Internship After MBBS in Russia: NMC Rules, CRMI Rotation and Stipend
A student who studies MBBS in Russia does two internships of 12 months each: one at the Russian university after the 54-month course, and one in India after FMGE. The first is set by the NMC Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021, the second by the NMC CRMI Regulations 2021. This post explains both, the 52-week rotation, who pays the stipend, and what the Kerala High Court said in August 2026.
In short: an Indian citizen with an MBBS from Russia needs two 12-month internships to practise in India. The first, abroad, must be done at the same Russian university that awarded the degree (NMC FMGL 2021, Regulation 4(a)(ii)). The second, the Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI), is done in India after passing FMGE, in a college allotted through the State Medical Council, and it has to be completed within two years of passing FMGE. The CRMI Regulations 2021 prescribe 52 weeks of rotations and say every intern is paid a stipend fixed by the state or institution. The NMC says foreign graduates are entitled to it; the Kerala High Court repeated this in August 2026, but we found no official Kerala amount for foreign graduates.
Two internships: what the NMC rules require
People searching for "internship after MBBS in Russia" often find one rule and miss the other. The National Medical Commission (Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate) Regulations 2021, in force from 18 November 2021, set the conditions that make a foreign degree usable in India. Among them: a course of at least 54 months, taught in English; a minimum of 12 months of internship in the same foreign institution where the primary qualification was obtained; a licence to practise in the country of study; and the whole course completed in one institution within 10 years of joining. After that the graduate must clear the screening test (FMGE until NExT starts) and undergo a 12-month supervised internship in India under the CRMI Regulations. A student who joined in 2026-27 is covered by these rules.
| Internship in Russia | CRMI in India | |
|---|---|---|
| Rule | NMC FMGL 2021, Reg. 4(a)(ii), Schedule I | NMC CRMI Regulations 2021 and FMGL 2021, Reg. 4(c) |
| Length | At least 12 months, in addition to the course | At least 12 months (52 weeks of rotations) |
| Where | The same foreign university that awards the degree | A medical college or institution approved for CRMI and allotted to you |
| When | After the course of at least 54 months, in the same university; ask how the six-year programme provides the 12 months | After FMGE; complete within two years of passing |
| Who allots | The Russian university | State Medical Council with the Directorate of Medical Education |
| Pay | Depends on the university; ask in writing | Stipend fixed by the state or institution |
Note the order: Russian internship, then FMGE, then provisional registration with the State Medical Council, then CRMI, then permanent registration. For Kerala the council is the Travancore-Cochin Medical Council. The NMC rules page explains how to check whether your course meets the FMGL criteria, and the MBBS duration post shows how the years add up.
The internship in Russia
The NMC rule says the internship abroad must be in addition to the course and in the same institution, with the whole course, training and internship outside India and in one country. If a university or an agent tells you that the internship can be done in India or at a different clinic, or that a part of the clinical training can be done at home, the NMC regulations say otherwise. Ask the university to show the curriculum, the internship schedule and the hospital where it takes place, and to confirm in writing that its degree meets the FMGL criteria, including the English medium. Ask also for the licence arrangement: the graduate must be registered with, or eligible for a licence from, the regulator of the country at par with local graduates (Regulation 4(b)).
The NMC has also dealt with students who studied online during COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine. Its notices of 7 December 2023 and 18 March 2026 deal with compensatory offline training for those periods and apply to older cohorts, not to a student who joins now. Online classes for theory are accepted in limited form, but practical and clinical training must be done in person.
The CRMI in India: rules from the 2021 regulations
The CRMI Regulations 2021 apply from 18 November 2021, according to an NMC clarification of 6–7 June 2022; interns who began before that date follow the rules in force at that time. The key provisions that affect a graduate from Russia:
- No permanent registration without it. No medical graduate is eligible for permanent registration unless they complete the compulsory rotating internship in India.
- At par with Indian graduates. All foreign medical graduates covered by the FMGL Regulations must undergo internship at par with Indian medical graduates.
