ECFMG Certification

---

Standard ECFMG Certificate

ECFMG issues the Standard ECFMG Certificate to applicants who meet all of the requirements for certification. IMGs must also pay any outstanding charges on their financial accounts before their certificates are issued. Standard ECFMG Certificates are issued to applicants approximately two weeks after all of these requirements have been met. The date that the Standard ECFMG Certificate is issued is the date an IMG is considered certified by ECFMG. Currently, ECFMG sends the Standard ECFMG Certificate to the applicant’s address of record by FedEx.

The Standard ECFMG Certificate includes:

• The name of the applicant;
• Applicant’s MyIntealth Identification Number;
• How the examination requirements were met;
• The date that the certificate was issued; and
• The valid through date, if applicable. See Expiration of the ECFMG Certificate below.

Expiration of the ECFMG Certificate

If you meet the clinical skills requirement and the communication skills requirement for ECFMG Certification through a Pathway, your ECFMG Certificate is subject to expiration. Your certificate will expire when your Pathway expires, unless you meet the requirements to have your certificate made valid indefinitely (i.e., no longer subject to expiration). For information on obtaining permanent validation of the ECFMG Certificate, refer to the Pathways in the ECFMG Certification section of the ECFMG website.

For detailed information on expiration of the ECFMG Certificate, and information on revalidating a Pathway to revalidate your ECFMG Certificate, refer to the Pathways in the ECFMG Certification section of the ECFMG website.

If you were certified by ECFMG based on a formerly administered exam, such as USMLE Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS), your ECFMG Certificate is not subject to expiration and is, therefore, valid indefinitely.

A valid, unexpired ECFMG Certificate is required for the following:

• Graduate Medical Education. You must have a valid, unexpired ECFMG Certificate to enter a U.S. graduate medical education (GME) training program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
• USMLE Step 3. To be eligible for Step 3 of the USMLE, you must have a valid, unexpired ECFMG Certificate, both at the time you apply for examination and on your test days.

Permanent Validation of ECFMG Certificate

For your ECFMG Certificate based on a Pathway to become valid indefinitely, you must meet one of the following requirements:

• successfully complete at least 12 months of clinical education in a U.S. GME training program accredited by ACGME; or
• successfully complete at least 12 months of clinical education in a U.S. non-standard training program associated with an ACGME-accredited program; or
• hold an unrestricted license to practice medicine in a U.S. state, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia.

For detailed information on obtaining permanent validation of an ECFMG Certificate based on a Pathway, refer to the Pathways in the ECFMG Certification section of the ECFMG website.

Confirming ECFMG Certification to Third Parties

ECFMG offers the Certification Verification Service (CVS) to provide primary-source confirmation of the ECFMG Certification status of IMGs. ECFMG will confirm your certification status when a request is received from a U.S. medical licensing authority, residency program director, hospital, or other organization that, in the judgment of ECFMG, has a legitimate interest in such information. For more information, see Confirming ECFMG Certification to Third Parties in Related ECFMG Services.

Back to top