Limited License (Volunteer)


Click on the appropriate tab below to see the Renewal Requirements, Process, Fees and Continuing Medical Education (CME) for a Limited License Medical Doctor (Volunteer).

The department will renew your license upon completion of the following:

  1. Completed Renewal application (Mailed by the Department of Health)
  2. Evidence that you have practiced medicine or have been on the active teaching faculty of an accredited medical school for at least two years of the immediately preceding four years*
  3. Notarized Fee Waiver Affidavit for Volunteer Status
  4. Verification of Employment Letter from an Approved Area of Critical Need Facility
  5. Completed Financial Responsibility Form
  6. Updated practitioner profile. To review and approve your practitioner profile, log into MQA Online Services and select ‘Review, Update & Confirm Profile’.
  7. Login to complete Physicians Workforce Survey
  8. Verification of your current status relating to prescribing controlled substances for the treatment of chronic nonmalignant pain
  9. Confirmation of required continuing education hours reported into the continuing education tracking system, CE Broker.

* If you have not actively practiced medicine for at least two years of the immediately preceding four years, the board shall require you to successfully complete a board-approved clinical competency examination prior to renewal of your license. The board has approved the Special Purpose Examination of the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States (SPEX) as the board-approved clinical competency examination that must be completed prior to renewal of the license. For the purpose of this section, “actively practiced medicine” means the practice of medicine by physicians, including those employed by any governmental entity in community or public health, as defined in Chapter 458, Florida Statutes, including physicians practicing administrative medicine.

To ensure you receive notification from the department regarding the renewal, you must have on file with the department your current mailing address. Failure to renew an active or inactive license by the expiration date will result in the license being placed in delinquent status. Failure by a delinquent licensee to become active before the expiration of the current licensure cycle renders the license null and void without any further action by the board or the department.

Licensees requesting to reactivate their license from inactive or retired status are required to pay additional fees and comply with specific continuing education requirements. Please contact the board office at info@flboardofmedicine.gov to request your reactivation requirements.

A licensee who remains on inactive status for more than two consecutive biennial licensure cycles and who wishes to reactivate the license may be required to demonstrate the competency to resume active practice by sitting for a special purpose examination or by completing other reactivation requirements.

Dispensing Registration

If you are currently registered to dispense medicinal drugs to your patients, you are required to renew your registration at the same time you are renewing your medical license. If you are no longer interested in dispensing medicinal drugs, you can cancel your registration by checking the appropriate box on the renewal application.

If you are not currently registered to dispense medicinal drugs and would like to register, you can complete the registration process at the time you are renewing your license by checking the appropriate box on the renewal application and paying the dispensing registration fee. The registration fee will be in addition to your renewal fee.

Military Exemption

If you are a member of the Armed Forces of the United States on active duty who was in good standing with the board at the time of becoming active and was entitled to practice or engage in the practice of medicine in Florida, you may be eligible to be exempted from renewal requirements for the duration of active duty, and for a period of six months after discharge, but not practicing the profession in the private sector for profit.

If you are the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces of the United States, you may be eligible to be exempted from licensure renewal requirements, but only in cases of absence from the state because your spouses’ duties with the Armed Forces.

Member of the Florida Legislature Exemption

If you are a member of the Legislature, the requirements for biennial renewal of your license shall stand continued and extended without the requirement to apply for renewal with the board or department and such license shall be an active status license throughout the period that you are a member of the Legislature and for a period of 60 days after you cease to be a member of the Legislature; however, at any time during your legislative term of office and during the 60 days after your term ends, you may file a completed application that shall consist solely of:

  1. A renewal fee of $250 for each year your license was continued and extended since the last otherwise regularly scheduled biennial renewal year and each year during which the renewed license shall be effective until the next regularly scheduled biennial renewal date.

  2. Documentation of completing 10 hours of continuing medical education credits for each year from the effective date of your last renewed license until the year in which you apply for renewal.

  3. Compliance with practitioner profile requirements in s. 456.031(1)(a)1-8 and (b), and (4)(a), (b), and (c).

Public School Health Volunteer Exemption

If you volunteer your services in public schools for a minimum of 80 hours a year or if retired, at least 400 hours a year, you may be eligible for a waiver of your biennial renewal fee and some of the continuing education hours (no more than 25%) required for license renewal; however, the continuing education requirements for domestic violence, HIV and AIDS, and medical errors cannot be waived.

As a medical doctor with a limited license (volunteering), you will be required to RENEW BY MAIL.

Your license will expire at midnight, Eastern Time, January 31 of each even year.  At least 90 days before your license expires, the department will mail you a renewal application to your last known address of record. You will have until midnight on the day your license expires to renew. Failure to renew an active license by the expiration date will result in the license being placed in delinquent status. Failure by a delinquent licensee to renew active before the expiration of the current licensure cycle renders the license null and void without any further action by the board or the department.

Failure to renew your license by the expiration date will result in the license being placed in delinquent status and a delinquent fee will be assessed in addition to the renewal fees. Failure by a delinquent licensee to become active before the expiration of the current licensure cycle renders the license null and void without any further action by the board or the department.

Dispensing Registration

If you are currently registered to dispense medicinal drugs, you can renew your registration by paying the registration fee when you renew your medical license.  If you are no longer interested in dispensing medicinal drugs, you can cancel your registration by checking the appropriate box on the renewal application.

