The Right to Independent Medical Practice and Its Foundations
In Georgia, starting independent medical practice is possible only after the conditions established by law have been met. Under the current rules, the right to carry out independent medical practice belongs to a citizen of Georgia or of a foreign state, or to a stateless person, who has graduated from a higher medical educational institution in Georgia holding state accreditation and who has received, in the manner prescribed by law, the state certificate confirming the right to independent medical practice. A document of higher medical education is therefore not sufficient on its own: the decisive instrument is the state certificate.
This right belongs to the physician only in the specialty or specialties indicated in the state certificate, apart from exceptions established by law — the boundary beyond which independent practice becomes unlawful. The law also prohibits holding this right for a person from whom a court has revoked it on the basis of the Georgian law on the fight against crimes directed against sexual freedom and inviolability.
Recognition of Qualifications Obtained Abroad
For physicians educated abroad the law provides two distinct tracks. An applicant who holds a state document confirming the right to independent medical practice issued by a country included in the list determined by the ministry receives the state certificate in the same specialty without sitting a state certification examination. An applicant who completed a postgraduate professional training course in a country covered by the other list receives the certificate upon passing that examination, after satisfying the requirements of Georgian immigration legislation. Both lists are determined by the ministry, so their current version must be checked before an application is submitted.
Certification and the Status of the State Certificate
Certification, as defined by the law, covers the assessment of the level of professional knowledge and of the practical skills of medical personnel. To obtain the right to independent medical practice, certification is required in every medical specialty included in the list determined by the ministry. The state certificate issued as a result is a state document confirming the right to independent medical practice, and it also defines the medical specialty; it is mandatory only for independent practice. The certificate is a document of strict accounting, bearing a series, a number and other marks of protection, and its transfer to another person is prohibited.
The certificate becomes void by decision of the issuing authority in three cases: upon the death of the holder or upon a court declaring the holder dead; on the basis of the holder’s written request; and where it is discovered that a forged document was used as the basis for the decision to grant the certificate.
Documents Submitted with the Application
The issuance of a state certificate to a physician-specialist is an application-based procedure, and the law names the documents precisely: a written application of the prescribed form; a copy of the diploma confirming higher medical education; a state document confirming completion of a postgraduate professional training course in the relevant specialty; a recommendation from the head of that course or from the head of the medical institution where the applicant worked; a document confirming that the state certification examination has been passed; a document confirming an employment relationship, if the applicant has one; and a description of the work carried out over the last 2 years in the relevant specialty. For holders of foreign qualifications the set differs: a certificate from a country on the first list requires the application, a copy of the diploma and the foreign certificate itself, while a graduate of a country on the second list also submits a document confirming completion of the course and an examination certificate. Careful preparation of the file matters, because any inaccuracy in the documents becomes a ground for refusal.
Frequently Asked Questions on Medical Licensing
May a physician practise independently outside the specialty indicated in the certificate?
No. The right to independent medical practice exists only in the specialty or specialties recorded in the state certificate, apart from exceptions established by law. Moving to another specialty requires new certification.
Must a foreign-educated physician sit a state examination in Georgia?
That depends on which list includes the country of education. A certificate issued by a country on one list is recognised in the same specialty without an examination, while in the case of the other list passing the state certification examination is required. Because the lists may change, their current version must be checked before applying.
When may the issuing authority refuse to grant the certificate?
The council may refuse where the submitted documents do not meet the requirements of the law, where the applicant seeks the certificate for an activity whose right has been revoked, or where the applicant has a suspended certificate and the ground for suspension has not been eliminated. The council must notify the applicant in writing of the grounds, and it is prohibited to refuse in order to limit the number of persons carrying out independent medical practice.
How can a refusal be challenged?
Where the certificate is refused, the applicant has the right to apply to a court in the manner established by Georgian legislation. Judicial review covers both the legality of the decision and the circumstances underlying it.
How We Help on Legal.ge
Medical licensing is a multi-stage cycle: certification, the correct set of attachments, determining the recognition regime of a foreign qualification and, where necessary, challenging a refusal. The Legal.ge team will assess your situation, compile the list of documents, determine which list includes your country and, if a refusal follows, prepare a court challenge. Contact us — we will design a route that connects your experience with the Georgian legal space.