In accordance with the Physicians’ Regulations, the Ministry of Health can approve the specialty certification obtained abroad, upon the Scientific Council's recommendations, subjected to the conditions determined by the Council.

According to the Regulations, the Scientific Council may recommend recognizing residency preformed oversea as equivalent to a residency in Israel or part thereof, with or without conditions, including a requirement to sit at the residency exams in Israel.

Recognition of residency periods abroad

A physician who qualified as a specialist abroad and applicated to the Scientific Council for recognition of the certification and/or exemption from the residency exams, is reviewed individually. The decision is made in accordance with the Physicians’ Regulations and in compliance with all the following conditions:

1. The residency took place in a department or institution that has accreditation from a national authorized to provide accreditation.
2. The residency took place consecutively and on a full-time basis, in accordance with the regulations and requirements for clinical activities similar to those specified in the regulations for residency in Israel.
3. The residency had a defined syllabus that included practice not fundamentally different from that required by the equivalent syllabus for the same discipline in Israel.
4. The residency period was not shorter than the period required in Israel.
5. It is possible to consider recognition of periods of work done by the physician as a specialist as meeting the requirement for additional periods of residency. 
5. The physician engaged in the field of specialization continuously until submission of the application.

** The Scientific Council can also consider recognition of specialty certification obtained abroad for a physician who did not practice medicine in the requested field, up to 5 years prier submitting the application.

Attention

• A physician whose overseas residency period was shorter than the period required in Israel in the same discipline must complete a further period in an accredited department, as required in Israel. The additional period can be done in the main field or in a secondary field according to the circumstances and as determined by the Scientific Council. However, the Council may determine that periods of work completed by the physician as a specialist meet the requirement for additional periods of residency if the residency period was shorter than the equivalent in Israel.
• An immigrant physician who is required to complete a period of residency in Israel, will be exempt from the 6 months the basic sciences research, mandatory in Israel, if the Scientific Council recognized at least a year from the overseas residency.