Frequently Asked Questions

ECFMG Certification is required of all international medical graduates seeking licensure in the State of Florida.

There is no limit on the amount of time or number of attempts to complete the test.

You are required to report all criminal offenses to the Board. Each application will be evaluated on an individual basis. For more information on offenses that may prevent you from obtaining a medical license, see statutes and rules below:

– s. 456, F.S. (health professions and occupations)
– s. 458, F.S. (medical practice)
– s. 766.301 through 766.316, F.S. (medical malpractice and related matters)

Rule 64B8, Florida Administrative Code (Board of Medicine)

No.

If FCVS has completed the credentials verification of your core credentials, it will expedite the licensure process.

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

The Florida Board of Medicine accepts credentialing verification from FCVS.

You may be required to file a Petition for Waiver/Variance and meet with the Board at a Credentials Committee meeting. Please contact the Board info@flboardofmedicine.gov for further assistance.

The training evaluation form should be signed by the current program chairman or director.  The staff privilege verification form should be completed by the Chief of Staff. You should send a Post-Graduate Training Evaluation form to each institution where you did internship, residency or fellowship training and the staff privilege form to any hospitals where you have current staff privileges.

A copy of your postgraduate training certificate(s) is required as proof of training.  We will also accept a letter from the current program director/chairman, addressed to the Florida Board of Medicine, listing the beginning and ending dates of training and post graduate year level(s) completed.

You must request that verification of all current and/or expired medical licenses be sent directly to our office when applying for a medical license in the State of Florida.

You are required to pay the NICA fee unless you meet the following exemption criteria per s. 766.314, F.S.:

• Resident physicians, assistant resident physicians and interns in postgraduate training programs approved by the Board of Medicine
• Retired physicians who maintain an active license, but who have withdrawn from the practice of medicine
• Physicians who hold a limited license, as defined by s. 458.317, F.S., who do not receive any compensation for medical services
• Physicians employed full-time by the Veterans Administration whose practice is confined to VA hospitals
• Any licensed physician on active duty with the Armed Forces of the United States
• Physicians employed full-time by the State of Florida whose practice is confined to state-owned correctional institutions and state-owned mental health facilities

Proof of qualification for a claimed exemption must be submitted to NICA, P.O. Box 14567, Tallahassee, FL 32317-4567. Please contact NICA at (850) 488-8191 for further information or visit their website.

Section 456.013(1)(a), Florida Statutes does not allow for an extension. An application is only valid for one year.