Frequently-Asked Questions
The purpose of the EICS FAQ is to provide detailed information about the EICS primary source verification process. If you still have questions concerning EICS, please contact us. A Printer-Friendly version of the FAQ is available for your convenience.- What is the role of EICS in my application for medical registration?
- What if my medical credentials have been previously submitted to ECFMG?
- What if my medical credentials have been submitted previously to EICS?
- What medical credentials does EICS verify?
- Do I have to submit original or notarized documents with my application?
- Do I need to submit translations for non-English language documents?
- Can I pay the EICS application fee by wire transfer?
- How long does the EICS verification process take to complete?
- What if my institution has a fee for verification of my credentials?
- Can you send me the EICS verification forms to take personally to my institutions?
- Can I speed up the verification of my credentials?
- Will I receive a copy of my EICS Credentials Verification Report?
- How long do EICS verifications remain valid?
- I am applying to a Canadian postgraduate medical training program and have been instructed to provide EICS verification to CARMS. How do I arrange this?
- A recruiting service is assisting me through the medical registration application process. How will this affect my EICS processing?
1. What is the role of EICS in my application for medical registration?
EICS's role is to seek primary source verification of medical credentials required by your medical registration board. EICS has no input or function in the processing of your registration application. Please direct questions concerning your registration application to your medical board.
2. What if my medical credentials have been previously submitted to ECFMG?
If your medical credentials have been submitted previously to ECFMG for the purposes of taking the USMLE/ECFMG exams or receiving a Standard ECFMG Certificate, you must still submit copies to EICS. EICS will review your credentials and their verification status in your ECFMG file.
- If your credentials have been verified previously by ECFMG and are consistent with copies submitted with your EICS application, EICS will accept the ECFMG verifications in lieu of sending new verification requests to your institutions.
- If your credentials have been submitted previously to ECFMG but not verified, EICS will send new copies of your credentials for verification.
Acceptance of ECFMG verification of credentials does not change your EICS application fee.
3. What if my medical credentials have been submitted previously to EICS?
If your medical credentials have been submitted previously to EICS, it is not necessary to submit additional copies with your EICS application. You must, however, submit copies of credentials that were not included with your previous EICS application.
Please remember to include your EICS number and check the appropriate boxes on the EICS Application Fee Payment Sheet, as explained in the EICS Application Instructions.
4. What medical credentials does EICS verify?
EICS seeks primary source verification of medical school diplomas, medical school transcripts, certificates of postgraduate training, and certificates of medical registration and licensure. Your medical registration board determines which credentials require verification by EICS.
EICS does not verify dental or non-medical related credentials, membership or fellowship certificates associated with professional medical organizations, or letters of recommendation concerning non-postgraduate training positions.
Contact your medical registration board if you are unsure which credentials to submit to EICS.
5. Do I have to submit original or notarized documents with my application?
Because EICS will contact the issuing institutions, it is not necessary to submit original or notarized documents. Photocopies of documents are acceptable. Photocopied credentials must be complete and legible.
Oversized documents should be photocopy reduced to 8½ x 11 inches (216 mm x 279 mm).
6. Do I need to submit translations for non-English language documents?
Non-English language credentials must be accompanied by English translations prepared and signed by a recognized translator or professional translation service. English language translations are not sent for verification.
7. Can I pay the EICS application fee by wire transfer?
EICS does not accept payments by wire transfer. Payment of the EICS application fee may be remitted via credit card (Visa, MasterCard, and Discover) or by money order/bank draft. Applications submitted without payment will not be fully processed until payment of the application fee is received by EICS.
EICS will notify you if your credit card or bank draft is declined for payment. If this occurs, EICS will continue the verification process but will not release verification information and reports to your medical registration board until it receives payment of the application fee.
8. How long does the EICS verification process take to complete?
The time to complete the EICS verification process depends on the internal processing times of the institutions that issued your credentials. You are advised to contact your institutions and request that they promptly complete and return verifications to EICS.
9. What if my institution has a fee for verification of my credentials?
Payment of verification fees imposed by an institution is the responsibility of the physician. EICS will notify you if payment of a fee is required by your institution for completion of EICS verification forms and inform you of the payment details, as provided to EICS by the institution.
10. Can you send me the EICS verification forms to take personally to my institutions?
To maintain the integrity of the verification process, EICS verification forms are sent directly to and received directly from the issuing institutions. Verification forms cannot be provided to physicians, family members, or friends for the purpose of delivery to or retrieval from issuing institutions.
11. Can I speed up the verification of my credentials?
EICS verification requests are sent via airmail and include pre-paid international business reply envelopes. To arrange for EICS to send your credential verification requests to their issuing institutions via courier service, simply follow the steps in the EICS Application Instructions.
You will need to provide EICS with a courier service account number. EICS will not accept credit card information for payment of courier shipment fees. EICS will e-mail the courier service tracking numbers to you once verifications have been sent. Please confirm with your courier service that destination institutions are within their service areas.
EICS will only courier your credential verification requests one-way. You must contact your institutions to arrange for courier service shipment back to EICS.
12. Will I receive a copy of my EICS Credentials Verification Report?
EICS reports are issued only to your medical registration board. EICS reports are not released to physicians or third parties. You will receive notification from EICS when all verifications have been received and the final EICS report has been issued to your medical registration board.
13. How long do EICS verifications remain valid?
There is no expiration date for EICS verifications.
14. I am applying to a Canadian postgraduate medical training program and have been instructed to provide EICS verification to CARMS. How do I arrange this?
EICS verification is listed as a CARMS requirement because it is a requirement of several Canadian state medical registration boards. CARMS itself is not an EICS client and does not receive any information concerning physicians using EICS.