Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates

Certification Verification Service

The Joint Commission, the organization that evaluates and accredits U.S. health care organizations and programs, has determined that direct verification with ECFMG of a physician’s certification status satisfies The Joint Commission’s requirement for primary-source verification of medical school completion for graduates of international medical schools. ECFMG’s Certification Verification Service (CVS) provides this primary-source confirmation of an individual’s ECFMG certification status to medical licensing authorities, residency programs, hospitals, or other organizations that, in the judgment of ECFMG, have a legitimate interest in such information.

ECFMG will confirm an international medical graduate’s (IMG) certification status when a request is received from such an organization. For status reports sent to medical licensing authorities, the request can also be made by the IMG. Requesting organizations must normally secure and retain the IMG’s signed authorization to obtain certification information. Confirmations are sent to the requesting organization within approximately two weeks. Confirmations are not sent to applicants directly.

Note: For IMGs who apply to residency programs through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS), an electronic ECFMG Status Report will be transmitted automatically to the ERAS application. For more information on an ECFMG Status Report for ERAS, visit the Supporting Documents page.

For more information on CVS, to obtain the appropriate request form, or to make an on-line request, visit www.ecfmg.org/cvs.

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[Last update: August 18, 2025]