To be eligible for ECFMG Certification, IMGs must submit an Application for ECFMG Certification. The Application for ECFMG Certification confirms their intent to pursue ECFMG Certification and collects detailed information about their medical education, including provision of their medical education credentials. As part of completing the Application for ECFMG Certification, applicants will also confirm their understanding of the purpose of the ECFMG Certification program and the requirements for ECFMG Certification. You should read the detailed instructions for the application in MyIntealth before you begin working on it. You must establish a MyIntealth account and meet our identity verification requirements before you can begin the Application for ECFMG Certification. For the current fee for submitting an Application for ECFMG Certification, see the Fees page of the ECFMG website.
As part of the Application for ECFMG Certification, you will be asked to confirm certain information in your record with us, including your name, date of birth, and gender. If this information does not match exactly the information on your current, unexpired passport, you must have the information in your record changed to reflect the information as it appears on your passport before you can complete the Application for ECFMG Certification. Instructions for how to correct this information will be provided at the time of application.
To complete the Application for ECFMG Certification, you will be required to provide detailed information on your medical education, including your medical education status (student or graduate), the school that issued or will issue your medical degree, attendance dates, degree title, graduation date/anticipated graduation date, other schools attended, and credits transferred to the medical school from which you graduated/will graduate, if applicable.
In order for your Application for ECFMG Certification to be accepted, ECFMG will review the information you have provided to confirm that you meet the medical school requirements for ECFMG Certification and, if you are a graduate, that you meet the medical education credential requirements for ECFMG Certification.
If you are an international medical school student at the time you submit the Application for ECFMG Certification, you will be required to provide detailed information on your medical education as described above. To be eligible for ECFMG Certification, you must be officially enrolled in a medical school that is listed in the World Directory with an ECFMG Sponsor Note stating it meets ECFMG eligibility requirements. In addition, the “Graduation Years” in the ECFMG Sponsor Note in your medical school’s World Directory listing must be “Current”.
Students must provide transcript(s) to document transfer credits, if applicable, and these transcript(s) must be evaluated and verified by ECFMG before the Application for ECFMG Certification is accepted.
If there are changes to your medical education information, such as changes to your attendance dates and expected graduation date, or if you transfer to a new medical school, you must update your Application for ECFMG Certification so that it accurately reflects your current educational status. As soon as you graduate and receive your final medical diploma, you must update your Application for ECFMG Certification and submit a copy of your final medical diploma. Additional documentation may be required, if applicable. See Medical Education Credentials for detailed information on the documentation that may be required as part of your application. Your re-submitted Application for ECFMG Certification will not be accepted until ECFMG receives primary-source verification of your diploma and transcript directly from the issuing institution.
You can use MyIntealth to confirm the status of an Application for ECFMG Certification by monitoring the status of the request in the My Cases section of your MyIntealth account.
If you are an international medical school graduate at the time you submit the Application for ECFMG Certification, you will be required to provide detailed information on your medical education as described above, a copy of your final medical diploma, and, if applicable, transcript(s) to document transfer credits. To be eligible for ECFMG Certification, you must be a graduate of a medical school that is listed in the World Directory with an ECFMG Sponsor Note stating it meets ECFMG eligibility requirements. Your graduation year must be included in the "Graduation Years" listed in the ECFMG Sponsor Note in your medical school’s World Directory listing. See Medical School Requirements. You must have been awarded credit for at least four credit years (academic years for which credit has been given toward completion of the medical curriculum) by a medical school that is listed in the World Directory with an ECFMG Sponsor Note stating it meets ECFMG eligibility requirements.
The exact degree title of the final medical diploma you must have earned (and must provide) in order to be eligible for ECFMG Certification and the examinations required for certification are listed in the Reference Guide for Medical Education Credentials on the ECFMG website. If you have graduated and met all requirements for your medical diploma but your medical diploma has not yet been issued, a letter signed by an authorized official of your medical school must be submitted with your Application for ECFMG Certification. The letter you submit must be the original document and must be written on your medical school’s letterhead. The letter must include the following statement:
This is to confirm that [applicant name] has graduated and completed all requirements to receive the [degree title] degree from [medical school/university name]. The degree will be issued [month and year].
You must then submit a copy of your medical diploma to ECFMG as soon as your diploma is issued by updating your Application for ECFMG Certification.
All documents that are not in English must be accompanied by an official English translation that meets ECFMG’s translation requirements. See English Translations in Medical Education Credentials.
When ECFMG sends your final medical diploma for verification, we will request your medical school to provide a copy of your final medical school transcript.
Your medical education credentials, including your final medical diploma, final medical school transcript, and transcripts to document transfer credits, if applicable, must be verified and accepted by ECFMG before the Application for ECFMG Certification is accepted. See Medical Education Credentials.
Back to top
[Last update: January 9, 2026]
