How long does a Florida medical license take?

Neither board publishes an average time to a license, but on the verified date they showed 12 days to initial review for MD applications and 4 for DO. Florida law sets a 90-day deadline to decide a complete application and requires a MOBILE license within 7 days of the last required document, and the Board of Osteopathic Medicine estimates 2 to 6 months for a DO license by examination.

How much does a Florida medical license cost?

About $1,085 to $1,115 for an MD by MOBILE endorsement and $880 to $910 for a DO by examination, counting the board fees, the $250 NICA assessment, an exam transcript, and Livescan fingerprints. Through the IMLC, budget $1,305 for an MD and $1,255 for a DO; verifications from your other states, and FCVS if you use it, come on top.

Is Florida an IMLC state?

Yes. Florida joined the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact by a 2024 law, both boards issue licenses through it, and either can serve as your state of principal license. IMLCC reports that 2,041 of the 6,467 initial licenses the Board of Medicine issued in 2025 came through the compact, as did 313 of the Board of Osteopathic Medicine’s 1,396.

Do MDs and DOs apply to different boards in Florida?

Yes. MDs apply to the Florida Board of Medicine and DOs to the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine, which charges $505 in board fees for a license by examination against $705 for an MD until February 1, 2027. The DO board accepts COMLEX but not USMLE, and its examination file adds an AOA profile and an FSMB Data Check.

Can I get a Florida license by endorsement?

Yes, through MOBILE endorsement, if you hold an active, unencumbered license in another state, passed a national licensing exam, practiced in at least 2 of the last 4 years, and have no discipline in the past 5 years, nothing pending, and, with narrow exceptions, no NPDB report. Florida law then requires the license within 7 days of the last required document, and an MD pays about $1,085 to $1,115 all-in, less than the $1,305 IMLC route.

Can I treat Florida patients by telehealth without a Florida license?

Yes, if you register as an out-of-state telehealth provider, which takes an active, unencumbered license elsewhere and no discipline in the past 5 years; Florida charges $0 and takes no fingerprints. The registration does not expire, but it bars in-person care and a Florida office, limits Schedule II prescribing by telehealth to narrow settings, requires a Florida registered agent and liability coverage at Florida levels, and cannot sit alongside a full Florida license. Emergency care, or consultation with a Florida-licensed professional who keeps authority over the patient, needs no registration.

Does Florida require fingerprints or a jurisprudence exam?

Fingerprints yes, jurisprudence exam no. Direct applicants submit electronic Livescan fingerprints, roughly $60 to $90 according to the Board of Medicine, and since July 1, 2025 every licensee not yet screened must complete screening to renew; telehealth registrants are not fingerprinted. Florida has no jurisprudence exam, though DOs take 1 hour of Florida laws and rules at every renewal.

What is the NICA assessment, and do I have to pay it?

Yes, unless NICA grants you an exemption: Florida law charges MDs and DOs $250 a year for NICA, the state’s birth-related neurological injury compensation plan, or $5,000 a year for physicians who participate in the plan. New licensees pay the first assessment with the license application, and each later one is due by December 31.

Are Florida’s MD license fees going up?

Unless the Board of Medicine extends its reduction, yes: from February 1, 2027, MD board fees rise from $705 to $929 and renewal from $355 to $365. That would move the MD MOBILE total from about $1,085 to $1,115 to about $1,309 to $1,339; DO fees carry no such end date.

Can I hold a Florida license without living in Florida?

Yes. At the end of fiscal year 2024-25, 24,782 of Florida’s 86,851 active MD licensees and 3,188 of its 12,649 active DO licensees were out of state, according to the Department of Health’s annual report.

Florida physician license: fees, timeline, requirements, and common delays

Florida splits MD and DO licensing between the Board of Medicine and the Board of Osteopathic Medicine, and both issue licenses through the IMLC. Through the compact, budget $1,305 for an MD or $1,255 for a DO. Applying directly, an MD licensed elsewhere who qualifies for endorsement (MOBILE) pays about $1,085 to $1,115, and a DO license by examination runs about $880 to $910. Each figure includes the $250 NICA assessment. On the verified date, the boards showed 12 days to initial review for MD applications and 4 for DO, and Florida law requires an endorsement license within 7 days of the last document. Telehealth-only physicians can register instead, with no state fee. The friction is screening: Florida takes only electronic Livescan fingerprints.

Florida at a glance.

License: Full, unrestricted MD or DO license
MD and DO: Two boards: the Board of Medicine for MDs, the Board of Osteopathic Medicine for DOs
IMLC: Member state, issuing licenses. Enacted 2024; both boards can serve as the SPL
FCVS: Accepted by both boards, required by neither
Uniform Application: Not used
Fingerprints: Required on the direct routes, electronic Livescan only
Jurisprudence exam: None
Interview: Not routine; either board can require an appearance
Board fee: MD $705 until February 1, 2027; DO $505 by examination
Renewal: Every two years: MD $355, DO $405
CME: 40 hours every two years, with mandatory topics

Which route fits.

