NBCMI Certification Requirements: CMI, Hub-CMI, and What Each One Needs

The National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters, NBCMI, issues one of the two national medical interpreter certifications in the United States. Its requirements are spread across a website, a prerequisites document, and a candidate handbook, which is why candidates so often arrive at the application with the wrong paperwork.

This article puts the requirements in one place, in plain words. Everything was checked against NBCMI’s own documents on September 21, 2026, including the candidate handbook dated February 13, 2026. Confirm current fees on their site before paying.

The short answer

You need to be 18, have a high school education, prove proficiency in English and in your other language, and hold a certificate from a medical interpreter training course of at least 40 hours. Then you take a written exam in English. Passing it earns the Hub-CMI credential. If your language is one of six, you can then take an oral exam to earn full CMI certification.

The four things you have to prove

These come from NBCMI’s prerequisites page and its candidate handbook, dated February 13, 2026.

Age. At least 18, shown with a driver’s license, passport, or birth certificate.

Education. At least a high school education level. A high school diploma, a GED, or any degree from an institution of higher education is acceptable proof.

Training. Either a certificate of completion from a medical interpreter training course of at least 40 hours, or a transcript from a college or university showing at least three credit hours of medical interpreting coursework. NBCMI is explicit that this cannot be waived for anyone, regardless of how much other training or experience they have.

Language proficiency, twice. This is the requirement that surprises people, because you have to prove it separately for English and for your other language.

For English, NBCMI accepts a degree from an institution of higher education in the United States or another English-speaking country, a high school diploma from an English-speaking country or an American school abroad, or a passing score on one of several tests including TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC, and others listed in the handbook.

For your target language, NBCMI accepts a degree from an institution where that language is spoken, a high school diploma from a country where it is spoken, 24 or more semester credit hours in the language, or an oral proficiency exam result: ACTFL at Advanced Mid level, or Parrot at ILR level 2 or above.

Being a native speaker is not, by itself, proof. If you have no schooling and no degree in your other language, budget for a proficiency exam.

Being a native speaker is not, by itself, proof.

What counts as the 40 hours

NBCMI’s prerequisites document asks for a certificate from “an approved medical interpreter training course” and links to program registries kept by IMIA and CHIA. That word approved has confused a lot of candidates, so here is what the same document says next: those registries are “not a complete list as there are many other programs not listed in the registry that are acceptable,” and candidates should check with the program they choose. It adds that “No NBCMI staff is involved in the approval of training courses.”

In other words, NBCMI does not run an approved-provider scheme. It sets a 40-hour minimum and asks for a certificate documenting it. We cover what makes training valid in our explainer on the 40-hour requirement.

The written exam, and the Hub-CMI credential

Everyone takes the same written exam, in English, whatever their language. The candidate handbook puts it at 51 multiple-choice questions on a computer, with 75 minutes to complete it, and it must be scheduled within six months of your application being approved. The content is weighted toward medical terminology, which carries the largest share, followed by ethics, the roles of the interpreter, and cultural competence.

Passing it earns the Hub-CMI credential. Hub-CMI is open to interpreters of any language, and NBCMI describes it as a credential rather than a certification, because it carries no language designation.

Two rules about Hub-CMI decide how it behaves, and they work in opposite directions.

If an oral exam exists in your language, your Hub-CMI expires in two years and cannot be renewed. It is a step on the way, not a destination. NBCMI allows you to restart the program once and take the written exam a total of two times, and to qualify for a second Hub-CMI you must have attempted the oral exam at least once.

If no oral exam exists in your language, Hub-CMI is your credential. It renews every four years with 30 hours of continuing education.

That second case covers most of the world’s languages, and it is the path that matters for interpreters in languages the big exams do not reach.

Everyone takes the same written exam in English. What happens next depends entirely on whether your language has an oral exam.

The oral exam and full CMI certification

Full CMI certification is available in six languages: Spanish, Russian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, and Vietnamese. The credential is awarded with the language attached, for example CMI-Spanish.

