How to Apply for the USMLE from India (2026): Registration, Fees & Test Centres

Most Indian students who stall on the USMLE don’t stall on the medicine — they stall on the paperwork. A name that doesn’t match across two portals, a college slow to confirm enrolment, a RuPay card that won’t go through, a three-month window with no seats left in it. And in 2026 the process itself moved: since 12 January 2026, you register for Step 1 and Step 2 CK on FSMB’s USMLE portal, not through ECFMG. Many of the guides still ranking for this search were written before that change.

This is the whole route from India, in order: the three portals, every fee in dollars and rupees, how to find a real Prometric seat, what “USMLE exam dates” means until fixed dates arrive in 2029, and the ID rules that turn candidates away on test day. Get the admin right once, and your USMLE preparation time goes into the exam.

Are You Eligible to Register?

You can register if you are officially enrolled in, or a graduate of, a medical school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools as meeting ECFMG eligibility requirements — both when you apply and on test day. You don’t have to wait for your degree. Check your college’s entry in the World Directory, including its ECFMG sponsor note, before you pay anything. The fine print is in our guides to who is eligible for the USMLE and taking the USMLE right after MBBS.

What Changed in 2026 — and Why Older Guides Are Wrong

On 12 January 2026, the USMLE services international graduates rely on — registration, scheduling permits, extensions, testing-region changes, score reports and customer service — moved from ECFMG to the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB), as the USMLE’s transition FAQs set out. Any guide that tells you to register for a Step inside MyIntealth is describing the old process. ECFMG still runs your MyIntealth account, verifies your identity and your medical education, and decides whether you are eligible for certification. So you now keep two accounts in sync, and book through a third:

Portal	Run by	What you do there
MyIntealth	ECFMG (Intealth)	Account and online identity notarisation, Application for ECFMG Certification, verification of your MBBS documents, Pathways and OET
FSMB USMLE portal	FSMB	Step 1 and Step 2 CK applications and fees, scheduling permits, extensions, testing-region changes, score reports
Prometric	Prometric	Seat search, booking, rescheduling and test day

How to Apply for the USMLE from India, Step by Step

Six steps: the first three you do once, the last three for every exam.

1. Open your MyIntealth account and verify your identity

Open an account on ECFMG’s MyIntealth portal ($110, including $50 for online notarisation). MyIntealth then generates an Intealth Identification Form, which you complete in a live video session with a US notary through NotaryCam, showing your passport on camera — within six months of the form being created. Once you are verified you receive your MyIntealth ID; FSMB will ask for it. Enter your name exactly as it appears on your passport, because every later check compares against this record.

2. Apply for ECFMG Certification — and warn your college

Submit the Application for ECFMG Certification in MyIntealth ($580 since 1 April 2026). It isn’t the certificate — that comes after you pass Step 1 and Step 2 CK and meet the Pathways and OET requirements — but it is the gate: FSMB won’t open a Step application until it has been accepted.

ECFMG confirms your status directly with your college; graduates also pay $110 per document to verify the MBBS diploma and final transcript (students pay after graduating). This is usually the slowest link — online confirmations take days, paper ones weeks — so warn your dean’s office before you apply.

3. Create your FSMB account

At usmle.fsmb.org, choose Sign up now, verify your email, then enter your name, date of birth and your MyIntealth ID (plus your USMLE ID, if you have one). Your FSMB name must exactly match your Intealth record — that match is how FSMB confirms your eligibility.

• Only one name on your passport? FSMB’s instruction is to enter it in the Last name field and type FNU as your First name.
• If FSMB can’t find you in its database, you pay a non-refundable $75 and complete a manual identity check with a live selfie, which takes several days. The $75 is credited towards your next FSMB service.

4. Apply for Step 1 or Step 2 CK: choose your window and pay

FSMB now runs an identity match and an eligibility check with Intealth; pass both and each Step gets its own tab. You can take Step 1 and Step 2 CK in either order and apply for both the same day, paying for each separately. Every application asks for two decisions:

• A three-month eligibility period, such as April–June or September–November. You can’t change it after submitting, so read the exam-dates section below first.
• A testing region — India, if you are testing here. It can be changed after your permit is issued.

Then pay the $695 exam fee, the $210 (Step 1) or $235 (Step 2 CK) region fee, and 18% GST for India. FSMB accepts only Visa, Mastercard or American Express, so RuPay won’t work; use a card with international transactions switched on.

