Educational commission for foreign medical graduates

Taking the Examination 

Step 1 and Step 2 CK

 | 

Step 2 CS

 | Travel Status | 

Acceptable Identification

 | 

Testing Conditions

 | 

USMLE 

Program and Irregular Behavior

  

Travel Status 

Applicants traveling to the United States to take an exam are responsible for making the necessary travel and 

accommodation arrangements. If you are neither a U.S. citizen nor a U.S. lawful permanent resident, you are 

responsible for obtaining required travel documents. These documents may include a visa to enter the United 

States. The requirements of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. embassies and 

consulates regarding issuance of visas and travel to and from the United States are subject to change. You should 

review current requirements before applying for a visa. For additional information, visit the 

DHS website

 and the 

U.S. Department of State website

. 

Step 2 CS is administered only in the United States. Upon request, ECFMG provides Step 2 CS applicants with a 

letter that may assist during the process of applying for a visa. The letter indicates that the applicant is registered 

for Step 2 CS, one of the exams required for ECFMG Certification. The letter also indicates that the applicant is 

required to travel to the United States to take the exam and provides the date by which the applicant must 

complete the exam. You can request this letter when you apply for Step 2 CS. After completion of the registration 

process, ECFMG will issue the letter, and it will be available to you through 

IWA

. If you are unable to obtain the 

appropriate visa to enter the United States to take Step 2 CS, you may request a full refund of the exam fee. See 

Refunds

 in Your ECFMG Financial Account. 

If you are traveling from a distant location, you should consider arriving a day or two before the examination in 

order to be rested. 

 

 

Last updated: September 15, 2011 

 

Copyright © 2011 by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. All rights reserved.

 

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Taking the Examination 

Step 1 and Step 2 CK

 | 

Step 2 CS

 | 

Travel Status

 | Acceptable Identification | 

Testing Conditions

 | 

USMLE 

Program and Irregular Behavior

  

Acceptable Identification 

Your name as it appears on your scheduling permit and your form(s) of identification must match exactly. Refer to 

your scheduling permit for limited exceptions. Since your name on the scheduling permit appears in the Latin 

alphabet (in “English language letters”), the name on your identification must also appear in the Latin alphabet. 

The spelling of the name on your scheduling permit must match exactly the spelling of the name on the form(s) of 

identification you present at the test center. If the names do not match as described above, you will not be allowed 

to take the exam. See 

Your Name

 in Your ECFMG Record. 

The form of identification you present must be one of the forms of unexpired, government-issued identification 

listed below that contains your name in the Latin alphabet, your signature, and your recent (no more than 10 

years earlier) photograph. The following forms of identification are acceptable, only if they meet all of these 

requirements: 



Passport  



Driver’s license with photograph  



National identity card  



Other form of dated, unexpired, government-issued identification that meets all of these requirements  

If your identification contains your name in the Latin alphabet and your photograph but not your signature, you can 

use another form of unexpired identification that contains your signature, such as a student/employee 

identification card or a credit card, to supplement your photo-bearing, government-issued identification. 

If you do not have acceptable identification, as described above, that contains your name in the Latin alphabet, 

you can apply for an ECFMG Identification Card (EIC). You may use a valid EIC in place of one of the forms of 

identification listed above to gain admittance to the test center on the date of your exam. To receive an EIC, you 

must complete an ECFMG Identification Card Request Form (Form 180), available from ECFMG upon request. To 

request Form 180, you must submit a written request to 

ECFMG

 after you have been registered for examination. 

Use the contact information for General Inquiries on the Contact ECFMG page of the ECFMG website. ECFMG 

will not provide Form 180 to individuals who are not registered for examination. Each EIC is valid for one testing 

appointment only and will be collected at the test center at the end of your testing appointment. 

Important Note: The purpose of the EIC is to provide acceptable identification for examinees who do 

not have identification that contains their name in the Latin alphabet. Do not request an EIC if you 

already have identification that meets all of the requirements listed above. Requests for EICs are 

processed typically within four weeks of receipt of a completed Form 180. 

 

 

Last updated: September 15, 2011 

 

Copyright © 2011 by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. All rights reserved.

 

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