ECFMG partners with the Helsedirektoratet (Norwegian Directorate of Health) to primary-source verify medical education credentials of internationally educated physicians who are applying for registration to practice medicine in Norway. If you are applying for registration with the Directorate and you completed your medical education in a country located outside of the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA), you must have certain required credentials verified through EPIC.
If you submitted an application to the Directorate prior to September 1, 2016, and your medical credentials were submitted for verification through ECFMG’s International Credentials Services (EICS), your credentials will continue through the EICS process until either they are verified or attempts to have them verified have been exhausted.
To have your credentials verified through EPIC in support of an application to the Directorate, complete the following steps:
If you have any questions regarding EPIC and the EPIC verification process, please contact EPIC at info@ecfmgepic.org or +1 (215) 966-3900. Telephone assistance is available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time in the United States.
If you have questions regarding the Directorate’s application processes, please contact the Directorate.
Please also read the general Frequently Asked Questions in the For Physicians section of the website.
Medical graduates applying for registration to the Directorate who completed their medical education in a country located outside of the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) will need to create an EPIC Account and have the credentials (qualifications) required by the Directorate verified through EPIC.
If you completed your medical education in a country located outside of the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) and wish to apply for registration with the Directorate, you will need to create an EPIC Account and have the credentials (qualifications) required by the Directorate primary-source verified through EPIC beginning September 1, 2016.
If you submitted your credentials to ECFMG for verification through EICS prior to September 1, 2016, you do not need to create an EPIC Account and have your credentials primary-source verified through EPIC. Your credentials will continue through the EICS process until either they are verified or attempts to have them verified have been exhausted. Verification through EICS includes the initial request for verification and up to three reminders, as needed. If attempts to have your credentials verified through EICS are unsuccessful after all attempts have been exhausted, you will need to create an EPIC Account and upload the unverified credentials to EPIC if you wish to have them verified.
Credentials required in support of your application to the Directorate include:
The Directorate may also require verification of additional credentials in support of your application. If additional credentials require verification, the Directorate will contact you to let you know.
If you have questions regarding the credentials you are required to submit, please contact the Directorate.
We recommend that you create an EPIC Account and upload your credentials to EPIC as soon as possible after applying to the Directorate. Through EPIC, your credentials are verified directly with the issuing institution. The time required to complete the verification of credentials varies and depends on a number of factors, including the time it takes for the issuing institution to respond to our verification requests.
Yes. The credentials that you upload to EPIC remain available to you as part of your EPIC Portfolio. You can use EPIC to send copies of these credentials along with reports verifying their authenticity to organizations worldwide at any time throughout your career.
No. The Directorate will not have direct access to your EPIC Portfolio. The Directorate will have access only to the credentials (qualifications) and verification reports that you make available to them through EPIC.
When an EPIC Report is sent to the Directorate, the Directorate will have access to the report and a copy of your credential through the EPIC Report Portal. If you need to confirm whether the Directorate has accessed your report through the Report Portal, contact the Directorate.
If you submitted your credentials to ECFMG for verification through EICS prior to September 1, 2016, you do not need to have your credentials verified through EPIC. Your credentials will continue through the EICS process until either they are verified or attempts to have them verified have been exhausted. Verification through EICS includes the initial request for verification and up to three reminders, as needed. If attempts to have your credentials verified through EICS are unsuccessful after all attempts have been exhausted, you will need to create an EPIC Account and upload the unverified credentials to EPIC if you wish to have them verified.
If your credentials have already been primary-source verified by ECFMG for ECFMG Certification or through ECFMG’s International Credentials Services (EICS), you will need to create an EPIC Account and use EPIC to provide your credentials and verification reports to the Directorate. However, you will not need to upload the credentials that were previously verified by ECFMG; they will be added to your EPIC Account at no cost. Simply provide your ECFMG/USMLE ID and/or EICS ID when you establish your EPIC Account. ECFMG will review your file typically within 10 business days; if your file is acceptable, ECFMG will add your previously verified credentials to your EPIC Portfolio. You can then use EPIC to request that verification reports on the required credentials be provided to the Directorate. Please note that you must submit your application for registration to the Directorate before you request EPIC Reports and, unless otherwise instructed by the Directorate, you should not send EPIC Reports until all of the required credentials have been verified.
If you have questions regarding EPIC’s services—such as creating an EPIC Account, uploading your credentials (qualifications), managing your portfolio, the verification process, sending verification reports, or fees—please contact EPIC at info@ecfmgepic.org or +1 (215) 966-3900. Telephone assistance is available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time in the United States.
If you have questions regarding applying to the Directorate—such as necessary documentation, required qualifications, or registration categories—please contact the Directorate.