China's doctor licence explained: qualification certificate, practice certificate and scope

China has no single "medical licence". The Physicians Law (医师法) sets out two steps and two certificates. A person first passes a qualification examination and receives a qualification certificate (医师资格证书). Then the person registers and receives a practice certificate (医师执业证书). Only registration lets someone practise. This page explains each step and what the registered certificate covers.

Two kinds of physician

The Physicians Law defines a physician as a professional who has obtained physician qualification and is registered to practise in a medical institution. The definition includes practising physicians (执业医师) and practising assistant physicians (执业助理医师).

The law sets up an examination system with two examinations, one for each category. Provincial-level or higher health authorities organise the examinations, and the national health authority sets the categories and detailed methods.

Step one: the qualification examination

The law sets two conditions for sitting the practising physician examination. The two conditions are:

A holder of a bachelor's degree or above in a relevant medical field who has completed one year of professional practice in a medical institution under a practising physician's guidance.
A holder of a junior-college diploma in a relevant medical field who has held a practising assistant physician's practice certificate and practised in a medical institution for two years.

The assistant physician examination is open to a holder of a junior-college diploma or above in a relevant medical field who has completed one year of professional practice under a practising physician's guidance.

An applicant who passes receives the qualification of practising physician or practising assistant physician, and the qualification certificate is issued.

Step two: registration and the practice certificate

Registration is the step that creates the right to practise. The law says:

A person who has obtained physician qualification may apply for registration with the county-level or higher health authority of their locality (所在地).
A medical institution may complete registration formalities collectively for applicants in that institution.
The authority must register the applicant within twenty working days (二十个工作日) of accepting the application, unless the law lists a reason for refusal.
The authority enters the registration in the national information platform and issues the practice certificate.

The law also says nobody may practise as a physician without a registered practice certificate.

What the registration covers

After registration, a physician may practise in a medical institution according to the registered place of practice (执业地点), practice category (执业类别) and scope of practice (执业范围). The law says a physician may add to the scope after relevant professional training and assessment.

Traditional Chinese medicine and integrated medicine physicians may practise in the traditional Chinese medicine department, the integrated medicine department or other clinical departments, according to their registered category and scope.

A physician who practises regularly at two or more medical institutions must designate one as the main institution and complete the formalities the state requires.

When registration is refused or cancelled

The law lists reasons for refusing registration, including:

no civil capacity or limited civil capacity;
a criminal sentence completed less than two years ago, or a legal ban on practising as a physician that has not yet ended;
a practice certificate revoked less than two years ago;
cancellation of registration for a failed periodic assessment less than one year ago.

It also lists reasons for cancelling a registration and withdrawing the practice certificate, including death, a criminal penalty, revocation of the certificate, a repeated failed assessment and a break from practice of two years.

A physician who changes the place of practice, the practice category or the scope must register the change with the authority that approved the registration. The law lists exceptions, including training, further study, consultation, emergency medical rescue, charitable medical care and practising within a medical consortium.

Assessment and individual practice

The law requires periodic assessment of physicians on a three-year cycle. A physician who fails is ordered to suspend practice for three to six months and take relevant training, and the physician may continue practising after passing a repeat assessment.

A practising physician who wishes to practise individually must have practised in a medical institution for five years after registration. The law gives a separate arrangement for physicians who qualified by the traditional Chinese medicine specialty route.

Registration is published

County-level or higher health authorities must publish the names of people whose registration they have approved or cancelled. The provincial authority compiles them and reports to the national authority, and the law says registration information must be offered for lookup through websites.

The National Health Commission's service platform lists a licensed doctor query (执业医师查询). That platform page forwards to the national doctor registration query. Our method page sets out the official sources and limits this site works within. This page does not recommend any doctor or hospital.

Questions people ask

Is a qualification certificate enough to practise in China?

The law says nobody may practise as a physician without a registered practice certificate, so qualification alone is not enough.

What is the difference between a practising physician and a practising assistant physician?

They are two categories under the Physicians Law, each with its own examination and its own qualification route.

Can a doctor treat any condition once registered?

A registered physician practises within the registered place, category and scope. The law allows a physician to add to the scope after relevant training and assessment.

Is the registration permanent?

The law requires periodic assessment every three years and lists reasons for cancelling a registration, so registration depends on continuing to meet those rules.

Sources

Each source above was read on the date shown. This page is an unofficial summary of general administrative information. It is not published by the bodies named above, and it is not medical advice. If it differs from the official texts, the official texts prevail, and rules may change after the check date.