If you are not currently registered to dispense medicinal drugs and would like to register, you can complete the registration process at the time you are renewing your license by checking the appropriate box on the renewal application and paying the dispensing registration fee. The registration fee will be in addition to your renewal fee.

Military Exemption

To receive an exemption from the renewal requirements, please provide a copy of your orders which provides the beginning and end date of your current enlistment or a copy of your spouse’s orders.  If you are a Commissioned Officer, you may provide a letter from your commanding officer that reflects the length of your contract with a beginning and end date to fulfill this requirement.

Volunteer Health Services Exemption

Online renewal is not available at this time for practitioners requesting this exemption.  To receive an exemption from the biennial renewal fee and some of the continuing education hours (no more than 25%), you will be required to submit a letter certifying the total number of uncompensated health care service hours volunteered during the renewal cycle along with your renewal application.

Member of the Florida Legislature Exemption

No action is needed; however, at any time during your legislative term of office and during the period of 60 days after your term ends, you may file a completed renewal application as described under the renewal requirements tab.

Information for requesting a Name Change

Name changes require legal documentation showing the name change. Please submit a request including your full name as it appears on your license, profession, license number, your new name, your date of birth, the last four digits of your social security number, and your signature. Attach supporting documents, which must be one of the following:

  • a copy of a state issued marriage license that includes the original signature and seal from the clerk of the court
  • a divorce decree showing the name change
  • a court order showing the name change (Adoption, legal name change, federal identity change)

Any one of these will be accepted unless the department has a question about the authenticity of the document. A social security card is not considered legal documentation.

Please Note: The last four digits of the SSN are requested as required by DOH Policy Number DOHP 385-LS05-12 Name Changes for Existing Licensees, which was established for security purposes due to past instances of fraudulent activity.

All renewal fees for a medical doctor with a limited license who volunteers their service are waived.

First Biennium Renewal: If you are renewing your license for the first time you are exempt from the general continuing medical education requirements and are only required to complete 2 hours of Medical Error and 1 hour of HIV/AIDS.

Continuing Education (CE/CME) Requirements

REQUIRED SUBJECT AREAREQUIRED NUMBER OF HOURSIMPORTANT INFORMATION
General Hours38
Medical Error2Course MUST include information regarding the 5 most mis-diagnosed conditions, in accordance with Rule 64B8-13.005, F.A.C.
Domestic Violence2Required every third biennium – Included in the 38 general
Controlled Substance Prescribing Course2Section 456.0301, Florida Statutes, requires all physicians who are registered with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and authorized to prescribe controlled substances to complete a board approved 2-hour course on prescribing controlled substances.  These CME organizations have been approved by the Board to provide the course:

  • Florida Medical Association
  • Florida Academy of Family Physicians
  • Florida College of Emergency Physicians
  • Baptist Health South Florida/Quality Network
  • Florida Psychiatric Society
  • Florida Osteopathic Medical Association
  • The Doctor’s Company
  • Mag Mutual Insurance Company
  • InforMed Independent Physician Association, Inc.
  • University of Florida
  • NetCE

To search for the courses, go to https://cebroker.com/.

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CE Reporting Information →Reporting Schedule →

Board Rule Approved Providers

  • Courses approved by any state or federal government agency or nationally affiliated professional association or any provider of Category I American Medical Association Continuing Medical Education;
  • Any post graduate training program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education;
  • The following specialty training:  American College of Emergency Physicians, Cat I; American Academy of Family Physicians prescribed credit; American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists cognates; and study courses required by those specialty certification boards approved by the Board for the purpose of sitting for specialty recertification examinations

Domestic Violence Chart →

Other Methods of Obtaining Continuing Medical Education per Biennium

  • 5 hours for attending a regular meeting of the Board of Medicine
  • Up to 15 for serving as a volunteer expert witness
  • 5 hours for a current Board Member serving on a Probable Cause Panel of the Board of Medicine
  • A physician who serves as a supervising physician for a licensed physician who is under direct supervision, as a result of being disciplined, for a period of at least one year, shall be entitled to receive 6 hours of continuing medical education credit in risk management.
  • 3 hours for serving as a monitoring physician
  • 5 hours for performing pro bono medical services 6458-13.005(9)

Click on Chapter or Section Number to View

Florida Statutes

458.317 Limited Licenses
456.013 Department; general licensing provisions
456.031 Requirement for instruction on domestic violence
456.033 Requirement for instruction for certain licensees on HIV and AIDS
456.035 Address of record
456.036 Licenses; active and inactive status; delinquency
456.038 Renewal and cancellation notices
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
458.319 Renewal of license
458.3191 Physician survey
458.320 Financial responsibility
465.0276 Dispensing practitioner
766.1115 Health care providers; creation of agency relationship with governmental contractors.
766.1116 Health care practitioner; waiver of license renewal fees and continuing education

Florida Administrative Code

64B8-13.005 Continuing Education for Biennial Renewal
64B-2.001 Practitioner Profile
64B-9.001 Biennial Licensing
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
64B8-13.001 Criteria for license renewal
64B8-13.005 Continuing education for biennial renewal
64B8-13.0051 Delinquent status license
64B8-3.003 Renewal fees
64B8-3.006 Dispensing fee
64B8-3.009 Unlicensed Activity fee