5. Get your scheduling permit — and check the name that day

Once your application is approved, FSMB emails your scheduling permit, which shows your eligibility period and the candidate ID you need to book. Check the name against your passport that day; if it is wrong, contact usmle@fsmb.org or +1 (817) 868-4041 at once, since name changes must be processed at least seven business days before your appointment. And add usmle@fsmb.org to your contacts — FSMB won’t accept a missed email as grounds for a free extension or refund.

6. Book your seat at Prometric

Schedule through Prometric’s USMLE page. Two FSMB rules matter here:

• Search with your name and candidate ID. Without them, you see every date with availability for any exam, not necessarily a USMLE-length slot.
• Book early in your window. Seats are first come, first served, and bookings open up to six months before the window starts — early booking leaves room to move the date.

What It Costs to Apply for the USMLE from India

Every fee is set in US dollars. The rupee figures use ₹96 to the dollar, close to the Federal Reserve’s rate in mid-September 2026; your card’s exchange rate and forex mark-up will move them slightly.

Fee	USD	≈ INR	When you pay
MyIntealth account (incl. online notarisation)	$110	₹10,600	Once
Application for ECFMG Certification	$580	₹55,700	Once
MBBS diploma + final transcript verification	$220	₹21,100	Once (graduates)
Step 1 or Step 2 CK exam fee	$695	₹66,700	Each attempt
Region fee (testing outside the US/Canada)	$210 Step 1 / $235 Step 2 CK	₹20,200 / ₹22,600	Each attempt
GST on Steps taken in India	18%	≈ ₹12,000–16,100	Each attempt in India
Eligibility-period extension (three months, once)	$70	₹6,700	Only if needed

So your first Step from India costs roughly ₹1.65–1.69 lakh as a student, or ₹1.86–1.9 lakh as a graduate, one-time ECFMG fees included. Each Step after that, or a retake, is about ₹0.99–1.05 lakh. For OET, Pathways, ERAS and clinical experience, see the real cost of the USMLE.

Changing your appointment is free until 46 days before your test. After that, Prometric charges a fee that rises as the date gets closer (from 1 July 2026, per the USMLE’s rescheduling page):

When you change the appointment	Step 1	Step 2 CK
46 or more days before	Free	Free
31–45 days before	$35 (≈ ₹3,400)	$35 (≈ ₹3,400)
6–30 days before	$100 (≈ ₹9,600)	$100 (≈ ₹9,600)
5 or fewer days before	$158 (≈ ₹15,200)	$178 (≈ ₹17,100)

USMLE Test Centres in India

Prometric delivers Step 1 and Step 2 CK at test centres worldwide, including in India. Step 3 is the exception: it is given only in the United States and its territories.

Which Indian cities have USMLE seats right now is surprisingly hard to pin down. Published guides list Prometric centres in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Gurugram (Delhi NCR), Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Prayagraj, while at least one 2026 guide says only Gurugram, Hyderabad and Prayagraj still offer the USMLE. Neither cites Prometric, and Prometric’s own seat search is the only authority — so check it rather than any list, ours included.

If Indian dates are full, some candidates test in a nearby country such as Nepal or the UAE. That removes the 18% GST (it applies only to Steps taken in India) but not the region fee, and travel usually costs more than the tax saved. Confirm the centre offers the USMLE, then change your testing region on FSMB to match.

USMLE Exam Dates for 2026 and 2027

There aren’t any — not in the NEET sense. Until the end of 2028 the USMLE is on demand: you choose a three-month eligibility period when you apply, then book any open date inside it. The real decisions are which window and when to register:

• Pick a window you will actually be ready in. You can move your date within it, but the window itself can only be extended once, by three months, for $70 (request it within 25 days of the window ending). Moving to an earlier window means cancelling — after approval you forfeit the whole fee; before approval you lose $100.
• Work backwards from when you need your score. Results usually take two to four weeks, but the USMLE says to allow eight — see our score release timeline. Then fit your study into the time left; our 6-month Step 1 plan and 12-week Step 2 CK plan lay out the weeks.

What changes in January 2029: Designated Testing Dates

On 23 June 2026 the USMLE announced the end of on-demand testing. Under Designated Testing Dates, all three Steps will run on a limited number of days each year — the original plan said 45 in total — with Prometric centres reserved exclusively for USMLE examinees on those days and more centres added. On 6 August 2026 the start was moved to January 2029, and the USMLE calls the decision final.

