctors.

NMC wants to make sure:

If the foreign country doesn’t recognise you as a doctor, India cannot recognise you either.

This rule ensures that:

• students receive proper clinical training

• students complete proper internship

• the degree has real value

• students are legally allowed to treat patients in the country of study

Only when a student gets this foreign license, they become eligible to take FMGE/NExT and later apply for an Indian medical license.