Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates
Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates
1. How does ECFMG protect my privacy and the security of my documents?
ECFMG, a division of Intealth, shares your concerns for maintaining the integrity and privacy of personal information collected on the Internet. We are committed to protecting your privacy, and invite you to review the Intealth Privacy Notice. Please review the entire notice and feel free to contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions.
2. How does ECFMG provide my MyIntealth ID?
Once your MyIntealth account has been established, you will be assigned a MyIntealth ID. Your MyIntealth ID will be available under Identity Information in the “My Profile” section of MyIntealth. If you were previously issued an EPIC ID, your EPIC ID also will be available under Identity Information in the “My Profile” section of MyIntealth.
3. How much does it cost to use EPIC?
EPIC fees vary based on the services you require. Please see EPIC Fees for current pricing for EPIC’s services.
4. I am pursuing ECFMG Certification and registering for the USMLE. Should I use EPIC to verify my medical education credentials?
You are not required to use EPIC if you are pursuing ECFMG Certification and applying for the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®). You will provide your medical education credentials to ECFMG for verification through the ECFMG Certification program.
If your credentials have been previously verified through EPIC, ECFMG may be able to use that verification to complete your ECFMG Certification request, however, you will still be required to submit your credentials as part of the Application for ECFMG Certification.
You are welcome to use EPIC to build a portfolio of your medical credentials, if desired, at any time. Please contact us if you have any questions.
5. How do I access EPIC?
MyIntealth™ is the new online environment for accessing services offered by Intealth™ and its divisions, ECFMG® and FAIMER®. A MyIntealth account is required to apply for any of our services. Please see the Online Services Overview for detailed information on establishing a MyIntealth account and meeting our identity verification requirements.
Once your MyIntealth account is fully established, which means you have a valid Intealth Identification Form (IIF) on record and you have been assigned a MyIntealth ID, you can access our EPIC service.
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1. Do my medical school credentials need to be from a medical school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (World Directory)?
No. The medical school credentials you add to your EPIC Portfolio do not need to be from a medical school listed in the World Directory. However, the organization to which you are applying may require that your medical school be listed in the World Directory or another resource on medical education. Before submitting your credentials to EPIC, you should consult with the organization to which you plan to apply regarding the eligibility of graduates from your medical school.
2. I need to have my credentials translated into English. Do you recommend a translation service?
Yes. ECFMG recommends that you use Straker Translations . Translations from this service meet ECFMG’s translation requirements, and therefore will not be rejected for not meeting these requirements. Please see English Translations in the Resources section of this website.
3. Why am I unable to upload my credentials to my EPIC Portfolio?
If you are experiencing technical difficulties uploading your credentials, please be sure you are using the most recent version of your web browser. If you are not already doing so, please consider using Google Chrome, which provides the best experience when using MyIntealth. In addition, please be aware that MyIntealth is not currently designed for use on a mobile device, such as a tablet or a mobile phone. We recommend that you access MyIntealth on a desktop or laptop computer. If you continue to experience technical issues uploading your credentials, please contact us.
4. I am unable to upload scans of my credentials made directly from my original credentials. Can I upload scans made from copies of my original credentials?
Yes. ECFMG does not require that the scan of a credential that you upload for verification through EPIC be made from the original credential. You may upload a scan of a copy of the credential, provided that it is a complete and accurate copy of the original credential, and that the scan meets file requirements. Acceptable file formats are DOCX, GIF, JPG/JPEG, PDF, PNG, and TIFF, with a maximum file size of 10MB. The page size for an uploaded credential must be between 5 x 8 inches and 9 x 12 inches.
5. The name on my credential is different from the name on my passport (the name used in my Intealth profile). Do I need to submit documentation to confirm that the name on my credential is valid?
Yes. As part of uploading your credential for verification, you will be required to submit name documentation to validate your name as it appears on your credential, if that name differs from the name on your passport. If you send an EPIC Report to an organization that requires validation of the name on your credential, that organization may also require that you submit documentation that meets its guidelines; please contact the institution for guidance on required documentation.
