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Medical Doctor – Unrestricted


Click on the appropriate tab below to see the Initial Licensing Requirements, Process, Fees, Statutes and Administrative Rules for a Medical Doctor Unrestricted.

Application (PDF)

Applicants to become a licensed Medical Doctor must meet either the requirements for Licensure by Endorsement or Licensure by Examination to proceed with the application process.

LICENSURE BY ENDORSEMENT

For Licensure by Endorsement, the requirements are as follows and can be found in Chapter 458.313 F.S.:

  • Be a graduate of an Allopathic US Medical School of a school recognized and approved by the US Office of Education (AMG) and completed at least one year of approved residency training

OR

  • Be a graduate of an allopathic international medical school (IMG) and have a valid Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certificate and completed an approved residency of at least 2 years in one specialty area

OR

  • Be a graduate who has completed the formal requirements of an international medical school except the internship or social service requirement, passed parts I and II of the NBME or ECFMG equivalent examination, and completed an academic year of supervised clinical training (5th pathway) and completed an approved residency of at least 2 years in one specialty area

And both of the following:

  • Passed all parts of a national examination (NBME, FLEX, or USMLE) and
  • Licensed in another jurisdiction and actively practiced medicine in another jurisdiction for at least two of the immediately preceding four years; or passed a board-approved clinical competency examination within the year preceding filing of the application or; successfully completed a board approved postgraduate training program within two years preceding filing of the application.

LICENSURE BY EXAMINATION

For Licensure by Examination, applicants who do not hold a state license or who have not passed a national examination, the requirements are as follows and can be found in Chapter 458.311 F.S.:

  • Be a graduate of an Allopathic US Medical School of a school recognized and approved by the US Office of Education (AMG) and completed at least one year of approved residency training

OR

  • Be a graduate of an Allopathic international medical school (IMG) and have a valid Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certificate and completed an approved residency of at least 2 years in one specialty area

OR

  • Be a graduate who has completed the formal requirements of an international medical school except the internship or social service requirement, passed parts I and II of the NBME or ECFMG equivalent examination, and completed an academic year of supervised clinical training (5th pathway) and completed an approved residency of at least 2 years in one specialty area

And one of the following:

  • Passed all parts of a national examination (NBME, FLEX, or USMLE) or currently licensed in the U.S. or Canada, and has actively practiced pursuant to such licensure for at least 10 years, has passed a state board or LMCC examination, and passed the SPEX examination

OR

  • licensed on the basis of a state board exam prior to 1974, and is currently licensed in at least three other jurisdictions in the U.S. or Canada, and practiced pursuant to such licensure for at least 20 years

Effective July 1, 2012, section 456.0635, Florida Statutes, provides that health care boards or the department shall refuse to issue a license, certificate or registration and shall refuse to admit a candidate for examination if the applicant:

  1. Has been convicted of, or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, regardless of adjudication, a felony under Chapter 409, F.S., (relating to social and economic assistance), Chapter 817, F.S., (relating to fraudulent practices), Chapter 893, F.S., (relating to drug abuse prevention and control) or a similar felony offense(s) in another state or jurisdiction unless the candidate or applicant has successfully completed a drug court program for that felony and provides proof that the plea has been withdrawn or the charges have been dismissed.  Any such conviction or plea shall exclude the applicant or candidate from licensure, examination, certification, or registration, unless the sentence and any subsequent period of probation for such conviction or plea ended:
    • For the felonies of the first or second degree, more than 15 years from the date of the plea, sentence and completion of any subsequent probation;
    • For the felonies of the third degree, more than 10 years from the date of the plea, sentence and completion of any subsequent probation;
    • For the felonies of the third degree under section 893.13(6)(a), F.S., more than five years from the date of the plea, sentence and completion of any subsequent probation;
  2. Has been convicted of, or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, regardless of adjudication, a felony under 21 U.S.C. ss. 801-970 (relating to controlled substances) or 42 U.S.C. ss. 1395-1396 (relating to public health, welfare, Medicare and Medicaid issues), unless the sentence and any subsequent period of probation for such conviction or pleas ended more than 15 years prior to the date of the application;
  3. Has been terminated for cause from the Florida Medicaid program pursuant to section 409.913, F.S., unless the candidate or applicant has been in good standing with the Florida Medicaid program for the most recent five years;
  4. Has been terminated for cause, pursuant to the appeals procedures established by the state or Federal Government, from any other state Medicaid program, unless the candidate or applicant has been in good standing with a state Medicaid program for the most recent five years and the termination occurred at least 20 years before the date of the application;
  5. Is currently listed on the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s List of Excluded Individuals and Entities.

