Recognition abroad of a medical diploma obtained in Georgia: the US, Israel, Nigeria

What does a regulator in any country check?

Medicine is a regulated profession, so a translation of your diploma does not by itself give you the right to work. Countries use different procedures, but the logic of the checks is almost the same and comes down to four questions:

• School: whether your university is on the list the receiving country trusts, and whether that entry covers the years you studied.
• Authenticity of documents: the regulator often verifies the diploma and transcript directly with the issuing institution or asks for a separate confirmation.
• Right to practise: some countries ask for proof that you are entitled to work as a doctor in the country where you studied, and a certificate that this right has not been suspended.
• Exams and language: almost everywhere you need to pass the receiving country's licensing or assessment examination.

The German procedure, which differs from one federal state to another, is covered separately in our guide to diploma recognition in Germany, and the requirements of India's National Medical Commission in our guide for Indian students. We do not describe the UK regulator's rules on this page, because at this stage we have not been able to verify them in an official source.

Why your school's status matters most: the Directory and accreditation

The World Directory of Medical Schools is an international list of medical schools that regulators in various countries use in their own requirements. For example, admitting an international graduate to the USMLE requires the school to be listed in this Directory as meeting ECFMG requirements, and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria admits to its examination only graduates of schools listed in the Directory. So before you choose a country, look up your school's entry in the Directory and its notes.

The second layer is the quality of national accreditation. In Georgia, higher education programmes are accredited by the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement (NCEQE). On the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) list of recognised agencies, NCEQE holds recognised status until October 2028. This matters because some countries assess a foreign school by whether its national accreditor is internationally recognised.

The US: USMLE and ECFMG certification

The single licensing examination for doctors in the US is the USMLE, a joint programme of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the NBME. It has three parts: Step 1 tests the basic sciences, Step 2 CK clinical knowledge, and Step 3 the ability to practise independently. For a doctor educated outside the US, the route links these examinations to ECFMG certification.

The table is based on the addendum to the USMLE 2026 Bulletin of Information, published on 15 December 2025.

The 2026 change: registration with the FSMB

Since 12 January 2026, students and graduates of medical schools outside the US register for all three parts through the FSMB's USMLE portal, and existing records have been transferred from ECFMG to the FSMB. The Bulletin stresses that this change does not affect ECFMG certification requirements: ECFMG still decides for itself who meets the certification conditions, and this remains a prerequisite for admission to the USMLE. Results usually appear two to four weeks after the exam, but the USMLE advises allowing at least eight weeks for the notification when planning your dates.

The USMLE also advises that before Step 3 you should have completed, or be close to completing, at least one year of training in an accredited US postgraduate programme. Check other details of ECFMG certification, including the assessment of clinical and communication skills and the rules for translating documents, in ECFMG's current Information Booklet, as we have not been able to verify these conditions in an official source for this page.

Israel: the Yatziv reform and Georgian schools

In Israel a doctor's licence is issued by the Ministry of Health, and a doctor educated abroad first sits the licensing examination. According to the State Comptroller's report of July 2024, in 2018 the Ministry drew up a list of foreign universities that do not meet the standard of medical education. It was decided that students who began their studies at these universities from 2019 onwards would no longer be admitted to the licensing examination in Israel and, as a result, would not be able to work there as doctors. This change is known as the Yatziv reform.

The report also publishes the number of Israeli licences issued in 2022 to doctors educated abroad, by country. On this chart Georgia is marked among the countries whose medical schools are flagged as unrecognised locations listed under the reform. In 2022, 11 doctors educated in Georgia received an Israeli licence, but the chart reflects graduates who began their studies before 2019. According to the report, the effect of the reform on the number of doctors educated abroad should become visible from 2026.

The chart works at country level and does not name any particular university. So if you plan to work in Israel, before you start your studies or apply for recognition, check your specific school's status on the current list of the Ministry of Health's Medical Professions Licensing Division. Establish the rules for documents, including translation and certification requirements, from the Ministry's current instructions; we have not been able to verify these details in an official source for this page, so we do not state them.

Nigeria: the MDCN assessment examination

The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) holds an assessment examination for doctors educated abroad. According to the Council's official notice, the next examination is scheduled for 28-29 October 2026 in Kano. The admission conditions are directly relevant to holders of a Georgian diploma:

• School in the Directory. The examination is for candidates whose institution is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools.
• Global verification of the degree. The Council checks the diploma through an international verification process; the application must include an identification form stamped by EPIC or Dataflow.
• Right to practise in the country of study. You need a current licensing document and a Certificate of Good Standing from that country's regulator, not from the university.
• A diploma, not a transcript. A statement of results is not accepted in place of the diploma; a student who has not yet received the diploma cannot apply.

The examination includes a computer-based test and a clinical part, while the English language component is for those who studied on a non-English programme. You may therefore need separate proof, issued by your university, that your Georgian medical programme was taught in English.

Which documents are prepared in Georgia for any country?

Whatever the receiving country, the core of the Georgian documents is almost the same. Preparing them in advance saves months, because some certificates take time to issue.

Authenticity confirmation and the apostille are different services: the first confirms that the document was genuinely issued and the programme completed, the second confirms the authenticity of the signature and seal for use abroad. According to NCEQE's website, confirmation requires an application, a notarised copy of the document, a copy of your ID, a power of attorney where applicable and a receipt for the fee; the fee is GEL 40, 80, 120 or 250 depending on the processing time, and a bilingual Georgian-English decision costs an additional GEL 25. A Georgian citizen who is abroad can apply on my.gov.ge with an electronic signature.

On the right to practise, bear in mind one feature of Georgian law: a diploma allows you to work as a junior doctor, but independent practice requires a state certificate, which is issued after postgraduate training and a certification examination. When a receiving country asks for a "licence from the country of study", find out which of these two documents it means.

How to plan: steps and common mistakes

1. Check your school on the receiving country's list

   The Directory, a national list or both; the entry must cover the years you studied.

2. Find out who verifies the diploma

   Some regulators contact the university directly, others ask for NCEQE's confirmation or an apostille. Yesterday's advice may no longer apply today.

3. Collect your Georgian documents in one go

   Diploma, supplement, authenticity confirmation, apostille and proof of the right to practise; the Latin spelling of your name must match your passport everywhere.

4. Translation under the receiving country's rules

   Some countries accept a Georgian notarised translation, others only one by their own sworn translator. Check before you order.

5. Exam calendar

   Put the exam date, the registration deadline and the validity of your language certificate in one table.

The most expensive mistake is checking your school's status too late: if the receiving country does not recognise your school, neither an accurate translation nor an apostille can fix that. The second common problem is submitting a transcript instead of the diploma, and the third is a different transliteration of your name across documents.

Solidaroba.ge cannot influence a foreign regulator's decision and does not promise any outcome. We prepare the Georgian side: translation of the diploma and supplement, notarisation and the apostille, and for a country that is not party to the Hague Convention, consular legalisation. If you are not sure whether you need an apostille or legalisation, our tool for checking this will help, and the reverse route, recognition of a foreign diploma in Georgia, is described in a separate guide.

Frequently asked questions about recognition of a medical diploma abroad