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1. How long will it take to verify my credential?
The time it takes to verify your credential depends on a number of factors, including the time it takes for your institution to receive the verification request, the time it takes for the institution to respond, and whether the institution charges a fee to verify credentials. Through EPIC, approximately 80% of credentials are verified within 30 days and 90% of credentials are verified within 90 days.
When you upload a credential to EPIC, ECFMG will process that credential within five business days. If the credential is not acceptable (for example, you did not include a translation for a document that is not in English, or it is not an appropriate document type), this will be indicated in the “My Cases” section of MyIntealth. If the credential is acceptable, we will send a verification request to the issuing institution. If we do not receive a response from the institution within the anticipated time period, we will send subsequent verification requests.
Once we receive a response from the issuing institution, we will review that verification typically within five business days. If the verification is acceptable, the credential will be added to your EPIC Portfolio. If the verification is not acceptable, we will resend the verification request to the institution. You can monitor the status of the verification process for your credentials through the “My Cases” section of MyIntealth.
You are advised to request an EPIC Portfolio and submit your credentials early enough to ensure that verification of your credentials is completed in time to support your application.
2. Can I expedite the verification of my credentials?
Because the time required to complete the verification process depends on a number of factors, including the time it takes for the issuing institution to respond to our verification requests, there is no way to expedite the verification process. However, at the time you upload your credential, you may have the option to request that ECFMG send the credential to the issuing institution by courier rather than airmail. ECFMG recommends this service as it reduces transit time, but please note that there is an additional fee for this service.
If you would like your verified credential returned by the issuing institution to ECFMG via courier, you will need to make arrangements directly with the issuing institution. ECFMG does not arrange for return courier service from the issuing institution. Please note, if you make arrangements with the issuing institution to return the credential via courier, the credential still must be returned to ECFMG directly from the issuing institution.
If the option to send your credential via courier is unavailable at the time you upload it for verification, and the issuing institution participates in ECFMG’s electronic Credentials Verification service, the credential will be sent to the institution electronically.
3. Are all credentials verified electronically?
No. Only credentials from institutions that participate in ECFMG’s electronic Credentials Verification service will be sent for verification electronically. If the option to send your credential for verification via courier was unavailable when you uploaded your credential to EPIC, and the school to which the verification request is being sent participates in ECFMG’s electronic Credentials Verification service, the verification request will be sent to the school electronically.
4. Why was the option to send the credential for verification via courier unavailable when I uploaded my credential to EPIC?
If the option to send your credential for verification via courier was unavailable when you uploaded your credential to EPIC, and the school to which the verification request is being sent participates in ECFMG’s electronic Credentials Verification service, the verification request will be sent to the school electronically.
5. My credential has been sent by regular mail. Can you resend it via courier?
Yes. If you would like ECFMG to resend a verification request via courier that was already sent by regular mail, you will need to:
Please note that to arrange to have your verified credential returned from the verifying institution to ECFMG via courier, you will need to make arrangements with the verifying institution.
6. What if my institution charges a fee to verify my medical credentials?
If an institution charges a fee to respond to ECFMG’s request for verification, payment of the fee to the institution is your responsibility. If an institution charges such a fee, ECFMG will notify you to contact the institution directly regarding the fee and the method of payment. In some cases, the institution will require that ECFMG pay this fee at the time the verification is requested. In this case, ECFMG will pay the fee and place a corresponding charge on your MyIntealth financial account. ECFMG will advise you of this in advance of assessing the fee to your account.
7. What if my medical credentials have been verified previously by ECFMG?
If your credentials have been primary-source verified by ECFMG for ECFMG Certification or on behalf of a medical regulatory authority through ECFMG’s International Credentials Services (EICS), you may not need to upload these credentials through EPIC. When you submit a request to establish an EPIC Portfolio, ECFMG will review your Intealth record, typically within 10 business days, and if these verifications are acceptable, we will add the verified credentials to your EPIC Portfolio. During this review, you will not be able to upload new credentials for verification.