Applicants with Health History

Applicants who answer “Yes” to any of the Health History questions on the application are required to submit the following documentation to the board office:

Self-Explanation – Applicants must submit a letter in your own words explaining the medical condition(s) or occurrence(s). Include a description of all treatments and diagnoses you have received for any condition(s)/impairment(s) you are/have been treated for. Include all medications prescribed and all physicians/counselors that have provided treatment.

Physician(s) Letter – Applicants must submit a statement from your treating physician(s)/counselor(s) for each condition you are/were being treated for and whether or not you are currently able to safely practice Medicine. The physician’s statement should include all DSM IIIR/ DSM IV, Axis I, II, and III diagnoses.

Applicants with Disciplinary History

Applicants who have ever been denied licensure, had disciplinary action taken against their license, or have action pending against their license to practice any health care related profession by a licensing authority are required to submit the following documentation to the board:

Self-Explanation – Applicants who have listed disciplinary action on the application must submit a letter in your own words describing the circumstances of the action.

Agency Records – All relevant documentation regarding the action should be sent to the board office by the licensing agency. If the records are not available, you must have a letter on agency letterhead sent from the licensing agency attesting to their unavailability.

Applicants with Criminal History

Any applicant who has ever been found guilty of or pled guilty or no contest/nolo contendere to any charge other than a minor traffic offense must list each offense on the application. Failure to disclose criminal history may result in denial of your application. Each application is reviewed on its own merits.

The Board of Medicine has created guidelines for specific offenses to be cleared in the board office; however, staff cannot make determinations in advance as laws and rules do change over time. Violent crimes and repeat offenders are required to be presented to the Board of Medicine for review. Evidence of rehabilitation is important to the board members when making licensure decisions.

Applicants with prior criminal convictions are required to submit the following documentation to the board:

Self-Explanation – Applicants who have listed offenses on the application must submit a letter in your own words describing the circumstances of the offense.

Final Dispositions/Arrest Records – Final disposition records for offenses can be obtained at the clerk of the court in the arresting jurisdiction. If the records are not available, you must have a letter on court letterhead sent from the clerk of the court attesting to their unavailability.

Completion of Probation/Parole/Sanctions – Probation and financial sanction records for offenses can be obtained at the clerk of the court in the arresting jurisdiction. Parole records for offenses can be obtained from the Department of Corrections or at the clerk of the court in the arresting jurisdiction. If the records are not available, you must have a letter on court letterhead sent from the clerk of the court attesting to their unavailability.

Health Care Fraud, Disqualification for Licensure, Certificate, or Registration

Effective July 1, 2012, Section 456.0635, Florida Statutes (F.S.), provides that health care boards or the department shall refuse to issue a license, certificate or registration and shall refuse to admit a candidate for examination if the applicant:

  1. Has been convicted of, or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, regardless of adjudication, a felony under Chapter 409, F.S., (relating to social and economic assistance), Chapter 817, F.S., (relating to fraudulent practices), Chapter 893, F.S., (relating to drug abuse prevention and control) or a similar felony offense(s) in another state or jurisdiction unless the candidate or applicant has successfully completed a drug court program for that felony and provides proof that the plea has been withdrawn or the charges have been dismissed. Any such conviction or plea shall exclude the applicant or candidate from licensure, examination, certification, or registration, unless the sentence and any subsequent period of probation for such conviction or plea ended:
    1. For the felonies of the first or second degree, more than 15 years from the date of the plea, sentence and completion of any subsequent probation;
    2. For the felonies of the third degree, more than 10 years from the date of the plea, sentence and completion of any subsequent probation;
    3. For the felonies of the third degree under section 893.13(6)(a), F.S., more than five years from the date of the plea, sentence and completion of any subsequent probation;
  2. Has been convicted of, or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, regardless of adjudication, a felony under 21 U.S.C. ss. 801-970 (relating to controlled substances) or 42 U.S.C. ss. 1395-1396 (relating to public health, welfare, Medicare and Medicaid issues), unless the sentence and any subsequent period of probation for such conviction or pleas ended more than 15 years prior to the date of the application;
  3. Has been terminated for cause from the Florida Medicaid program pursuant to section 409.913, F.S., unless the candidate or applicant has been in good standing with the Florida Medicaid program for the most recent five years;
  4. Has been terminated for cause, pursuant to the appeals procedures established by the state or Federal Government, from any other state Medicaid program, unless the candidate or applicant has been in good standing with a state Medicaid program for the most recent five years and the termination occurred at least 20 years before the date of the application;
  5. Is currently listed on the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s List of Excluded Individuals and Entities.

Background Screening

Effective January 1, 2013, applicants for initial licensure must use a Livescan service provider to submit a set of fingerprints to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for the purpose of conducting a search for any Florida and national criminal history records that may pertain to applicant. The results of the search will be returned to the Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse and made available to the Department for consideration during the licensure process. The fingerprints submitted by the applicant will be retained by FDLE and the Clearinghouse. All costs for conducting a criminal history background screening are borne by the applicant.