• Dates will be published more than a year in advance, and Step 2 CK won’t be offered in some months.
• Eligibility rules and score-reporting times stay the same; the length of eligibility periods and the scheduling process may change.
• Until the switch, nothing changes: appointments stay available year-round.

If you are in first or second year MBBS now, you may well sit Step 1 under the new calendar, so plan your dedicated study around the published dates and keep a backup date in mind. Updates appear on the USMLE’s Designated Testing Dates hub.

How Early Should You Start?

Stage	What to expect
MyIntealth account and online notarisation	Usually a few days; the identification form stays valid for six months
ECFMG application accepted	Often a few weeks — mostly waiting on your college’s confirmation
FSMB account and eligibility check	Same day if FSMB finds you; several days if it needs a manual identity check
Permit issued and seat booked	Book the day your permit arrives — popular dates go first

A sensible rule: start the MyIntealth steps about three months before the window you want to test in, and earlier if your college is slow with paperwork.

Test-Day ID Rules That Catch Indian Candidates

• Bring your scheduling permit — on your phone or on paper, but print it anyway — and an unexpired government photo ID that shows both your photograph and your signature. Use your passport: an Aadhaar card carries no signature, so it doesn’t qualify.
• Your name must match the permit exactly, in English letters. Only capitalisation and a missing or abbreviated middle name are allowed to differ, so “Priya S” on one document and “Priya Subramanian” on the other will get you turned away.
• Arrive at least 30 minutes early. Turn up more than 30 minutes late and you won’t be admitted — and you’ll pay to reschedule. Expect a biometric check-in as well.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I take the USMLE in India?+

Yes. Step 1 and Step 2 CK are offered at Prometric test centres in India, and students and graduates of eligible Indian medical colleges can register from home. Step 3 is the exception: it is given only in the United States and its territories, and international graduates need ECFMG Certification before applying for it.

Where are the USMLE exam centres in India?+

Prometric runs them. Published guides list centres in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Prayagraj, though at least one 2026 guide reports fewer. Check Prometric's seat availability search before choosing your eligibility period, and again with your candidate ID once your scheduling permit arrives.

What are the USMLE exam dates for 2026 and 2027 in India?+

There are no fixed dates. You choose a three-month eligibility period and book any open Prometric date inside it, up to six months ahead. That changes in January 2029, when the USMLE moves to a limited number of Designated Testing Dates published more than a year in advance.

How much does it cost to apply for the USMLE from India?+

At ₹96 to the dollar, your first Step from India costs about ₹1.65–1.69 lakh as a student or ₹1.86–1.9 lakh as a graduate, including the one-time ECFMG fees. Each later Step costs about ₹0.99–1.05 lakh: the $695 exam fee, a $210 or $235 region fee and 18% GST.

Do I need ECFMG Certification before I apply for Step 1?+

No. You need an accepted Application for ECFMG Certification, not the certificate. FSMB won't open a Step 1 or Step 2 CK application until that application is accepted. The certificate itself comes after you pass both exams and meet the Pathways and OET requirements, and you need it for Step 3.

How long does USMLE registration take from India?+

The online steps take days; getting your ECFMG application accepted usually takes a few weeks, mostly waiting on your college's confirmation. Start about three months before the window you want to test in. Permits and bookings open up to six months before the window begins.

What if my passport has only one name?+

FSMB's instruction is to enter your single name in the Last name field and FNU in the First name field. Make sure it lines up with your name of record in MyIntealth, because FSMB checks that the two match before it opens a Step application; email usmle@fsmb.org if it flags a mismatch.

Can I change my eligibility period or test date after applying?+

Your test date, yes: reschedule on Prometric within your window, free until 46 days before and $35 to $178 after that. The window itself, no. You can extend it once by three months for $70, requested within 25 days of it ending; moving to an earlier window means cancelling and paying again.

The Bottom Line

Applying for the USMLE from India isn’t hard, but it is unforgiving. Do the portals in order, keep your name identical everywhere, check seats before you commit to a window, and book early — then put your energy into the exam.

Or see how our Step 1 & Step 2 CK program structures the months before test day, and read the success stories of Indian students who have done exactly this.