- Time limit. The internship must be completed within two years of passing FMGE (or NExT Step 1 when it starts). Do not delay after the exam.
- Approved colleges only. Foreign graduates do the internship only in medical colleges or institutions approved for CRMI. They may be posted first to newly opened colleges, allotted by counselling on merit, and colleges may take up to 7.5% of their intern quota as foreign graduates.
- Leave. A maximum of 15 days of leave in the year; more extends the internship by the extra days.
The 52-week rotation
| Posting | Weeks |
|---|---|
| Community Medicine (in Community or Rural Health Centres, with 3 weeks each of surgery, medicine, obstetrics and community medicine) | 12 |
| General Medicine | 6 |
| General Surgery | 6 |
| Obstetrics and Gynaecology, including family planning | 7 |
| Paediatrics | 3 |
| Psychiatry; Anaesthesiology; Orthopaedics with PM&R; Emergency/Trauma; ENT; Ophthalmology (2 weeks each) | 12 |
| Forensic Medicine and Toxicology; Dermatology (1 week each) | 2 |
| Electives (broad specialties and optionally one week of an Indian system of medicine) | 4 |
| Total | 52 |
The week counts add up to 52, which is the 12 months the regulation names. The rotation is the same for every intern, whether the degree is from Kerala or from Russia. A student who studied in Russia should read the list and ask the Russian university how its own internship compares, because a gap in community medicine or emergency practice is easier to spot early.
Check that your course meets the NMC internship rules
Send the university name; we check the internship and English-medium conditions and send you a list of questions to ask in writing.
CRMI slots for foreign graduates and how Kerala allots them
The NMC's Undergraduate Medical Education Board circular of 10 March 2026 announced 43,250 CRMI slots for foreign medical graduates across India for 2026-27, as reported by Medical Dialogues. The allotment rules in it: 7.5% of the permitted intake of interns in established colleges, all the CRMI seats for foreign graduates in new colleges, and all such seats against the MBBS seats added between 2022-23 and 2025-26. State Medical Councils then allot slots to eligible graduates together with the Directorate of Medical Education.
The same report lists 1,607 slots for Kerala. A second compilation of the same matrix, by PrepLadder, shows a lower college-wise total of about 308 for Kerala, so the numbers differ between sources. The NMC annexure and the notices of the Travancore-Cochin Medical Council are the final authority; read them before you plan. In either case the number of slots is limited and allotment depends on merit and on the Council's process, so do not assume a seat in your home district or in a college of your choice.
What you need to have ready, according to the NMC FAQ on the FMGL Regulations: proof of 54 months in English, the 12-month internship certificate from the same university, the licence to practise in Russia, the FMGE pass, and provisional registration with the State Medical Council. Our FMGE guide and the FMGE vs NExT post cover the exam, and the after MBBS in Russia guide covers the time between FMGE and the CRMI.
Stipend and fees during CRMI
The CRMI Regulations 2021 say that all interns are paid a stipend fixed by the appropriate authority applicable to the institution, university or state, and that the total stipend for the whole internship is for 52 weeks. For foreign graduates the NMC has said, in circulars of 4 March 2022, 19 May 2022 and 7 December 2023 and a public notice of 12 March 2026, that they are entitled to a stipend, set and paid by the state. The Union Health Minister told Parliament in 2026 that stipends are regulated by the rates of the respective state governments or universities, and that the Supreme Court in an interim order in writ petition No. 793 of 2025 held foreign graduates entitled to stipends at par with Indian students.
In Kerala, the High Court decided in two cases. A judgment of 3 June 2025 quashed a state order that had imposed an internship fee on foreign medical graduates in CRMI. In August 2026, in S. Murukan v. State of Kerala (WP(C) 28615/2024), Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas held that the demand for an internship fee had no legal basis, ordered the Medical Superintendent of the General Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram to issue the completion certificate without a fee, and directed the state to process the graduate's stipend claim and pay it within three months of receiving it. The reports do not state the rupee amount.
