Foreign doctors practising in China: the short-term practice permit rules

A foreign doctor who wants to treat patients in China for a short period needs a registration and a permit, and needs a host institution in China. The National Health Commission's measures on short-term practice by foreign doctors set the rules. This page walks through what the measures say. It covers short-term practice only.

Which doctors the measures cover

The measures define short-term practice by a foreign doctor as clinical diagnosis and treatment of not more than one year in China. They apply to a foreign doctor who holds lawful practice rights abroad and who is invited, employed or applies to practise in China.

The measures say a foreign doctor must register and obtain the Foreign Doctor Short-Term Practice Permit (《外国医师短期行医许可证》). The National Health Commission prints the permit.

The host institution and the agreement

The measures say a foreign doctor must have a medical institution in China as the inviting or employing unit. There can be one or several such units.

A foreign doctor applying to practise must sign an agreement with each employing unit. A foreign doctor who is invited or employed may decide with the other side whether to sign one. Where no agreement is signed, the inviting or employing unit bears the civil liability involved.

The agreement must cover five points: the purpose, the specific project, the place, the time and who bears responsibility.

Registration and the documents

The registration authority is the city-level health administration for the area of the inviting or employing unit. If the units are in different areas, the doctor registers with each local city-level authority. The doctor may ask the inviting or employing unit in China to handle registration.

The application must include:

• an application form;
• the foreign doctor's degree certificate;
• the foreign practice licence or proof of the right to practise;
• the foreign doctor's health certificate;
• the host unit's certificate, together with the agreement or a statement accepting civil liability.

The measures say the contents of the degree certificate and of the foreign practice licence or proof of the right to practise must be notarised.

The review

The measures say the registration authority reviews the application within thirty days (三十日) of accepting it and notifies the applicant or the applying unit in writing. A doctor who passes review is registered and receives the permit.

The review covers three things: whether the written materials are genuine, whether the applied project is safe and reliable, and whether it is advanced and necessary.

How long registration lasts

The measures say registration for short-term practice lasts for not more than one year (一年). When it expires, the doctor can register again under the same measures.

The measures say a foreign doctor should obtain an entry visa lawfully before coming and should handle residence or stay procedures on arrival according to the rules. The foreign doctor must obey Chinese laws and regulations.

Medical teams, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan

For a foreign medical team, the city-level health administration where the inviting or cooperating unit is located approves the team's short-term practice under the measures.

Doctors and medical groups from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan follow the measures by reference. For a permanent resident of Hong Kong or Macao with lawful practice rights there, the registration for short-term practice on the mainland lasts for not more than three years (三年).

Practising without a permit

The measures provide that practice without the required registration and permit is banned by the city-level health administration, with confiscation of illegal income and a fine. The inviting or employing unit, or the unit providing the premises, receives a warning, loses illegal income and is fined.

Revision and unknowns

The measures were issued by the Ministry of Health as Order No. 24 on 7 October 1992 and took effect on 1 January 1993. The text read here is the version revised the third time by the National Health Commission's Order No. 15 on 5 June 2026.

Unknown: how foreign doctors practise in China other than under short-term registration is not covered by these measures. The candidate guide for the national physician qualification examination lists a passport as an identity document for foreign candidates, which points to a separate qualification route that this page does not describe. Our guide to the national examination covers what the guide says.

Questions people ask

Can a foreign doctor treat patients in China without a Chinese licence?

For a short stay, the measures require registration and the permit, and a host institution in China.

Who issues the short-term permit?

The measures name the city-level health administration as the registration authority, and the permit is issued to doctors who pass the review.

How long can a foreign doctor practise on a short-term permit?

The measures cap the registration at not more than one year, and allow re-registration when it expires.

Sources

• Interim Measures on Short-Term Practice in China by Foreign Doctors, text revised 2026 (National Health Commission), read 26 October 2026
• Physician Qualification Examination candidate guide, 2024 edition (National Medical Examination Center), read 26 October 2026

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.