ECFMG Process- EPIC Verification for PLAB 1 GMC Registration

Survived the second step and finally passed PLAB 1, right? Let’s move to the next- Getting your EPIC Verification Process through ECFMG. This will save you much-needed time for your UK journey and bring you one step closer to GMC registration.

All you need to do is create an ECFMG account and login into the portal and submit the documents for verification. Confused? Let’s dive deep into the third step of our UK journey!


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What is ECFMG EPIC Verification for PLAB?

EPIC in short means ‘Electronic Portfolio of International Credentials (EPIC)’. Through ECFMG electronic portal, International Medical Graduates (IMG) can submit their Primary Medical Qualifications (PMQ) verified.

This is a mandatory step before proceeding further to GMC registration for your UK journey and getting a license to practice as a doctor in the UK.


When should I get EPIC verification for GMC Registration?

EPIC Verification once done remains for a lifetime. Ideally, you should start EPIC verification after passing PLAB 1. Of course, you can do it after PLAB 2 too, but that will cost you another 1 month or so.

We often have enough time after PLAB 1 to process the ECFMG and get our documents verified. Once done, all you will be left after PLAB 2 is GMC registration. Sounds cheesy, right?


What are the ECFMG registration fees?

For creating the account alone, you will be asked to pay 130 USD. I will further update this section once I move forward with the steps.


How much time does it take for EPIC Verification?

Once you have successfully completed the account creation step, it will take a maximum of 3 days to receive a temporary User Name and password.

Roughly it will take 1 month, but things can get faster if you can manage to get your college or university to speed up the process.


Documents required for ECFMG EPIC Verification for PLAB GMC Registration

  • A scanned, full-colour copy of the photograph page of your current, unexpired passport (see Confirming Your Identity with EPIC for complete guidelines);
  • A scanned, full-colour copy of the page that contains your passport expiration date, if applicable;
  • A scanned, full-colour copy of the section of your passport that is in Latin characters, if applicable;
  • A full-colour photograph of yourself (see Confirming Your Identity with EPIC for complete guidelines);
  • Information about your medical education, including your medical school identification number (if applicable) and attendance and degree issue dates;
  • Your medical licensure information, including any identification numbers;
  • Your USMLE/ECFMG Identification Number (if you have one); and
  • Your ECFMG International Credentials Services (EICS) Identification Number (if you have one).

In Short, EPIC requires three documents:

  1. A clear, coloured photograph of your face.
  2. A scanned, colour image of the required pages of your passport.
  3. A completed EPIC Identification Form (EIF).

Please read the complete guidelines for the three here- https://www.ecfmg.org/psv/physicians-confirming-identity.html

Following are the points quoted for each of the three:

Photograph

  1. Show a clear, front view of your full face only. Your face should be in the middle of the photograph, and your expression should be natural with your eyes open and looking directly ahead.
  2. Be in colour.
  3. Have a plain, light-coloured background.
  4. Be of good quality. The photograph should not be blurry and should not be too dark or too light.
  5. Be current. The photograph must have been taken within six months of the date you submit it.
  6. Be of a high enough resolution to print well on your EPIC Identification Form and EPIC Reports.
  7. Be in the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format.
  8. Have a file size of 2MB or less.

Passport

  1. Show your passport at its actual size.
  2. Be clear and legible.
  3. Be in colour.
  4. Contain the page with your name and photo.
  5. Include the passport expiration date. If the scan of the page with your name and photo does not include the expiration date, you will also need to upload a scan of the page that includes your passport expiration date.
  6. Include the section of your passport that is in Latin characters. If the scan of the page with your name and photo is not in Latin characters, you will also need to upload a scan of the section of your passport that is in Latin characters.
  7. Match the name, gender, and date of birth you submitted as part of your request to establish an EPIC Account. If the information you submit does not match exactly the same information in your passport, ECFMG will correct the name, gender, and date of birth in your EPIC Account, as appropriate.
  8. Include a complete, unobstructed view of the machine-readable zone (MRZ code), if the MRZ is present on your passport.
  9. Be in the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format.
  10. Have a file size of 2MB or less.

EIF Form

The EPIC Identification Form (EIF) is required by ECFMG to confirm that you are the individual who created the EPIC Account. You must have a valid EIF on file to upload credentials to EPIC and to request verification reports for your verified credentials.

Once you receive confirmation that your request to establish an EPIC Account has been successfully processed, you will be able to access your EIF through the “My Identity Documents” tab of your EPIC Account.

Your EIF will be available as a downloadable PDF file. The EIF includes your name, gender, date of birth, photograph, and passport. Your EIF must be certified by an authorized official. The authorized officials acceptable for certification of your EIF will depend on when your request to establish an EPIC Account was submitted.

Your EIF must be received within six months of the date it is created. If your EIF is not received within this time frame, it will be rejected. Because EPIC requirements also state that your photograph must have been taken within six months of the date you submit it, if your EIF is rejected, your previously accepted photograph will be invalidated as well. You will be able to upload a new photograph and obtain a new EIF through the “My Identity Documents” tab of your EPIC Account.

ECFMG will notify you once they have received and evaluated your EIF. You also can monitor the status of your EIF through the “My Identity Documents” tab.


Steps of Opening EPIC ECFMG account

This step will cost you 130 USD and once done, you will have to give ECFMG at least 3 working days to provide you with a temporary username and password.