It is important to use the correct Originating Agency Identification (ORI) when submitting fingerprints. If you do not provide an ORI number or if you provide an incorrect ORI number to the service provider, the board office will not receive your fingerprint results, so it is extremely important to use the correct ORI when having your fingerprints scanned.

Applicants can use any FDLE approved Livescan service provider to submit their fingerprints. The applicant is fully responsible for selecting the service provider and ensuring the results are reported to the Department.  If you are applying for initial licensure after December 15, 2012, You must print this form and take it with you to a Livescan service provider. For more information, FAQs, and a list of all approved Livescan service providers please visit the Department’s website at: https://www.flhealthsource.gov/background-screening and click on the Livescan Service Providers tab.

General Information

The Florida Board of Medicine general statutes require that you must have a valid Florida medical license to practice medicine in Florida.

If you have been named in any malpractice suits, or have answered “yes” to any of the questions in the application, anticipate the possibility that additional information be requested.

You can check the status of the application by clicking the “Check Status” link. Once you have submitted your application, it will take up to 10 days before the information on your status is up to date. You will need to know your File ID number and your date of birth to access the information. Your File ID number will be given to you once you start the application

We recommend that you do not make any commitments based upon expectation of licensure until you are actually licensed.  Some applicants suffer significant costs by signing mortgages and committing to a start date prematurely.

Read instructions before and while you complete the application.  Failure to do so may result in delays in processing your application.

One application is not accelerated at the expense of another, particularly if there is a premature commitment to start practicing medicine.  All applicants are handled equally and fairly.  The application process may take between two to six months to complete depending on your credentials.  You will not be able to start work until you have been granted a full medical license.

Applicants can help expedite the application process by including all relevant materials with their application packets (medical school diploma, residency certificates, etc).  We will mail you a deficiency letter approximately 30 days after receiving your application.  Please refrain from contacting our office until after you have received your initial deficiency letter.  E-mail contact is more efficient.  Time spent on the telephone impacts time available for staff to process applications.  Please direct questions or comments to info@flboardofmedicine.gov.  We process applications, mail, e-mails, and telephone calls in date order.

Licenses will not be issued without the background check results and will be issued in date order.

When issuing licenses, we have a strict policy of fairness.  One application will not be accelerated at the expense of another.  All applications will be handled equally and fairly.  Also, the less time reviewers spend responding to duplicate e-mails and telephone calls, the faster applications can be reviewed.  The standard procedures for the reviewers are:

Return phone calls within 24 hours.
Check mail within one week from receipt date.
Respond to e-mails within one week.

It could take up to 10 business days to issue your license after completion of your application. It will take approximately 7 business days to receive your license in the mail after issuance. To view your license before receiving the actual license in the mail, click LOOKUP. Your license number will appear on the web site 24 to 48 hours after it is issued.

Federal Credentials Verification Services (FCVS) will primary source verify and provide a copy of the medical school transcript(s), medical school diploma, medical school verification, name change document(s), national examination score report, ECFMG certificate, and ECFMG verification.  For more information about FCVS, visit their website at www.fsmb.org/licensure/fcvs.

Note:  If you have not completed the FCVS certification process prior to applying for license in Florida it could take longer to receive your Florida license.

The State of Florida operates under Chapter 286, Florida Statutes, commonly referred to as the “Sunshine Law.”  This law requires that board meetings are public.  All information that you provide to the Department is public record and shall be open to public inspection as required by 119.07 F. S., except financial information, examination records, and patient records.

Personal Appearances before the Credentials Committee or the Board of Medicine may be required for a variety of reasons: e.g., malpractice, medical education, postgraduate training, disciplinary actions, etc.  If an appearance is required, we will notify you by mail including the date, time, location, and reason(s) for the appearance.  The Credentials Committee meets in conjunction with the full Board of Medicine meetings. In order for the Committee members to review all the information that is provided for this committee, other committee meetings at the same time, and for the full board meeting, a deadline for applications must be established and respected. The cut off for a complete application to be considered is six (6) weeks prior to the committee meeting. All Board and Committee meetings dates, click Meetings

Any document submitted in a language other than English must be accompanied by a literal translation.  Acceptable translators are: An employee of a professional translating company, a member of a professional translation company, a member of the American Translators Association, a faculty member of the modern languages or linguistics department of a United States college or university.  Translations must be prepared on letterhead paper or bear the translator’s certification seal. All information appearing on the original document must also appear on the translation each time it appears on the original document.  This includes pre-printed information.  For example, the letterhead of the university, titles, etc.

All stamps and seals must be translated if legible.  If not legible, state that it is not legible and cannot be translated.

