Verifying your qualification through EPIC

Your primary medical qualification has to be verified independently — the GMC does not take a photocopy of a certificate as evidence. Verification is done through EPIC, the Electronic Portfolio of International Credentials, run by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates.

Why this is the step that surprises people

Everything else on this pathway depends on things you control: booking a test, filling in a form, turning up. This one depends on your medical school answering a letter.

EPIC writes to the institution that awarded your qualification and waits for it to confirm the award. How long that takes is entirely a property of the institution, and it ranges from days to many months. Schools that have merged, moved, closed, or changed their records system are slower. There is no way to accelerate it from your end beyond making sure what you submitted is correct.

Start it early. It is the single most common reason an otherwise organised application sits still, and it is the one step where starting three months earlier costs you nothing.

What you will need

• Your medical diploma, and a translation if it is not in English.
• Identity documents.
• The details of the institution as it appears in its own records, which is not always how it appears on your certificate.

The GMC's page, linked above, states what it accepts and how EPIC verification is submitted to it. Exact requirements, fees and the current process are there.