8. My medical school is no longer in operation; can my credentials still be verified?
ECFMG maintains information on medical schools around the world, including verification authorities for medical schools that are no longer operational. If it has not been possible for ECFMG to primary-source verify your credentials after four attempts at contacting the issuing institution, please contact us for assistance.
9. My country is currently in conflict; can my credentials still be verified?
ECFMG maintains contacts at medical schools, hospitals, training programs, and licensing authorities around the world, even those in regions marked by conflict. In most cases, verification can be obtained through MyIntealth or via e-mail. If it has not been possible for ECFMG to primary-source verify your credentials after four attempts at contacting the issuing institution, please contact us for assistance.
10. How will I know when my credentials have been verified through EPIC?
EPIC will notify you by e-mail prompting you to log into your MyIntealth account for a status update when a credential has been verified. You can also monitor the status of the verification process through the “My Cases” section of MyIntealth.
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1. Will the organizations to which I send EPIC Reports have access to my EPIC Portfolio?
No. Organizations have access only to the reports and credentials that you make available to them.
2. How long will my EPIC Report be available to the organization to which I sent the report?
If the organization to which you have sent an EPIC Report is an EPIC Partner Organization, the report will be available in the MyIntealth Entity Portal for 18 months from the date of issuance.
If the organization to which you have sent an EPIC Report is not an EPIC Partner Organization, the report will be available in the one-time report portal for 90 days. See the Using EPIC web page for more information on how to determine if your report recipient is an EPIC Partner Organization.
If an organization indicates that they need access to your report after the expiration period, you will need to request a new report for the organization and pay the associated fee. Please see EPIC Fees for information on current pricing.
3. Can I use EPIC to send my medical credentials and verification reports to U.S. state medical boards?
Physicians can use EPIC to send their credentials, and reports verifying the authenticity of those credentials, to any organization anywhere in the world. ECFMG works with medical regulatory authorities around the world and collaborates closely with the Australian Medical Council, the Medical Council of Canada and several others. In the United States, where medical licensure is granted by authorities (“state medical boards”) of the individual states and territories, ECFMG works closely with the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) of the United States, Inc., and its Federation Credentials Verification Service (FCVS) . Nearly all U.S. state medical boards accept FCVS for licensure and some require that applicants for licensure use FCVS. If you are considering licensure in a U.S. jurisdiction, you should verify licensure application requirements directly with the jurisdiction.
4. Can I send an EPIC Report to myself?
Yes, you may send an EPIC Report to yourself. Please note, however, that you cannot send that report to or share it with others as proof of the authenticity of your credentials. EPIC Reports are considered valid only if obtained directly by the recipient through the MyIntealth Entity Portal or the one-time report portal. To demonstrate the authenticity of a credential to an organization, you must send an EPIC Report directly to that organization through EPIC.
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1. What are EPIC Notifications?
EPIC Notifications let an organization to which you plan to apply know that your credentials have been sent for verification. Notifications provide an organization with an indication of where you are in the primary-source verification process and which credentials you have submitted for verification, even before your credentials have been verified.
As you upload each credential, you will have the option to request that one EPIC Report be sent automatically once your credential has been verified. If the entity you select to receive an EPIC Report has elected to receive EPIC Notifications, a notification will be sent automatically once your credential has been sent for verification.
2. What information is included in an EPIC Notification?
Each notification will include your name, your MyIntealth ID, the type of credential that has been sent for verification, the name of the institution that issued the credential, your name as it appears on the document, and the date on which the verification request was sent. The notification will also include details that you provided when uploading the credential, such as program start and end dates, degree issue date, license/registration issue date, the title of your medical degree, and postgraduate program name. The notification also will include a copy of the credential that you uploaded and the English translation, if applicable.
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[Last update: August 18, 2025]
