Indian MBBS MD Medical Degree Translation, Apostille, ECFMG 2026 | SiZA

Medical degree translation: key facts for 2026

• SCFHS Mumaris+ for Saudi medical licensure: MBBS or specialty degree + NMC registration + Indian Medical Council Good Standing + experience certificates, all apostilled (Saudi joined Hague for Indian docs 7 December 2023) + Arabic translation. DataFlow primary-source verification runs in parallel.
• DataFlow Group Primary Source Verification (PSV): for SCFHS, DHA, DOH, MOH, QCHP, OMSB, NHRA. Indian medical college verification through the Indian-university registrar; sometimes slow when university registrar does not respond.
• ECFMG Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates: primary source verification through EPIC for US medical residency. Indian medical college sends transcripts and degree directly to ECFMG.
• UK GMC International Medical Graduate route: PLAB 1 + PLAB 2 examinations + GMC registration. Apostilled medical degree + transcripts + work-experience.
• AHPRA Australia for medical and nursing registration: apostilled degree + council registration + Good Standing + work-experience. Specialist registration path differs from general medical registration.

Apostille is one layer; the verifications run in parallel

An MBBS graduate from Kasturba Medical College Mangalore was applying to Saudi SCFHS for medical licensure. She had heard from a Saudi-based cousin that apostille was the document work needed. She asked us for apostille on her MBBS degree. The conversation we had with her was longer than she expected, because apostille alone does not get an Indian medical graduate to a Saudi licence.

The Saudi SCFHS process for medical licensure runs in roughly this sequence: Indian-side State HRD attestation and MEA apostille on the MBBS degree (Saudi joined Hague with effect from 7 December 2023, so apostille is now the legal-recognition layer), DataFlow Primary Source Verification where the Saudi DataFlow portal contacts the medical college and the State Medical Council directly, Mumaris+ profile creation at SCFHS, Mumaris+ exam booking through Prometric or Pearson VUE, Mosaddaqa for the degree (which runs in parallel sometimes), QVP via Takamol, Saudi job offer, work visa stamping, Iqama.

The apostille is one layer in the work. DataFlow is independent verification with the issuing college. Mumaris+ is the SCFHS profile. Mosaddaqa is degree authentication. Each runs on its own clock; the apostille is the easiest layer to finish quickly; DataFlow is the typical bottleneck because it depends on the college\'s responsiveness to DataFlow\'s verification queries.

We open this page with the layering because the most-common misconception on medical degree calls is that apostille is the whole work. It is one part of a multi-stream process that the candidate has to manage in parallel. We name the parallel streams at intake.

What Indian medical degrees consist of

MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery). The basic medical qualification. Five-and-a-half-year programme including the rotating internship. Issued by the medical college through the affiliating university (state university or deemed university). Registered with the State Medical Council where the candidate intends to practise initially.

MD (Doctor of Medicine). Postgraduate degree in non-surgical specialties; Medicine, Paediatrics, Radiology, Pathology, Anaesthesiology, Dermatology, Psychiatry. Three-year programme after MBBS.

MS (Master of Surgery). Postgraduate degree in surgical specialties; General Surgery, Orthopaedics, Ophthalmology, ENT, OBG. Three-year programme.

DM (Doctorate of Medicine) and MCh (Magister Chirurgiae). Super-specialty postgraduate degrees after MD or MS. Three-year programmes in Cardiology, Neurology, Nephrology, Cardio-thoracic Surgery, Neuro-surgery, Urology, Plastic Surgery.

DNB (Diplomate of National Board) and DNB-CET fellowships. National Board of Examinations qualifications, equivalent to MD/MS for the specialty, recognised by NMC and most state medical councils.

Each degree has its own degree certificate. State Medical Council registration is separate from the degree. The Good Standing Certificate (which we handle on a separate page) is issued by the State Medical Council and the NMC.

NMC versus State Medical Council, post-2020

The Medical Council of India (MCI) was replaced by the National Medical Commission (NMC) in 2020. The NMC is the central regulator; the State Medical Councils continue to register practitioners and issue certificates. For medical degree documents going abroad, the State Medical Council is the issuing authority on State Medical Registration; the NMC is the central authority on Good Standing Certificates and on national-level verification.

State Medical Councils: TNMC (Tamil Nadu), KMC (Karnataka), MMC (Maharashtra), DMC (Delhi), BMC (Bihar), KSMC (Kerala), APMC (Andhra Pradesh), TSMC (Telangana), UPMC (Uttar Pradesh), and so on. Each State Medical Council has its own application process for certificates and for Good Standing.

