Many Indian families choose Italy without checking one thing: can the degree lead to a licence in India? This page sets out the rules and the facts, so you can decide with your eyes open.
What India’s FMGL Regulations 2021 require
To practise in India with a foreign medical degree, NMC’s Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate (FMGL) Regulations 2021 require, among other conditions:
- A course of at least 54 months, taught in English, with the subjects of the Indian MBBS.
- An internship of 12 months in the same foreign institution, in addition to the course.
- Eligibility for a licence to practise in the country of study, on the same terms as its own citizens.
- A supervised internship of 12 months in India after returning, and passing India’s licensing exam (FMGE, to be replaced by NExT).
- NEET-UG qualification before taking admission abroad.
NMC’s own FAQ says the internship is a separate phase from the clinical training inside the 54 months.
How Italy’s degree is built
- Medicine and Surgery (LM-41) is a six-year, 360-credit single-cycle degree, taught in English on the IMAT courses.
- Clinical rotations run through the later years. A three-month practical-evaluative traineeship (tirocinio pratico-valutativo) is done inside the course.
- Since 2020 the degree itself qualifies graduates to practise in Italy (laurea abilitante). There is no separate 12-month internship after the course.
Our honest reading
Italy’s standard structure does not show the separate 12-month internship that FMGL 2021 describes. Some websites call Italian degrees “NMC-compliant”. We do not, because we cannot prove it from the rules.
If practising in India is your main goal, write to NMC and get a clear answer for the exact university and course before you apply. If you plan a career in Italy or Europe, Italy can be an excellent choice, subject to that country’s licensing rules.
Questions to ask before you decide
- Do I want to practise in India, in Italy or Europe, or am I open to either?
- Have I qualified NEET-UG, so that the India route stays open?
- Has NMC confirmed in writing how it treats this exact course?
- Can my family plan for six years in Italy, including living costs, even without a scholarship?
Have a question about Italy? Ask us directly.
Message us on WhatsApp or call. We will tell you honestly whether Italy fits your plans, including whether you want to practise in India later.