The oral exam is computer-based and your responses are recorded. It is scheduled for 45 to 60 minutes, and the timed portions are 12 mini-scenarios in 30 minutes and two sight translation passages in 10 minutes. It is scored across linguistic knowledge in both languages, interpreting skills, cultural competence, and medical terminology.

Passing scores are not the same in every language. NBCMI publishes 70% for Cantonese, Korean, Russian, and Spanish, 80% for Mandarin, and 65% for Vietnamese. NBCMI recommends taking the oral exam within six months of passing the written one.

What it costs

Item	Fee
Registration, non-refundable, valid one year	$40
Written exam	$190
Oral exam	$300
Renewal	$300

So Hub-CMI costs $230 to reach. Full CMI in one of the six languages costs $530, before the cost of training or any proficiency exam you need.

Keeping the credential

A full CMI renews every five years. Hub-CMI, where it is renewable, renews every four. Both require 30 hours of continuing education, and NBCMI requires the renewal application and fee at least 45 days before your credential expires. All continuing education has to relate to interpreting skills and medical knowledge.

If you are choosing between NBCMI and CCHI

The other national body, CCHI, has different eligibility details, different exam formats, and a different set of languages with oral exams. Arabic interpreters, for instance, have an oral exam at CCHI and not at NBCMI, while Russian, Korean, Vietnamese, and Cantonese interpreters have one at NBCMI and not at CCHI. We compare them in CCHI vs NBCMI: how to choose.

Whichever you choose, the training certificate you submit is not itself a certification. We explain the difference in certificate versus certification.

Start with the 40 hours

The training is the first requirement and the one you control completely. MLT Academy’s 40-Hour Medical Interpreter Training is built to meet the 40-hour requirement: 8 sections, 125 video lessons, 650 practice questions, and a 100-question final exam with an 85% passing threshold and one free retake after a 14-day wait. Instruction is in English, and you apply it to your own language pair, which is how the NBCMI written exam works too. It is $289 for one full year of access, billed once, and the certificate of completion documents your 40 training hours for your application.

See the curriculum and enroll in MLT Academy’s 40-Hour Medical Interpreter Training

Sources

Every figure in this article comes from NBCMI’s own published documents, checked on September 21, 2026. Confirm current fees on NBCMI’s site before paying.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Hub-CMI and CMI?

Hub-CMI is earned by passing the written exam in English and carries no language designation. CMI adds a language-specific oral exam and is awarded with your language attached. CMI is available in Spanish, Russian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, and Vietnamese.

My language has no oral exam. Can I still be credentialed?

Yes. Pass the written exam and you hold Hub-CMI, which is open to interpreters of any language. Where no oral exam exists in your language, Hub-CMI renews every four years with 30 hours of continuing education.

Does my Hub-CMI expire?

It depends on your language. If an oral exam exists in your language, Hub-CMI expires after two years and cannot be renewed, because it is intended as a step toward CMI. If no oral exam exists in your language, it renews on a four-year cycle.

Does NBCMI approve training courses?

No. Its prerequisites document states that no NBCMI staff is involved in approving training courses, and that the registries it links to are not a complete list, with many other programs acceptable. It asks for a certificate from a course of at least 40 hours.

Is being a native speaker enough to prove language proficiency?

No. NBCMI asks for documentation: a degree or high school diploma from a country where the language is spoken, 24 or more semester credit hours in it, or an oral proficiency exam result at ACTFL Advanced Mid or Parrot ILR 2 or above.

Can I use college coursework instead of a 40-hour course?

Yes. NBCMI accepts a transcript showing at least three credit hours of medical interpreting coursework in place of the 40-hour certificate.

How long do I have to take the exams?

Registration is valid for one year. The written exam must be scheduled within six months of your application being approved, and NBCMI recommends taking the oral exam within six months of passing the written one.