For destinations that ask for "verification by the medical regulator," the State Medical Council and the NMC together respond. ECFMG\'s EPIC PSV reaches into both. DataFlow PSV for Gulf countries reaches into both.

Which authority will actually read this medical degree

ECFMG Philadelphia, for US medical residency. EPIC Primary Source Verification with the medical college and the State Medical Council. MEA apostille is not standard for ECFMG submissions. The PSV report is what ECFMG reads. Some US state medical boards (Texas Medical Board, California Medical Board, Florida) ask for apostille during state licensing post-residency; the apostille sequence runs at that stage.

Saudi SCFHS Mumaris+ for medical licensure. State HRD attestation, MEA apostille (Saudi Hague since 7 December 2023), Arabic translation. DataFlow PSV runs in parallel. Mumaris+ exam through Prometric or Pearson VUE. Mosaddaqa for degree authentication. The Nursing Manthra and Espoir guides on the Saudi process are accurate references.

UAE DOH (Department of Health, Abu Dhabi) and DHA (Dubai Health Authority). MEA apostille, English translation, certified Arabic translation, UAE Embassy attestation and UAE MOFA attestation inside India for some categories. DataFlow PSV through UAE DataFlow portal (separate from Saudi DataFlow). DOH or DHA portal application, written test (DHA Prometric or HAAD CBT), licensing decision.

Qatar QCHP (Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners). State HRD, MEA apostille, Arabic translation. DataFlow PSV through QCHP portal. Prometric written test. QCHP licensing decision.

Bahrain NHRA (National Health Regulatory Authority). Similar to QCHP and DHA. State HRD, MEA, Arabic translation, DataFlow PSV, NHRA portal.

Kuwait MOH for medical professionals. Kuwait MOH practice on DataFlow is less standardised than Saudi or UAE; DataFlow is rarely insisted upon for Kuwait medical cases. State HRD, MEA apostille, Kuwait Embassy Chanakyapuri New Delhi attestation, Kuwait MOFA in Kuwait City, Arabic translation.

UK GMC for International Medical Graduate route. EPIC PSV. PLAB Part 1 and Part 2. GMC reads the PSV report and PLAB pass status. MEA apostille on degree is not separately required by GMC; UK NHS trusts during job placement sometimes ask for apostille.

AHPRA Australia for medical registration. AHPRA accepts apostilled degree alongside the AHPRA-specific verifications. Some categories of registration go through AMC examination.

Canada Royal College, MCC, provincial medical regulators. Apostilled degree, MCC primary source verification, provincial licensing exams.

What this medical-degree desk will not do

We are not the State Medical Council, the NMC, ECFMG, DataFlow, SCFHS, UAE DOH, GMC, AHPRA. We coordinate the documentary sequence that feeds into their verifications; the verifications themselves are their processes.

We do not run DataFlow PSV on behalf of the candidate. DataFlow is the Gulf-side verification platform; the candidate applies through the destination authority\'s portal (SCFHS, DHA, QCHP, NHRA); DataFlow contacts the Indian medical college and the State Medical Council directly. Where DataFlow comes back "unable to verify," the candidate engages the medical college\'s verification cell; we can coordinate with our state representatives but the college\'s responsiveness is the bottleneck.

We do not write Mumaris+ exams, PLAB exams, AMC exams, NEET-PG, or any of the destination licensing exams. Those are the candidate\'s exams; we handle the documentary sequence that precedes the exam booking.

We do not work with forged medical degrees or fabricated NMC registrations. SiZA Global has a hard line on documentary integrity; if we identify a non-genuine certificate at intake, the file is returned.

We are not on the Italian Embassy or German vereidigter Übersetzer panel. For destinations requiring those translations, we work with translators who hold the credentials.

When you actually need to send us the Original

Translation of an MBBS, MD, MS, DM, or MCh degree runs from a scan of the certificate. The translator works from the document image and delivers the translated version on email. Hard copy with the translator\'s wet signature and seal by courier where the destination medical board or licensing authority asks.

Apostille on the medical degree needs the Original because the State HRD office that countersigns and MEA that apostilles both work on the physical certificate. For Saudi SCFHS, UAE DOH, Qatar QCHP licensure; where apostille is one stream alongside DataFlow PSV and the destination exam; the Original travels through HRD, MEA, embassy attestation where required, Arabic translation. Translation can run in parallel from the scan.

