Andhra Pradesh has become the first state in India to remove separate registration and No Objection Certificate (NOC) requirements for doctors registered with other State or Union Territory Medical Councils, according to a report in The Indian Express.
The order, issued by the Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare Department via G.O. Ms No. 81, states that any person holding a recognised medical qualification and a valid registration with any State or Union Territory Medical Council in India can now practise in Andhra Pradesh directly. Health Secretary Saurabh Gaur confirmed the change.
The order falls under the state's "Compliance Reduction and Deregulation Phase-II Reforms" (specifically Priority Area-19 or PA-19). Its explicit mandate is to enable "ease of practice" for qualified doctors.
Until now, a doctor registered in, say, Tamil Nadu or Kerala had to de-register there and apply afresh to the Andhra Pradesh Medical Council (APMC), often after securing an NOC from their home council, a process clinicians have long called slow and duplicative. The new rule removes both steps for doctors entering Andhra Pradesh.
Notably, the reform runs one way: APMC's own guidelines confirm that a doctor's registration in Andhra Pradesh still goes inactive the moment they take an NOC to leave for another state, and reactivating it still requires a fresh NOC or non-utilization letter from that state's council.
Since this rule applies only in Andhra Pradesh, it does not change the regulations of other states. For example, a doctor registered in Tamil Nadu can practise in Andhra Pradesh without obtaining a separate registration there. However, they must still follow any rules set by the Tamil Nadu Medical Council. If their home state requires an NOC or other formalities before practising elsewhere, those requirements may still apply.
Doctors' groups have pointed to the nationwide practice principles embodied in Section 27 of the now-repealed Indian Medical Council Act, 1956, which provided that registration with a State Medical Council placed a doctor on the Indian Medical Register. The Indian Medical Council Act, 1956, was repealed following the implementation of the National Medical Commission framework.
The National Medical Commission (NMC) has been working toward a "One Nation, One Registration" system through the National Medical Register (NMR), which aims to maintain a single database of doctors registered across India. Despite this, doctors often continue to face state-specific registration requirements when moving between states. Andhra Pradesh's new order removes that barrier within the state by recognizing valid registrations issued by any State or Union Territory Medical Council, eliminating the need for separate registration or an NOC.
In practice, many states have continued to require separate registration, registration-transfer procedures, or No Objection Certificate-related processes for doctors seeking to move between jurisdictions. Dr. Babu KV, a Kerala-registered practitioner and Indian Medical Association office-bearer, has written to the National Medical Commission urging it to adopt Andhra Pradesh's approach as the national standard.
See also: Andhra Pradesh Launches Statewide Enforcement Against Unqualified Medical Practice
Check the APMC portal for verification requirements, retain proof of your existing state registration, and confirm with your current state council whether de-registration is still expected on their end, since this order binds only Andhra Pradesh, not your home state. If you later plan to leave Andhra Pradesh for another state, note that the standard NOC and deactivation process still applies in that direction.
Andhra Pradesh's decision comes at a time when discussions around interstate medical practice, State Medical Council registration requirements, and doctors' mobility continue under India's evolving regulatory framework.
Government of India. The National Medical Commission Act, 2019. Act No. 30 of 2019. New Delhi: Ministry of Law and Justice, 2019. Accessed June 20, 2026. https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/11820/1/A2019_30.pdf.
Government of India. The Indian Medical Council Act, 1956. Act No. 102 of 1956. New Delhi: Ministry of Law, 1956. Accessed June 20, 2026. https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/15288/1/imc.pdf.
Government of Andhra Pradesh, Health, Medical & Family Welfare (J) Department, G.O.Ms.No.81, Dated June 11, 2026, 2026HMF_42150_MS81_E.pdf. Available via the Andhra Pradesh Government Orders Repository Portal.
(Rh/AK/MSM)