Documents required

  • Passport
  • Passport Pic
  • Only details for your PMQ (start and end date of PMQ, degree awarding date)
  • Only the name of any medical council you are registered with

The 11 steps for EPIC ECFMG registration for PLAB GMC verification are as follows:

Total Time: 15 minutes

Creating EPIC account

Click here to enter ECFMG Registration and Login portal and click “Establish an EPIC Account”.EPIC Verification for PLAB- ECFMG for GMC Registration Step 1 Login

Getting Started

Read the context and click continue.EPIC Verification for PLAB- ECFMG for GMC Registration Step 2 Getting Started

Biographics– Part 1: Name

Copy exactly from the passport.EPIC Verification for PLAB- ECFMG for GMC Registration Step 3 Biographics Name

Biographics- Part 2: Contact Information

Copy the exact address as in your passport (the first three rows will fill up your address line from the passport three rows).EPIC Verification for PLAB- ECFMG for GMC Registration Step 3 Biographics Contact Information

Biographics- Part 3: Other Information

Use your passport again. Fill in your National Identification Number (for Indians, this is Aadhar Card Number)EPIC Verification for PLAB- ECFMG for GMC Registration Step 3 Biographics Other Biographic Information

Medical School

Pick Graduate and move to search college. Add your medical degree here in the next two steps.EPIC Verification for PLAB- ECFMG for GMC Registration Step 4 Medical School

Medical School- Part 1: Adding Degree Medical School

Try to choose Medical School Country and Name and select your college from the drop-down list.EPIC Verification for PLAB- ECFMG for GMC Registration Step 4 Medical School Medical Degree Part 1

Medical School- Part 2: Attendance Dates for Medical School

This should be the MBBS duration without an Internship. This can be verified from a medical degree which will include only MBBS duration and not the internship. If it includes both, then add accordingly.

The date of Medical Degree will be mentioned in your degree itself. Write “MBBS” or equivalent degree in your country (mentioned again in medical degree) in “Title of Medical Degree”.EPIC Verification for PLAB- ECFMG for GMC Registration Step 4 Medical School Medical Degree Part 2

Medical Registration/Licensure

In this section, you should tell about all the medical councils you are registered with. In India, max limit is two.EPIC Verification for PLAB- ECFMG for GMC Registration Step 5 Medical Registration Licensure Part 1

Medical Registration/Licensure– Part 1: Adding Authority Details

Start with the country and enter the authority name (state). This will help in finding the medical council easily.EPIC Verification for PLAB- ECFMG for GMC Registration Step 5 Medical Registration Licensure Adding Medical Registration Licensure Authority Details

Medical Registration/Licensure– Part 2: Organization to which I Am Applying

Tick General Medical Council here.EPIC Verification for PLAB- ECFMG for GMC Registration Step 5 Medical Registration Licensure Part 2

Photo/Passport

This is where you upload the Photo and Passport both in JPG format and less than 2MB. Please follow the next two steps for individual entries.

Photo/Passport– Part 1: Uploading Photo

Above we have mentioned the criteria for uploading photo. Out of all those, important ones to keep in mind are- JPG format and less than 2MB.EPIC Verification for PLAB- ECFMG for GMC Registration Step 6 Photo Passport Part 1 Photograph

Photo/Passport– Part 2: Uploading Passport

The criteria remain the same. However, you might have the passport in PDF format. Firstly, convert PDF to JPG using the tool- PDF2JPG. Next, combine the two image files you generate using this tool- Merge Images.
EPIC Verification for PLAB- ECFMG for GMC Registration Step 6 Photo Passport Part 2 Passport

Photo/Passport– Part 2: Uploading Passport- Additional Information and Passport Information

Leave the tick boxes in the Additional Information part (the box if the photo page of your passport does not include your passport expiration date and the box if the photo page of your passport is not in Latin characters). Fill in the passport information from your passport only.EPIC Verification for PLAB- ECFMG for GMC Registration Step 6 Photo Passport Part 3 Passport Information

Certification by Applicant

Tick all that apply. You can read the text also.EPIC Verification for PLAB- ECFMG for GMC Registration Step 7 Certification by Applicant

Summary

Review all the information and proceed to payment from here.EPIC Verification for PLAB- ECFMG for GMC Registration Step 8 Summary

Payment

Use a credit card ideally as they are allowed for foreign transactions.EPIC Verification for PLAB- ECFMG for GMC Registration Step 9 Payment

Success

You will receive an email of confirmation. It will take maximum of three working days for ECFMG to establish your account and e-mail you a Temporary User Name and Password, which you can use to access the EPIC Physician Portal.EPIC Verification for PLAB- ECFMG for GMC Registration Step 10 Success

Receiving Confirmation Mail

Once you are done with ECFMG Registration- EPIC Verification for PLAB, you will receive a mail in your mailbox like the below:EPIC Verification for PLAB- ECFMG for GMC Registration Step 11 Mail Confirmation


I have applied for registration. I will update you with the next steps as I move. In the meanwhile, I will be contacting my college for the same and notify them about the process. Let us hope they don’t ask for any fee for the same. Stay tuned Plabbers!

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5 COMMENTS

    • Thank you for the feedback doc! I have received my EPIC Form today. Will move further and update the article accordingly soon.

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