All signatures and photos must be identified.

All numbers must be translated unless they appear as follows:  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0.  If they do not appear on the document as they do above, they must be accurately transcribed.

Any other information on the document must be translated.

Note:  Translations prepared in international countries often have certifications on the translation.  If a certification is in a language other than English, it must also be translated.  Omissions or errors will cause a delay in the application process.

Section 456.013(1)(a), Florida Statutes provides that a licensure application and application fee are valid for one year. Application fees are non-refundable.

To practice medicine in the state of Florida, you must have a valid Florida medical license. The licensing process involves the collection of credentials from the applicant and from other sources. Once all materials are submitted, an application specialist will review them; however, it may be necessary for the application specialist to request additional information. Our goal is to review materials as quickly as possible, but we must be thorough.

You can help expedite the application process by including all relevant materials with your application packets (medical school transcripts, residency certificates, etc). We will mail you a deficiency letter approximately 30 days after receiving your application, so please refrain from contacting our office until after you have received your initial deficiency letter. Time spent on the telephone impacts time available for staff to process applications.

Please email questions or comments to our office at info@flboardofmedicine.gov.
We process applications, mail, e-mails, and telephone calls in date order.

Submit your application, supporting documentation, and applicable fee payment, to the following address:

Department of Health/ HMQAM
P.O. Box 6330
Tallahassee, Florida 32314-6330

Receiving your application and logging in your check usually takes about 7-10 days. Once the application is logged in, it is then forwarded to the board office.

NOTE: The reason you must use the above address is because of the fees you must enclose.
Mail additional documentation or anything without a fee to the following address:

Department of Health
Medical Quality Assurance/Board of Medicine
HMQAM
4052 Bald Cypress Way, BIN #CO3
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3253

All documents must have your name as listed on your application to ensure materials reach your application in a timely manner.

Again, we recommend that you do not make any commitments based upon expectation of licensure until you are actually licensed.

Some applicants suffer significant costs by signing mortgages and committing to a start date prematurely. One application is not accelerated at the expense of another, particularly if there is a premature commitment to start practicing medicine. All applicants are handled equally and fairly.

Section 456.013(1)(a), Florida Statutes provides that a licensure application and application fee are valid for one year. Application fees are non-refundable.

The State of Florida operates under Chapter 286, Florida Statutes, commonly referred to as the “Sunshine Law.” This law requires that board meetings are public. All information that you provide to the Department is public record and shall be open to public inspection as required by 119.07 F. S., except financial information, examination records, and patient records.

Application fee:

$350.00 (non-refundable)

Initial license fee:

$355.00

NICA fee:

$250.00 or $5,000.00 (please read information at www.nica.com)

NICA Partnership Brochure

Dispensing Practitioner fee:

$100.00 (optional, this fee is for selling pharmaceuticals in your office)

If you are in a residency or fellowship at the time of certification (approval), you may pay a reduced license fee.   As a result, your license will reflect an “in-training” status.  Reduced Fees:

  • Application fee: $350.00 (non-refundable)
  • Initial license fee: $205.00
  • NICA fee: Exempt (please read information at www.nica.com)

To receive the fee reduction your training director must send a letter addressed to the Florida Board of Medicine verifying dates of your training.

NOTE: “in-training” status will not limit your practice to training; license issued will be an unrestricted medical license.

Make certified checks or money orders payable to: “Department of Health” (DOH); or pay by credit card when applying online.

Click on Chapter or Section Number to View

Florida Statutes

456.013 Department; general licensing provisions
458.311 Licensure by examination
458.313 Licensure by endorsement
458.331 Grounds for disciplinary action
456.035 Address of record
456.039 Designated health care professionals; information requirement for licensure
456.048 Financial responsibility requirements for certain health care practitioners
456.0635 Medicaid fraud; disqualification for license, certification, or registration
458.320 Financial responsibility

Florida Administrative Code

64B8-1.007 List of approved Forms
64B8-2.001 Definitions
64B8-3.002 Applications, Certification, Registration, and Licensure Fees
64B8-4 Licensure
64B8-5.001 Examinations
64B-2.001 Practitioner Profile
64B8-12.001 Financial Responsibility applicability
64B8-12.005 Financial Responsibility procedures
64B8-12.007 Financial Responsibility exemptions for persons not practicing in Florida; Change of status

Before practicing medicine in Florida, read Chapter 456, 458, and 766.301-.316 Florida Statutes (F. S.), and Rule Chapter 64B8, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C). You must know and comply with the laws and rules as they pertain to your professional practice. Laws and rules are subject to change at any time. For updated information refer to the following web-sites www.leg.state.fl.us (Florida Statutes) and www.flrules.org/(Florida Administrative Code).