Submitting ECFMG Form 186 via NotaryCam: Certification of Identification

ECFMG Form 186, now officially called the Intealth Identification Form, is completed entirely online: you set up a MyIntealth account, enter biographical details that match your passport exactly, upload a passport image and a compliant photograph, then finish a live video notarization session with NotaryCam that sends the signed form directly to ECFMG. The form confirms that the person registered with ECFMG is the same person who will sit for the USMLE, and without it ECFMG cannot verify your exam eligibility to the Federation of State Medical Boards.1Intealth. MyIntealth Frequently Asked Questions

What to Have Ready Before You Start

Pull everything together before you log in. The system holds an incomplete request for only 14 days, then deletes it and you begin again.2Intealth ECFMG. MyIntealth Applicant Account Establishment and Identity Verification

Your Passport

You need a current, unexpired passport. Every field you type — full legal name, date of birth, gender — has to match the passport exactly. A single character off will cause the notary to fail the identity check.3ECFMG. Establishing Your MyIntealth Applicant Portal Account – User Guide

If the name-and-photo page of your passport is not printed in Latin characters, upload the Latin-character section as well. ECFMG cannot process the form without a readable Latin-character version.2Intealth ECFMG. MyIntealth Applicant Account Establishment and Identity Verification

A Compliant Digital Photograph

Photo problems are one of the most common reasons applicants get bounced back. The requirements:

  • A clear front view of your full face, centered, with a natural expression, eyes open, looking at the camera.
  • A plain, light-colored background. No patterns, no dark walls.
  • Color, in focus, not too dark or too light, high enough resolution to print cleanly.
  • Taken within the last six months.
  • JPG or JPEG, 1 MB or smaller.
  • No hats, sunglasses, or anything else obscuring your face.

The photo has to show a true likeness of you.2Intealth ECFMG. MyIntealth Applicant Account Establishment and Identity Verification

A Working Computer and Connection

NotaryCam needs a webcam, microphone, and stable internet. When you open the session, a built-in tech check tests your speed, audio, and video before the notary joins.3ECFMG. Establishing Your MyIntealth Applicant Portal Account – User Guide Your browser has to be allowed access to the camera and microphone. Use a desktop or laptop if you can; mobile devices often cause camera-stability and resolution problems during document capture.

Setting Up Your MyIntealth Account

MyIntealth has replaced the older Interactive Web Applications (IWA) portal as the single online environment for ECFMG services.4Intealth ECFMG. Resources – Forms If you had an IWA or OASIS account, your records carry over. Otherwise you build a new account from scratch.

Account establishment costs $100. That figure includes the $50 NotaryCam fee for notarizing your identity form, so nothing extra is owed to NotaryCam when the video session begins. The fee is non-refundable.5ECFMG. Fees Overview

During setup you enter your biographical information and upload the passport image and photograph. Check every field against the machine-readable zone of your passport before you move on. Typos at this stage are what cause rejections later.

The NotaryCam Video Session

Once the identity form fields are filled and your documents uploaded, the system routes you to NotaryCam for live video notarization. You can start on demand or schedule it; NotaryCam runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year.6ECFMG. New Enhancement to ECFMG Certification of Identity Process for Applicants

A licensed U.S. notary joins the call and walks you through each step. You hold the passport up to the camera so the notary can capture the front and back and confirm it matches the information on your form.3ECFMG. Establishing Your MyIntealth Applicant Portal Account – User Guide You then review and accept an electronic-signature consent, sign and date electronically, and the notary applies their seal and locks the document. A typical session runs ten to twenty minutes when nothing goes wrong.

Watch one deadline carefully. You have 96 hours from the moment the NotaryCam session is initiated to finish it. Miss that window and you have to contact ECFMG to restart the process.3ECFMG. Establishing Your MyIntealth Applicant Portal Account – User Guide

After the notary locks the form, NotaryCam transmits it directly to ECFMG. Nothing is mailed. Nothing is uploaded afterward. The handoff is automatic.

Why Forms Get Rejected

Rejections cluster around two problems: photo defects and data mismatches. The usual trouble spots:

  • Photos that are blurry, poorly lit, in the wrong file format, over 1 MB, or older than six months. ECFMG requires an acceptable replacement before you can continue.2Intealth ECFMG. MyIntealth Applicant Account Establishment and Identity Verification
  • A name, gender, or date of birth that does not match the passport’s machine-readable zone. Even a small discrepancy will block the NotaryCam session. If this happens, contact ECFMG Applicant Information Services before trying again.
  • An expired passport. It has to be current at the time of notarization.
  • A non-Latin-character passport page submitted without the required Latin-character section.
  • Technical failures during the video session, including dropped connections or browsers that block camera and microphone access. Run the tech check before the notary joins.

Processing Time and When You Have to Redo It

ECFMG currently estimates one business day to process a completed identity form.7Intealth ECFMG. Current Processing Times You will receive an email, and the status appears in your MyIntealth account once review is done.

The form does not last forever. You have to complete a new one through the same NotaryCam process if your passport expires, you legally change your name, or the form itself reaches its expiration date.6ECFMG. New Enhancement to ECFMG Certification of Identity Process for Applicants The renewal NotaryCam fee is built into the Application for ECFMG Certification fee, so re-notarization has no separate charge. Letting the identity form lapse without filing a new one suspends your eligibility for exam registration and residency applications.

How the Accepted Form Fits Into USMLE Eligibility

An accepted identity form is one of three things ECFMG checks before confirming your eligibility for a USMLE Step exam. The other two are an established MyIntealth account and an accepted Application for ECFMG Certification.1Intealth. MyIntealth Frequently Asked Questions

As of January 2026, USMLE exam registration, score-report delivery, and customer service for international medical graduates are handled by the Federation of State Medical Boards rather than through MyIntealth. When you apply for a Step exam through FSMB, FSMB confirms your eligibility with ECFMG behind the scenes. Your name of record with FSMB must match your name of record with ECFMG exactly. A mismatch will block the eligibility check.1Intealth. MyIntealth Frequently Asked Questions

What You Will Pay

Several separate ECFMG charges stack up as you move through certification:

  • MyIntealth Account Establishment: $100, which includes the $50 NotaryCam fee for notarizing the identity form.
  • Application for ECFMG Certification: $560.
  • Verification of Credentials: $200, split as $100 for your final diploma and $100 for your final transcript, paid with the Application for ECFMG Certification.

All fees are non-refundable.5ECFMG. Fees Overview Plan on at least $860 in ECFMG fees before you reach the separate USMLE exam fees administered by FSMB.