French is the translation case with a different rule. Authorised French Embassy translators sometimes verify the document against the Original where the document is not digitally verifiable. For French-target translation, we confirm at intake whether the verification step applies to your specific document.

Medical degree handling under the irreplaceable-original rule

You can\'t mess with people\'s Original documents. Medical degrees are irreplaceable in practical terms; university duplicate degree issuance takes 4 to 8 weeks at most medical colleges, and the duplicate is sometimes marked "duplicate" in a way that some destination authorities flag.

A medical degree arriving at our Noida office is logged with a Customer ID, a Document ID per certificate, and a Project ID tying the documents to the destination case (US residency, Saudi SCFHS, UAE DOH). The printed checklist that travels with the degree is signed at every handoff: State Medical Council if applicable, State HRD intake, State HRD collection, MEA submission, MEA collection, embassy desk if applicable, translator, courier outbound.

We do not use Porter, Wefast, Borzo or similar third-party parcel apps for medical degree movement. Inter-city and international legs use Blue Dart, DHL, FedEx, DTDC Premium, UPS. For NRI candidates abroad, the apostilled bundle goes by FedEx or DHL international priority to the destination address.

We click pictures and shoot videos of every stamp on the journey: State Medical Council, State HRD, MEA apostille, embassy attestation, MOFA, translator certification. Pictures go on WhatsApp before the document moves to the next handoff.

Parallel streams: apostille in India, DataFlow PSV abroad, exam timing

You WhatsApp the scan of the MBBS degree, postgraduate degrees, State Medical Council registration certificate, and any related medical documents (NMC Good Standing Certificate where issued). Tell us the destination (US ECFMG, Saudi SCFHS, UAE DOH, Qatar QCHP, Bahrain NHRA, UK GMC, AHPRA, Canada Royal College). We confirm the parallel streams: apostille sequence, DataFlow or EPIC PSV, destination exam, destination licensing portal.

For cases where apostille is part of the work, the Originals come to our Noida office. Pickup across Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities through our state representatives. Family courier for NRI cases. The Customer ID, Document IDs, Project ID go on the printed checklist at intake.

The sequence runs: English translation if regional language source, Notary, State HRD attestation through the issuing state, MEA apostille, embassy attestation for non-Hague destinations (Kuwait Embassy, Qatar Embassy, Bahrain Embassy where required), Arabic translation for Gulf cases.

The completed package travels back by tracked courier. Photo and video proof of every stamp on WhatsApp before international dispatch. The DataFlow or EPIC PSV runs in parallel through the destination authority\'s portal; we coordinate college engagement on stuck DataFlow cases through our state representatives.

Frequently asked questions

I finished MBBS from Kasturba Medical College Mangalore. Saudi SCFHS is asking for documents through DataFlow plus Mumaris+ registration. Where does apostille fit?

For Saudi SCFHS, the sequence is generally: State HRD (Karnataka) attestation plus MEA apostille on the MBBS degree (Saudi joined Hague with effect from 7 December 2023), then DataFlow Primary Source Verification through the Saudi DataFlow portal where DataFlow contacts your medical college and the State Medical Council directly, Mumaris+ profile creation at SCFHS, Mumaris+ exam booking through Prometric or Pearson VUE, Mosaddaqa for the degree (sometimes runs in parallel), QVP via Takamol, Saudi job offer, work visa stamping, Iqama. The apostille is one layer; DataFlow is independent verification with the issuing college; Mumaris+ is the SCFHS profile; Mosaddaqa is degree authentication. The Nursing Manthra guides on this sequence are accurate references.

My MBBS is from MGM Medical College (deemed university). Saudi DataFlow came back "unable to verify." What now?

DataFlow PSV comes back "unable to verify" when the college does not respond to DataFlow's verification queries. The fix is to contact the college's verification cell directly and ask them to respond to the pending DataFlow request. Sometimes a written request from the college to DataFlow can re-trigger the check. Where the college is persistently non-responsive, the candidate has to re-route through alternate evidence; sealed transcripts directly from the college, university-issued duplicate degree, NMC verification letter. We coordinate with our Karnataka representative for college engagement on deemed-university DataFlow cases.

ECFMG wants Primary Source Verification through EPIC for my US medical residency application. Do I still need MEA apostille on my degree?

