Verifying a surgeon's credentials is the single most important due diligence step before committing to an overseas procedure. Clinic accreditation and hospital reputation matter, but neither substitutes for confirming that the individual holding the scalpel is licensed, trained, and currently in good standing with their national regulatory body. This guide explains how to do that in each of the ten countries covered by The Treatment Registry.
For a quick automated check, see our accreditation verifier at /tools/accreditation-verifier, which covers several of the registries below.
Thailand
Surgeons in Thailand are regulated by the Medical Council of Thailand (MCT). The MCT maintains a licence register that is searchable by name and licence number at tmc.or.th. Every practising surgeon must hold a current MCT licence; a licence that has lapsed or been suspended will not appear as active in the register.
When you receive a surgeon's name from a clinic, ask also for their MCT licence number. Search the register directly — do not rely on a screenshot provided by the clinic. The register will show the licence status, the primary specialty, and any disciplinary notations. Specialists such as plastic surgeons are also listed with the Royal College of Surgeons of Thailand, which publishes its own fellowship directory.
Turkey
Turkish surgeons are registered with the Turkish Medical Association (Türk Tabipleri Birliği, TTB) and with the relevant specialty board. The Ministry of Health operates a central practitioner verification portal at saglik.gov.tr where licence status can be confirmed by entering the surgeon's name or national identity number.
Specialty qualifications are awarded by the relevant specialist society — for example, the Turkish Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (TPRECD) for plastic surgeons. Membership of the specialty society is separate from the basic medical licence; confirm both. Turkey has experienced periods of rapid clinic expansion in cosmetic surgery, making individual credential checking particularly important.
Mexico
In Mexico, the federal regulator for healthcare professionals is the Dirección General de Profesiones (DGP), part of the Secretaría de Educación Pública. The DGP maintains a public register of professional titles (cédula profesional) searchable at cedulaprofesional.sep.gob.mx. Every surgeon must hold a valid cédula; searching by name and specialty will confirm whether the credential is genuine.
Specialists must also hold a specialty certificate (cédula de especialista), which is a separate qualification issued after postgraduate training. Both credentials should be verifiable. Additionally, the Consejo Mexicano de Cirugía General and equivalent bodies for sub-specialties certify board competence. Certification is voluntary but worth checking. Note that some popular border cities have high concentrations of clinics and variable enforcement of licensing requirements.
Hungary
Hungary's medical regulator is the Hungarian Medical Chamber (Magyar Orvosi Kamara, MOK), and the licencing authority is the National Directorate General for Hospitals (OKFŐ). Licence status can be verified through the health authority's practitioner register. Hungary is an EU member state, meaning EU standards of medical education apply, and practitioners licensed in Hungary may work across the EU under the EU Professional Qualifications Directive.
For dental procedures specifically, Hungary is one of the most visited dental tourism destinations in Europe. Dentists are registered with the Hungarian Dental Association (Magyar Fogorvosok Egyesülete). Ask for the practitioner's registration number and verify it directly with the relevant chamber.
India
India has two layers of medical regulation. At the national level, the National Medical Commission (NMC) replaced the Medical Council of India in 2020 and maintains a central register of licensed practitioners at nmc.org.in. At the state level, each State Medical Council (SMC) registers practitioners and handles disciplinary matters — the state council is often the most practical starting point for verification.
For surgeons practising in private hospitals in cities such as Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, or Bengaluru that attract international patients, check both the NMC central register and the relevant state register. Specialty qualifications (MS, MCh, DNB) are awarded by medical universities or the National Board of Examinations and should be specified on the surgeon's profile. Hospitals accredited by NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers) are required to have credentialling processes for their clinical staff, which provides an additional layer of assurance.
South Korea
South Korea's medical regulator is the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which manages a national practitioner register. Verification can be done through the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) portal or the Korean Medical Association (KMA). The KMA publishes a member directory that includes specialty designation.
South Korea has a substantial cosmetic surgery sector centred on Seoul's Gangnam district. The Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (KSPS) maintains a fellowship directory for board-certified plastic surgeons. Because the Korean cosmetic surgery market includes practitioners who trained in different specialties performing aesthetic procedures, it is worth confirming that the surgeon's specialty training matches the procedure you are having. A dermatologist and a board-certified plastic surgeon may both perform certain procedures legally; the training backgrounds differ significantly.
Malaysia
Malaysia's medical regulator is the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC), which maintains a public register of licensed medical practitioners at mmc.gov.my. The register is searchable by name and registration number. For specialist status, the National Specialist Register (NSR) — also managed through the MMC — confirms whether a practitioner holds a recognised specialty qualification.
Malaysia has strong regulatory infrastructure and several JCI-accredited hospitals, particularly in Kuala Lumpur and Penang. The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) is a government body that promotes and oversees the medical tourism sector; its website includes a list of approved healthcare facilities.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica's medical regulator is the Colegio de Médicos y Cirujanos de Costa Rica, which maintains a member register searchable at medicos.cr. All practising doctors must be registered members; the register shows specialty designation and current status. Costa Rica has a relatively compact private healthcare sector concentrated in the San José metropolitan area, and many surgeons treating international patients trained partly in the United States.
For dental procedures — a major category for Costa Rica medical tourism — the regulatory body is the Colegio de Cirujanos Dentistas de Costa Rica. Dentist registration can be verified at its website.
Spain
Spain is an EU member state, and medical regulation is administered at both the national and regional level. The national body is the Consejo General de Colegios Oficiales de Médicos (CGCOM), which coordinates the regional Colegios de Médicos. Each regional college maintains a register of licensed practitioners in that autonomous community. Spain also participates in the EU single market for regulated professions, meaning practitioners licensed in other EU states may practise under mutual recognition arrangements.
The Spanish Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (SECPRE) certifies plastic surgeons and maintains a practitioner directory. For any surgeon you are considering, verify both the regional college registration and, where applicable, the specialty society membership.
Poland
Poland's medical regulator is the Supreme Medical Chamber (Naczelna Izba Lekarska, NIL), which maintains a central register of licensed physicians at nil.org.pl. The register is searchable by name and licence number. Poland is another EU member state, and EU mutual recognition rules apply.
Polish surgeons specialising in fields popular with medical tourists — particularly dentistry, ophthalmology, and cosmetic surgery — are often affiliated with the relevant specialty society, such as the Polish Society of Plastic Surgery (Polskie Towarzystwo Chirurgii Plastycznej). Check the NIL central register for basic licence status, and the specialty society for advanced credentials.
General Verification Principles
Regardless of country, the verification process is the same: obtain the surgeon's full name and registration or licence number from the clinic, then search the relevant national register directly. Do not rely on documentation provided by the clinic alone — certificates can be falsified or outdated. If the register is in a language you do not read, use a translation tool for navigation but be precise about what you are searching for.
If you cannot find the surgeon in the expected register, ask the clinic for an explanation before proceeding. A legitimate clinic will be able to provide clarification without difficulty. Use our Red Flags Self-Check tool at /tools/red-flags-check to assess whether the pattern of responses you receive from a clinic is consistent with a trustworthy provider.