I refer this post to the recent mail that I received from the General Medical Council in relation to ECFMG credential verification. I went through the whole process while getting myself registered with the Irish Medical Council and thought it will be useful sharing with people who are preparing either for IELTS, PLAB 1 or PLAB 2 as this process is quite dense and complicated.
What is ECFMG?
Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates or ECFMG is a primary source verification body for the verification of credentials of international medical graduates. We have to verify only our primary medical qualification (medical degree).
The Process
The process usually starts with making an account on ECFMG by putting all your personal details, date of graduation, uploading a passport size picture and the name of your university.
Initial Fee
It will cost you 75 dollars.
Account Access
After a couple of days, you will get an email from ECFMG with your username and password. And you can access your account.
Account Authorization
After logging in, there will be a form in your account that you need to download and get it signed either by a solicitor or oath commissioner. This form will confirm your identity (that you are the same person who made the account on ECFMG). You have to upload this form in your account and after 3 to 4 working days, you will receive an email telling you that your account is fully authorized.
Later Fee
At this point, you can upload your primary medical qualification in your account. It will again cost you 75 dollars. Please make sure to select express post by paying 30 dollars more. Although you can avail the service of the free post and can save your 30 dollars, it will waste your time and there is no any guarantee that the report will be delivered. If you opt for express post, they will give you a tracking number. Keep tracking.
Report Verification
They will send the report to your medical college or university. Once it is delivered, get it signed by dean or principle of your respective institution and send it back via express post to ECFMG. It does take 15 days for them to verify the report send by your college or university. Once verified, you can send the report in 15 dollars to any regulatory body like GMC of your verified credentials and that’s it.
Conclusion
The process usually takes an immense amount of effort, follow up and time, so make sure to start the process while you are still in your home country.
(This post was written by Syed Nouman Mohsin on 04 February 2018 and published here with his permission).
Hasn’t this process changed a little a bit ? As now you have to get your credentials verified by NotaryCam and also the whole process is online so you don’t need to be in your home country during this procedure. Moreover,you don’t need to send your ECFMG verified documents to GMC yourself , your EPIC report will automatically be sent to GMC once it is verified.
Yes, the process has changed a little bit. Now the account opening fee is 125$ instead of 75$. But now it offers complentary (free) verification of your identity documents via NotaryCam (otherwise their charges are 79$ for doctors applying from outside USA) and your first report will be sent free to the respective medical council, which was otherwise 30$.
Do I need this to take plan 1?
Hello.i am not able to find that form for verification but I have received my password and username a week ago.
verification form is available once your identity documents (your picture and passport) are reviewed and accepted by ECFMG. it usually takes 3-5 business days for this process
Hi, do you need to verify your internship certificates as well? Or only the primary medical qualifications? Also, I think the fees has increased now.
If you are doing this verification for GMC registration, then you need only PMQ verification but if you are planning simultaneously for Irish medical council as well, you also have to get your house job or internship certificates also verified. If you are from Pakistan, your house job certificate should be verified from PMDC. because they will verify from PM&DC rather than your hospital
To make the epic account, we need to upload medical liscence also?
Do we need to verify our medical degree certificate only or do we have to verify our transcript and internship certificate?
For GMC, you only need medical degree. For Irish medical council, you also need internship certificate as well.
Could you please help me with booking the plab 1 date? Do I need an epic account for that?
What is the ideal time to work for document verification with ecfmg? Is it mandatory to do so before taking plab 1? Also what link does the irish medical council have with plab exam. Tia.
It can take a long time. So the ideal time is as soon as you graduate. No, you don’t need it for PLAB 1. And no, PLAB has no link with PRES or the IMC.
If we are registering for plab 1 after 11thjune2018 don’t we need to verify it before registering for plab1?
No. We only need it before GMC registration after PLAB 2.
Is it not advisable to do the medical qualification verification with ECFMG before the 11th of June 2018,even if one hasn’t done PLAB 1 yet? im a little bit confused as to what the deadline is for,is it for verification of the degree or registration with the gmc? Because they say after the 11th ,one has to have their medical qualifications independently verified.does that mean at the moment they (GMC) are verifying IMGs medical qualifications before the 11th?
I thought ECFMG is already an independent verification online company,that’s why I’m totally confused.
Aoa sir
I m yet a MBBS FInal year student.
From where I should start.
Start from here:
https://naseersjourney.com/2017/05/13/guidance-for-undergraduates/
hi nasser, i have done ECFMG verification via MCC (medical council of Canada). Now i would write plab in November, do i still need to do ecfmg registration with EPIC? And if yes, will they contact my school again>
a.o.a i am dr saddam from Pakistan. saw ur video in youtube . really appreciated for the hardwork u have put on to the video. i have done with my step 1 . but got only 229. and i have wasted my almost 1 and a half year on that. can u please guide me where to begin with for plab. i dont know weather i am good to take the ielts exam . can u provide me with materials to that. it seems like i have waisted alot of money and time on step1. moreover i think i am already registered to ecfmg when i was about to take the test for usa. i dont know weather its same ecfmg as it was for usa. can you provide me with details about that?
I’m not sure about ECFMG. For IELTS, this might help:
https://naseersjourney.com/2017/02/09/studying-for-ielts/
Hi Dr Khan.Is it not advisable to do the medical qualification verification with ECFMG before the 11th of June 2018,even if one hasn’t done PLAB 1 yet? im a little bit confused as to what the deadline is for,is it for verification of the degree or registration with the gmc? Because they say after the 11th ,one has to have their medical qualifications independently verified.does that mean at the moment they (GMC) are verifying IMGs medical qualifications before the 11th?
I thought ECFMG is already an independent verification online company,that’s why I’m totally confused.
1. Yes, it is.
2. It is for GMC registration.
3. At the moment, ECFMG verification is not needed.
Why at the moment is verification via ECFMG not needed?Also is it advisable to do GMC registration before doing ecfmg verification?
1. No.
2. You can’t register for GMC without ECFMG after the given date.
Have you Googled this? If not, please do. It might help.