So the legal position is clear: no internship fee, and a stipend. The practical position is less clear. A February 2026 report in Kerala Kaumudi said that no stipend was given to house surgeons who had passed the foreign graduate examination, and the Murukan case shows that a graduate may have to claim it. We found no official Kerala rate for foreign graduates. The last Kerala order for house surgeons in government colleges that we could trace, of 8 July 2019, raised the stipend from ₹20,000 to ₹25,000 a month; a later revision may exist. Before you accept a posting, ask in writing for the stipend amount, the date of payment and the name of the officer who approves it, and keep the certificate and bank proofs. The pay questions that follow after the internship are in our doctor salary post.
Common mistakes that cost a year
- Choosing a programme that does not include the 12-month internship at the university, or one taught partly in Russian, which fails the English-medium rule.
- Doing parts of the training in India or in a third country, which the FMGL Regulations do not allow.
- Waiting more than two years after FMGE to start the CRMI.
- Paying an "internship fee" or a "certificate fee" in India that the NMC circular and the Kerala High Court say is not payable.
- Believing an agent's promise of a hospital or of a stipend. Check the Council's notices.
Check the internship terms of your university
Send the university name; we help you list the written confirmations to ask for.
Internship After MBBS in Russia: Frequently Asked Questions
Is internship compulsory after MBBS from Russia?
Yes, twice. A 12-month internship at the same Russian university is part of the qualification under the NMC FMGL Regulations 2021. After FMGE, a 12-month compulsory rotating internship in India is required for permanent registration under the CRMI Regulations 2021.
How long is the CRMI for foreign medical graduates?
At least 12 months, which is 52 weeks of rotations in the NMC schedule. It must be completed within two years of passing FMGE. A maximum of 15 days of leave is allowed, and longer absence extends the internship.
Do foreign medical graduates get a stipend in CRMI?
Yes, the NMC says they are entitled to a stipend, set and paid by the state, and the Kerala High Court repeated this in August 2026. We found no official Kerala amount for foreign graduates. Ask the hospital in writing and keep the records.
Can the hospital charge an internship fee in Kerala?
No. The Kerala High Court quashed a state order imposing such a fee in June 2025 and, in August 2026, held that the demand for an internship fee had no legal basis, relying on the NMC circular of 19 May 2022. If a hospital asks for it, quote the order and write to the Medical Superintendent.
Who allots CRMI slots to foreign graduates?
The State Medical Council, together with the Directorate of Medical Education, allots the slots. For Kerala that is the Travancore-Cochin Medical Council. The NMC circular of 10 March 2026 announced 43,250 slots for 2026-27 across the country.
Can I do the internship in India instead of Russia?
No. The FMGL Regulations require the 12-month internship in the same foreign institution, in addition to the course, and do not allow part of the training in India or a third country. A student who skips it risks being unable to register.
Sources: NMC Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021 and the NMC FAQ on the Regulations (nmc.org.in, 2026); NMC (Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship) Regulations 2021, Gazette text, Schedules I and III; NMC clarification on the applicability date of the CRMI Regulations of 6–7 June 2022 as circulated by the Telangana Director of Medical Education; NMC UGMEB circular of 10 March 2026 on 43,250 CRMI slots, as reported by Medical Dialogues, and PrepLadder's state-wise compilation; Medical Dialogues, 16 August 2026, on the Union Health Minister's reply in Parliament (circulars of 4 March 2022, 19 May 2022, 7 December 2023, public notice of 12 March 2026, Supreme Court WP(C) 793 of 2025); Kerala High Court, S. Murukan v. State of Kerala (WP(C) 28615/2024), as reported by LiveLaw (31 August 2026) and Medical Dialogues (2 September 2026); Kerala High Court judgment of 3 June 2025 as reported by LiveLaw and Kerala Kaumudi; Kerala Kaumudi report of February 2026; Kerala government order of 8 July 2019 on house surgeon stipend as reported by Medical Dialogues. Checked October 2026.