๐ Overseas Doctor Licensing Requirements โ Country by Country
๐ท๐บ
Russia
Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation โ Minzdrav
๐ Akkreditatsiya (Accreditation) โ Annual national professional exam๐ฃ Russian โ C1 required for all clinical practice
Foreign medical graduates must have their degree recognised by the Russian Ministry of Education (Rosobrnadzor) โ primary accreditation procedure (pervichnaya akkreditatsiya).
Pass Akkreditatsiya โ an annual professional accreditation exam (written + practical simulation) administered by Minzdrav. Required for both Russian graduates and foreign doctors.
Obtain an Ordinatura (specialisation/residency) place to train in a specialty โ 2 years for most specialties via competitive entry.
Russian language C1 mandatory โ assessed during akkreditatsiya.
International private clinics (International SOS, EMC, Medsi) hire foreign doctors under international contracts outside the standard MOH system.
๐ก Russia has a severe rural and regional doctor shortage. Urban private clinics (Moscow/St Petersburg) offer English-medium practice opportunities for specialists. The akkreditatsiya system was reformed in 2022. Due to current geopolitical situation, opportunities are primarily in private sector and international organisations.
๐ MOZ Ukraine Recognition + Medical Licence๐ฃ Ukrainian โ required for practice; Russian historically used but Ukrainian now prioritised
Foreign medical degrees must be recognised by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
Register with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine to obtain a medical licence.
Due to ongoing armed conflict (since 2022), most international medical positions are through humanitarian organisations (MSF, IRC, ICRC, Mรฉdecins du Monde, WHO).
Humanitarian organisations operate under their own employment frameworks โ separate from MOZ licensing for deployed international staff.
Post-war reconstruction will create significant medical workforce opportunities โ monitoring through UNDP Ukraine health sector.
๐ก Ukraine currently has one of the world's highest humanitarian medical needs. MSF, ICRC, WHO, IRC and MDM all have significant operations. The medical system is functioning but under extreme pressure. International doctors are welcomed especially for surgical, emergency and mental health specialties.
๐ DSEK Medical Licence + Qualification Category Assessment๐ฃ Kazakh and Russian โ both official; Russian widely used in medical practice
Foreign medical graduates apply to the Committee on Health Protection of the Ministry of Health (DSEK) for licence recognition.
Degree recognised through Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan.
Russian is widely used in medical practice โ proficiency at B2 minimum required; Kazakh increasingly important especially in government posts.
International organisations (AKHSP, WHO, SOS) offer English-medium employment outside standard MOH licensing pathway.
Specialist accreditation via Kazakhstani medical societies required for independent specialist practice.
๐ก Kazakhstan is investing heavily in healthcare modernisation under its Vision 2030 programme. Nazarbayev University School of Medicine has an English-medium programme and recruits internationally. The Caspian energy sector (oil and gas) offers lucrative site medical officer posts via SOS and similar agencies.
๐ MOH Licence + Degree Recognition (country-specific)๐ฃ Georgian / Armenian / Azerbaijani and Russian โ English increasingly used in private sector
Georgia: One of the most liberal economies in the former USSR. Foreign doctors can register with the National Health Service of Georgia relatively easily. English widely used in Tbilisi private hospitals.
Armenia: Register with MOH Armenia. Russian and Armenian both used in medical practice. MSF operates a TB/HIV programme โ accessible route for foreign doctors.
Azerbaijan: Register with MOH Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani and Russian required for government hospitals. Private sector (Baku Medical Plaza, SOS) hires internationally without standard MOH licensing.
All three: Russian serves as a lingua franca across the Caucasus in medical settings.
Tbilisi (Georgia) has become a regional hub for medical tourism โ highest demand for English-speaking specialists.
๐ก Georgia is the most accessible of the three Caucasus states for foreign doctors. Its liberal economic policies and medical tourism growth mean international doctors are welcomed. Azerbaijan's oil wealth drives demand for international medical staff in the energy sector. Armenia has significant diaspora reconnection driving international medical interest.
๐ MOH Licence + Degree Recognition + Language Assessment๐ฃ Uzbek/Tajik/Turkmen/Kyrgyz and Russian โ Russian is medical lingua franca
All four countries: Foreign doctors must obtain degree recognition through the respective Ministry of Education and then MOH licence.
Russian is the working language of medicine across all four โ proficiency required for public hospital practice.
Tajikistan: AKDN (Aga Khan Development Network) is a major employer in Badakhshan and Khatlon regions โ operates outside standard MOH system for international staff.
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan: MSF runs TB and MDR-TB programmes โ accessible to foreign doctors without local MOH licence via MSF employment.
Turkmenistan: Most closed of the four โ government hospitals only; limited international access. Private sector nascent.
๐ก Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have the most humanitarian/NGO opportunities through AKDN, MSF, WHO and ICRC. Uzbekistan is reforming its health system rapidly under President Mirziyoyev's reforms โ international investment and staff welcome. Russian language is essential across all four countries for medical practice.
Belarus: Foreign doctors must have degrees recognised by the Ministry of Education. Pass Attestatsiya (professional attestation) through MOH Belarus. Russian required at C1.
Belarus: Due to political situation (post-2020 crackdown), humanitarian/international organisations are limited โ practice mainly through direct hospital employment.
Moldova: Apply to MSMPS (Ministry of Health) for licence. Romanian and Russian both used. EU candidates benefit from recognition under partnership agreement.
Moldova: MSF has operated prison TB programme โ accessible route for foreign doctors. WHO and UNHCR also active (refugee response from Ukraine).
Both countries have aging medical workforces and significant emigration of doctors to Western Europe โ creating vacancies.
๐ก Moldova is experiencing a significant brain drain of medical professionals to Romania, France and Italy. This creates opportunities for international doctors willing to work there. The Romanian-language Moldovan medical system means Romanian or Moldovan graduates can practice without language barriers. Belarus has stringent political restrictions post-2020.
Estonia: Terviseamet | Latvia: RSU/NVD | Lithuania: SAM
๐ EU Directive 2005/36 Automatic Recognition (EU/EEA) | Non-EU: National Medical Authority Assessment๐ฃ Estonian / Latvian / Lithuanian โ B2 minimum; Russian historically used; English in academic hospitals
All three are EU member states โ EU/EEA medical degrees are automatically recognised under Directive 2005/36.
Estonia: Register with Terviseamet (Health Board of Estonia). English and Estonian both used in university hospitals.
Latvia: Register with Nacionฤlais veselฤซbas dienests (NVD). Latvian required for public sector. Russian historically spoken by large minority population.
Lithuania: Register with Sveikatos apsaugos ministerija (SAM). Lithuanian required. Strong ties with Polish and Scandinavian medical systems.
Non-EU graduates: Must apply for recognition at national level โ longer process than for EU graduates.
๐ก The Baltic states are EU members with full integration into European healthcare systems. They have significant doctor shortages especially in rural areas and psychiatry. Salaries lower than Western Europe but rising rapidly. All three have English-medium academic hospital environments. Strong emigration to Scandinavia and Germany creates domestic vacancies.