Permanent registration and the NMR ID

What the law requires

Only a person enrolled in a State Register or the National Register may practise as a qualified medical practitioner in India (NMC Act, section 34). The framework behind that — the two registers, and the doctors deemed to be enrolled — is set out in how medical registration works.

Registration under the 2023 Regulations

Who is entitled. A person with a primary medical qualification recognised under the NMC Act who qualifies the National Exit Test is entitled to registration in the National Medical Register (Regulation 4(i)). A foreign medical graduate is entitled on qualifying NExT and meeting the conditions of the Foreign Medical Graduates Regulations, 2021 (Regulation 4(ii)).

The UID. A Unique Identification number is generated centrally by the Ethics and Medical Registration Board. It grants registration in the National Medical Register and eligibility to practise medicine in India (Regulation 4(iii)). A processing fee, as prescribed by the Board from time to time, is payable to the Secretary, NMC (Regulation 4(iv)).

Applying for a licence (Regulation 6):

1. Apply through the Board’s web portal, in its electronic format.
2. Choose the state or states in which you want to practise. The application is referred to the council of each.
3. The council considers the application, after charging its fee, within 30 days.
4. The licence number is formed from the UID with the code of the state or union territory attached.
5. The approval is reflected in both the National and the State Register.

As published, Regulation 4 also says that until the Regulations and the relevant sections are in force, “licence to practice and prevailing system of Registration shall continue”.

Doctors already registered. A practitioner already on the Indian Medical Register or a State Register without a registration number under these Regulations was to update their details on the Board’s portal within three months of publication and obtain the number as a one-time measure, free of charge. The licence generated is valid for five years from issue (Regulation 11).

What the National Medical Register shows the public

Regulation 5 lists the particulars the public register displays: registration number, name, father’s name, date of registration, place of work, medical qualifications including additional ones, specialty, year of passing, university, and the institution or university where each qualification was obtained.

The NMR portal

The Board’s public notice (cover letter dated 30 August 2024) records that:

• the portal was inaugurated on 23 August 2024 and opened for registration with immediate effect
• the register is linked with each doctor’s Aadhaar ID
• MBBS doctors already on the Indian Medical Register have to register again on the NMR
• at the time of the notice only the basic (MBBS) qualification could be registered; registration of additional qualifications “would be made available on the portal shortly”
• queries go to [email protected]

Not yet recorded here: whether additional qualifications can now be registered on the portal, and any later deadline for re-registration.

If a council refuses

Regulation 12 sets out two appeals:

1. To the Ethics and Medical Registration Board, within 30 days of receiving the council’s decision. The appeal goes to the Secretary, NMC, with the original application, the council’s order, a written statement contesting the grounds of rejection, and the processing fee.
2. The Board decides within 30 days. If it allows the appeal, its order binds the council, which must grant the licence within 15 days of receiving it.
3. If the Board rejects the appeal, a second appeal lies to the Commission within 60 days of the Board’s communication. The Commission’s decision is final.

What the 2026 draft would change

The draft amendments published on 11 August 2026 would, if made final:

• replace Regulation 6: a person applies to the council through the Unified Registration portal of the Board; the council decides within 30 days; and the UID embeds the state or union territory code and the State Register number
• allow a practitioner registered by a council and allotted a UID to practise in any state or union territory without fresh registration (proposed Regulation 6(f))
• drop the UID processing-fee clause, replacing it with the requirement that the two registers stay synchronised
• add licence status (active or inactive) and disciplinary action to what the register displays
• give existing practitioners a period decided by the Board, rather than three months, to obtain a UID, still free of charge
• accept the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination until NExT comes into force, and include Overseas Citizens of India in the definition of a foreign medical graduate

Displaying your registration number

The Ethics Regulations, 2002, now in force, require a physician to display the registration number given by the council in the clinic and on all prescriptions, certificates and money receipts (Regulation 1.4.1).