National Medical Commission proposes UID for doctors

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.

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.

Under the proposed system, registration and licensing would be routed through a unified registration portal of the NMC’s Ethics and Medical Registration Board. The State Medical Council would continue to scrutinise applications and grant registration and the licence to practise, but the approval would simultaneously be reflected in both the State Medical Register and the National Medical Register.

The UID assigned in the register would incorporate the State/Union Territory code and the practitioner’s State Medical Register number, the NMC said. 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 draft also proposes automatic electronic synchronisation between the national and State registers so that a change made in one register is reflected in the other. The National Medical Register would serve as a central repository of registration details as well as disciplinary proceedings, including suspension, removal, and restoration of registration.

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 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.

While seeking to create a nationwide registration framework, the draft leaves disciplinary jurisdiction primarily with the State Medical Council in whose territorial jurisdiction the alleged professional misconduct, unethical conduct or medical negligence occurred.

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. 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 draft also provides for an appeal mechanism. If a State Medical Council rejects an application for registration, license or renewal, the applicant can appeal to the Ethics and Medical Registration Board within 30 days. The Board would have 30 days to decide the appeal, and if it allows the appeal, its order directing the State Council to grant registration or a license would be binding on the council.

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.

The draft also proposes extending temporary registration for foreign nationals undertaking postgraduate or super-speciality courses from a maximum of 12 months to the duration of the course, subject to a maximum of 24 months, followed by a one-year cooling-off period.

Additionally, existing practitioners who do not have a National Medical Register UID would have to update their details on the Ethics and Medical Registration Board portal within a period to be specified by the Board and obtain the UID as a one-time measure. No fee would be charged for this exercise.

The draft notification has not yet to come into force.