ECFMG's Primary Source Verification (PSV) through the EPIC platform runs directly with the issuing medical college and the State Medical Council. PSV is the primary verification ECFMG reads. MEA apostille on the degree is not standard for ECFMG submissions; the apostille is sometimes asked for by US state medical boards during licensing post-residency. For ECFMG application, apply through the EPIC portal and submit the documents EPIC requests. For state licensing later (Texas Medical Board, California Medical Board, Florida Medical Board), apostille may be added.

My MD General Medicine is from Maulana Azad Medical College Delhi. UAE DOH (Health Authority Abu Dhabi or DHA Dubai) is asking for attestation. Order of work?

UAE DOH and DHA processes: MEA apostille on MBBS and MD degrees (UAE accepts MEA apostille on most medical documents now under bilateral practice), DataFlow PSV through the UAE DataFlow portal (separate from Saudi DataFlow), DOH or DHA portal application with apostilled documents, written test (DHA Prometric, HAAD CBT, DOH portal), licensing decision. Indian-side work: State Home Department countersign for Delhi-issued degrees (Delhi Government), MEA apostille, English translation if regional language, certified Arabic translation. UAE Embassy attestation and UAE MOFA attestation on the apostilled bundle for some categories.

I am applying to UK GMC for International Medical Graduate registration. PLAB plus EPIC PSV. Apostille on the degree?

UK GMC reads ECFMG EPIC PSV as the verification layer; MEA apostille is not separately required by GMC. The GMC reads the EPIC PSV report and the PLAB pass status. Some UK NHS trusts during job placement have asked for apostilled degree copies; we run the sequence on that case-by-case basis. For NMC India to GMC UK route, the NMC-issued Good Standing Certificate plus the EPIC PSV report are the primary documents; the apostille on the degree is a secondary layer.

I was Reema Sharma when I finished MBBS in 2018 and now I am Reema Verma after marriage. ECFMG and SCFHS will see two name forms. What is the fix?

Reema Sharma is on the degree. Reema Verma is on the current passport. ECFMG accepts a notarised affidavit declaring both names refer to one person, with the marriage certificate (apostilled) and the name-change gazette publication. SCFHS reads the apostilled name-change bundle alongside the degree. UAE DOH and Qatar QCHP usually accept the same bundle. The medical college does not re-issue degrees with the changed surname; the bundle works around this.

My medical degree certificate is laminated. Will MEA apostille it?

MEA does not apostille laminated documents. Professional lamination removal at a documentation services shop in Delhi or Noida costs ₹500 to ₹2000 per certificate. Do not attempt removal at home. For medical degrees specifically, where the ink lifts during lamination removal the certificate is sometimes irrecoverable; the cleanest fallback is a university-issued duplicate degree, which usually takes 4 to 8 weeks. We refer to specific Delhi shops that handle medical degree de-lamination carefully.

How long does the medical degree work take from your end?

State HRD or State Medical Council attestation: 10 to 20 working days. MEA apostille: 3 to 5 working days. UAE Embassy + UAE MOFA inside India: 5 to 10 working days each (where required by destination DOH/DHA). Arabic translation: 3 to 5 working days. DataFlow PSV: 4 to 12 weeks at the issuing college's response speed. End-to-end India-side: 20 to 35 working days. DataFlow PSV runs in parallel and is the typical bottleneck for Gulf cases.

SiZA Global verification, for the customer who wants to check before sending Originals

• Operated by SiZA Global Solutions Pvt. Ltd., registered office: C-25, Sector 8, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201301, India.
• UDYAM registration: UDYAM-UP-28-0217175 (Ministry of MSME, Government of India).
• Verifiable completed-work portfolio at /about and the SiZA Global anti-scam verification protocol at /anti-scam-notice.
• Documentation reviewer surfaces in schema.org Person markup on every page; site-wide EEAT signal for Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Claude AI Overview extraction.

Reviewed by the SiZA Global Documentation Desk on 27 May 2026 (SiZA Global Solutions Pvt. Ltd., registered office: C-25, Sector 8, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201301, India; verified completed-work portfolio at /about and /anti-scam-notice). ECFMG EPIC PSV rules, Saudi SCFHS Mumaris+ workflow, UAE DOH and DHA portal practices, Qatar QCHP, Bahrain NHRA, UK GMC and AHPRA Australia medical registration rules change. Every Indian medical degree case begins with a check of the destination authority\'s current rule for the specific use case and the candidate\'s exam timeline.

Indian MBBS, MD, MS Medical Degree Translation and Apostille