California medical license for foreign medical graduates

State licensure requirements are designed to provide that graduates of foreign medical schools meet the same requirements to obtain a medical license as graduates of accredited United States and Canadian medical schools.

Table of Contents Show

Credential verification requirements
Can foreign medical graduates practice in California?
How do I get a California medical license?
Is it hard to get a California medical license?
How long it takes to get California medical license?

All state licensing jurisdictions require a graduate of a foreign medical school to complete at least 1 year of accredited U.S. or Canadian graduate medical education before licensure.

However, 12 states require 2 years and 25 states require 3 years of accredited graduate medical education, so it is important for international medical graduates (IMGs) to verify licensure requirements for each state.

Find specific licensure requirements by state by reviewing the Initial Licensure of U.S. Medical Graduates and International Medical Graduates (PDF).

Credential verification requirements

Many hospitals, managed care organizations, licensing boards and other institutions may require that IMGs provide credentials verification directly from their medical school, even though most international medical graduates have their credentials evaluated by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates.

All information should be verified with state licensing boards. Medical licenses are granted to those physicians meeting all state requirements and are at the discretion of the board.

Find more information on the American Medical Association (AMA) policies related to IMG state licensure.

AMA PolicyFinder

IMPORTANT: Effective January 1, 2020, the PTAL ("California Letter") will no longer be required to apply to a Medical Resdiency Program in California.

Please read the following presentation: PTAL Changes

For graduates of non-U.S. medical schools, the path to obtaining licensure to practice medicine in the United States is formidable, involving the successful completion of many different steps. The UCLA IMG Program assists scholars in completing the following major components:

Passing the U.S. Medical License Examinations (the “USMLEs”);
Earning certification by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (“ECFMG Certification”)
Successfully applying to and navigating the National Resident Matching Program (“the Match")

Our program is designed to help our IMG scholars successfully pass each of these steps on a timeline that is tailored to each individual’s background, experience, and readiness for the examinations.

Links:

The Components
Program Curriculum
Participant Resources

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Administrative Law
Medical Board of California Issues Medical License to Foreign Medical Graduate

by Adam G. Slote on May 30, 2010

A board certified physician practicing in another state accepted employment at a reputable California health care facility and applied for licensure in California. After several months of delays, a Medical Board representative was unwilling to accept the doctor’s clinical experience from a reputable European institution approved by the Medical Board. Ironically, the institution has a longer history than the State of California.

We helped the physician quickly obtain a California license by redirecting the Medical Board towards licensing by reciprocity with another state in which our client is licensed.

In licensing credentials cases, it is critical to read the actual licensing requirements in the Business and Professions Code and California Code of Regulations rather than relying on an interpretation of the law by an agency representative. For example in this case, an agency representative was focused on hours of clinical experience, but the law speaks of “weeks.” The law obviously anticipated that not all clinical programs across the world would work on uniform eight-hour days.

Administrative Law Topics:

Disclaimer:

This is a summary which may simplify or omit facts and legal issues for the sake of brevity or to protect confidential information. You should not rely on this summary to predict the outcome in your case.

The following items are needed by all International Medical Graduate applicants:

1. A current (within one year) Evaluation Status Letter from the Medical Board of California, indicating no training deficiencies, before beginning postgraduate training in any of our Family Practice Residency programs.
2. A current ECFMG certificate is also required. Your application cannot be processed until these documents have been received by the Network Office. For further information, please contact the Medical Board of California (916) 263-2499. The evaluation status letter from the medical board can take as long as 90 days to obtain.

* Please note: If you have more than 36 months of post-graduate training in an accredited ACGME Program in the US, you must have a California Medical License to start a residency in California.

Your application cannot be processed until these documents have been received by the Network Office. Keep in mind that it can take up to or greater than 90 days to obtain the PTAL Letter from the Medical Board of California. For further information, please contact the Medical Board of California (916) 263-2499 or visit their website http://www.medbd.ca.gov/. For all other inquiries, please call (800) 792-9064 or e-mail:

I. Foreign Nationals - Graduates of Foreign Medical Schools (not U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents)

A. Visa- A J-1 Visa under ECFMG sponsorship is required for admission to the U.S. for residency/fellowship training. ECFMG requires passage of the following written examination of medical knowledge and English language proficiency test: (Our Modesto program does NOT accept any Visas)

NOTE: UC Davis will not consider H-1B Visa sponsorship for international medical graduate postgraduate training.

1. Prior to July 1984 - Visa Qualifying Exam (VQE).

2. 1984 to 1993 - Foreign Medical Graduate Examination in the Medical Sciences (FMGEMS*) or National Board Medical Examination (NBME).

3. Current - U.S. Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE).

* FMGEMS not accepted in California.

NOTE: When the applicant has passed (1) one of the above examinations, (2) the Clinical Skills Assessment exam, and (3) the English exam, and the applicant’s medical education has been reviewed and approved, the applicant is then eligible for certification and sponsorship of a J-1 Visa through ECFMG. Visa sponsorship applications must be directed to ECFMG by the Graduate Medical Education Office. Please contact Kathe McDonald, Graduate Medical Education, (916) 734-4955 for information.

