The National Medical Commission (NMC) has proposed a registration system under which a medical practitioner, once registered with a State Medical Council and allotted a Unique Identification (UID) number in the National Medical Register, would be eligible to practise across India without obtaining fresh registration or a licence in another State.
Once the State Medical Council grants registration and the Ethics and Medical Registration Board allots the UID, the doctor would not require fresh registration or a separate licence to practise in another State or Union Territory. The NMR would also carry information on whether a doctor’s license is active or inactive, and details of disciplinary action, if any. The Ethics and Medical Registration Board and the NMC would have powers to seek records and monitor State Medical Councils to promote uniformity and transparency in regulation.
The proposal is part of the draft Registration of Medical Practitioners and Licence to Practice Medicine (Amendment) Regulations, 2026, notified by the NMC on August 11, 2026. The draft seeks to amend the 2023 regulations governing registration and licensing of doctors. The NMC has invited objections and suggestions for 30 days from the date of notification.
The UID assigned in the register would incorporate the State/Union Territory code and the practitioner’s State Medical Register number, the NMC said.
Where disciplinary action is recommended by a State Council other than the doctor’s primary registering council, the action would be reflected in the NMR and automatically updated in the State register of the council of primary registration. The proposal retains the five-year validity of a license. If a doctor does not apply for license renewal within three months of expiry, the registration will be marked inactive, and the practitioner will not be entitled to practise medicine. The inactive status would automatically be reflected in the NMR. The concerned State Medical Council would have the power to inquire into and decide the matter, and record the outcome against the practitioner’s credentials in the online register. The proposed amendments also revise provisions relating to foreign medical graduates. Their definition would include Indian citizens and Overseas Citizens of India who obtain a foreign medical qualification in modern/allopathic medicine but do not hold an undergraduate medical degree from an Indian institution. The Foreign Medical Graduate Examination graduates who meet the prescribed conditions would remain eligible for provisional registration for internship and registration in the National Medical Register.