B. ECFMG Certification - All International Medical Graduates (IMGs) applying for postgraduate training must provide a copy of a current ECFMG Certificate in order to be eligible for licensure in California.

To obtain an ECFMG Certificate IMGs must meet the following examination and medical education credential requirements:

1. Pass one of the written exams listed above (FMGEMS not accepted in CA);

2. Pass Step 1 and Step 2 of USMLE. Step 2 exam has two separately administered components, the Clinical Knowledge (CK) component and the Clinical Skills (CS) component (as of 2005);

3. Pass the English exam.

4. Meet all educational requirements as specified by ECFMG.

ECFMG does not accept the Federal Licensing Examination (FLEX) for meeting exam requirements for ECFMG visa sponsorship. However, the FLEX exam, if taken prior to June, 1985, is accepted for certification by ECFMG. Applicants must obtain a score of 75 or higher on each of the three days of a single administration prior to June, 1985.

C. Return to Home Country– Upon completion of residency/fellowship training, IMGs on J-1 Visas will be required to return to his/her home country for two years before applying for permanent residency or return to the U.S. for other purposes.

II. Foreign Nationals - Graduates of U.S. Medical Schools

A. Non-U.S. citizens who graduate from US Medical Schools and sponsored by an F-1 Visa, are not required to meet ECFMG requirements like International Medical Graduates. ECFMG will, however, sponsor these graduates for the J-1 Visa. No examinations are required for this sponsorship except the standard USMLE Steps.

III. U.S. Citizens or Legal Immigrants (Permanent Residents) - International Medical Graduates A. Visa - Not required for U.S. Citizens. Permanent residents must provide proof of resident alien status.

A. ECFMG Certification - All individuals graduating from international medical schools must provide a copy of a current ECFMG certificate. U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents will complete the requirements outlined in Section I, Part B.

B. IMGs with pending applications for Permanent Residency will sometimes qualify for a Work Authorization permit (EAD). A copy of the current permit must be submitted along with a copy of the receipt for filing the I-485 (Application to Change Status to Permanent Resident).

IV. Requirements for IMG Licensure in California - Foreign Nationals or U.S. Citizens

A. Current ECFMG Certification.

B. The following examinations and combinations of examinations are currently acceptable for licensing purposes in California:

USMLE Steps 1, 2, and 3 (Has phased out FLEX and NBME Exams)
NBME Parts I, II, and III (National Board Medical Examinations)
NBME Parts I, II, and Component 2 of FLEX
FLEX Components 1 and 2
MCCQE - Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (Formerly called LMCC - Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada)
Original FLEX (three day FLEX weighted average)

C. Two years of ACGME approved postgraduate training in any state in the U.S. If training is NOT in Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine or ObGyn, IMG must have 4 months of approved General Medicine postgraduate training OR current certification by a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties or an ACGME approved specialty board.

D. All IMG's, with the exception of Canadian graduates will be expected to furnish a current "Postgraduate Training Authorization Letter (PTAL)" from the Medical Board of California (MBC) when submitting an application for postgraduate training at UC Davis. Fifth Pathway trainees will be expected to present a letter from the Medical Board stating that medical school training meets the requirements for licensure in the State of California. These letters will be provided by the Medical Board after a completed application to the Medical Board has been reviewed and evaluated. Possession of a Social Security number is necessary to receive this letter (PTAL).

• Applicants for Fellowship positions must be licensed prior to the training start date.

V. References - (addresses to contact for additional information)

A. J-1 Visa, USMLE and ECFMG certification information:

Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG)
P.O. Box 828262
Philadelphia, PA 19182-8262
Telephone: (215) 823-2121 or 386-5900 (Sponsorship line)
FAX: (215) 386-9766
http://www.ecfmg.org/

USMLE Secretariat
3750 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-3190
Telephone: (215) 590-9700
FAX: (215) 590-9457
www.usmle.org/Contact/contact.htm

B. California Licensing Information:

Medical Board of California Division of Licensing and Applications
1426 Howe Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95825
Telephone: (916) 263-2382
www.medbd.ca.gov

Can foreign medical graduates practice in California?

Graduates of International Medical Schools must meet all California Medical Board licensing requirements for either a Post Graduate Training License (PTL) or a California Physician's and Surgeon's License, and any J-1 visa sponsorship requirements (if applicable).

How do I get a California medical license?

You must submit:.

Completed Application for a Physician's and Surgeon's License (Forms L1A-L1E).

Pay required fees..

Fingerprints Cards or copy of completed Request for Live Scan Service for electronic fingerprints..

Explanation to Application Question (Form EXP), if applicable..

Timeline of Activities (Form TOA), if applicable..

Is it hard to get a California medical license?

The California Physician Medical License process is known to be lengthy and difficult. Expect to spend numerous hours preparing the application, making the verification requests, following up with your credential holders, and addressing deficiencies on your notices from the California Physician Medical Board, but…

How long it takes to get California medical license?

How long will it take me to get a license? What is the average timeframe? Each application file is different and it depends on the particular issues involved for that specific file as to when the application will be approved for licensure. The application process take approximately 2-3 months.