MDs file with the Board of Medicine and DOs with the Board of Osteopathic Medicine, directly or through the IMLC, and every license route ends in the same full Florida license. A physician who will see Florida patients only by telehealth can register instead.

Direct application, MD.

Who it fits: MDs who will see Florida patients in person, or who fall outside the compact’s terms. With an active, unencumbered license in another state, practice in 2 of the last 4 years, and a clean record, MOBILE endorsement is the direct route; MDs short on practice can qualify with recent board-approved training, SPEX, or an ABMS board exam.
The trade-off: You carry Florida’s whole file: Livescan fingerprints and a verification from every state that has licensed you. In return, it costs less than the IMLC, and Florida law requires the license within 7 days of the last required document.

Licensing board: Florida Board of Medicine.

Direct application, DO.

Who it fits: DOs who will see Florida patients in person, or who fall outside the compact’s terms. MOBILE endorsement is open to DOs on the same license, practice, and clean-record terms, and the board’s license by examination accepts COMLEX, not USMLE.
The trade-off: The examination file is the heaviest of Florida’s direct files: 11 parties, including the AOA, FSMB for a Data Check, your malpractice insurer, and every training program you attended. The board estimates 2 to 6 months for it.

Licensing board: Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine.

The IMLC.

Who it fits: MDs and DOs whose state of principal license is another member state and who meet the compact’s terms: board certification, each USMLE or COMLEX component passed within three attempts, ACGME or AOA training, and a clean record, with no discipline, criminal history, controlled-substance action, or open investigation. Florida can also be the SPL, at either board, for physicians who qualify here and want to add other states.
The trade-off: It costs more than applying directly: $700 to the IMLCC plus $355 for an MD or $305 for a DO, and the $250 NICA assessment, for a separate Florida license, with Florida’s own state application on top of the compact’s. It makes the most sense when Florida is one of several member states on your plan, since the IMLCC’s $700 covers one application.

Out-of-state telehealth registration.

Who it fits: Physicians who will treat Florida patients only by telehealth, with an active, unencumbered license in another state, no discipline in the past 5 years, and no pending investigation. Florida charges no fee and takes no fingerprints, and the registration does not expire.
The trade-off: No Florida office or in-person care, Schedule II prescribing by telehealth only for psychiatric disorders, hospital inpatients, hospice patients, and nursing home residents, and a Florida registered agent and liability coverage at Florida levels. The registration cannot sit alongside a full Florida license.

What it costs.

MD license by MOBILE endorsement, Board of Medicine
Application fee, reduced until February 1, 2027	$350
Initial license fee, reduced until February 1, 2027	$350
Unlicensed activity fee	$5
NICA assessment, non-participating physicians	$250
USMLE transcript (FSMB)	$70
Livescan fingerprints and background screening	$60 to $90
All-in	$1,085 to $1,115; $1,309 to $1,339 from February 1, 2027 without an extension
Our service fee	Quoted with your plan

DO license by examination, Board of Osteopathic Medicine
Application fee	$200
Initial licensure fee	$300
Unlicensed activity fee	$5
NICA assessment, non-participating physicians	$250
COMLEX-USA transcript (NBOME)	$65
Livescan fingerprints and background screening	$60 to $90
All-in	$880 to $910
Our service fee	Quoted with your plan

MD license through the IMLC
IMLCC application fee	$700
Florida MD license fee, from the IMLCC fee table	$355
NICA assessment, non-participating physicians	$250
All-in	$1,305
Our service fee	Quoted with your plan

DO license through the IMLC
IMLCC application fee	$700
Florida DO license fee, from the IMLCC fee table	$305
NICA assessment, non-participating physicians	$250
All-in	$1,255
Our service fee	Quoted with your plan

On the direct routes, board fees and the NICA assessment go to the Florida Department of Health with the application, and only the application fee is non-refundable on either board’s form. Fingerprint fees go to the Livescan provider, which sets its own total; the Board of Medicine puts a new scan at roughly $60 to $90. Transcript fees go to FSMB or NBOME. On the IMLC route, the $700 goes to the IMLCC, which lists all fees as non-refundable. The MD application and initial license fees are reduced until February 1, 2027; without an extension, MD board fees become $929.

Left out of every total: license verifications from each state that has licensed you, at that board’s own fee; the $5,000 NICA assessment that participating physicians pay instead of $250; the optional $100 dispensing registration; FCVS ($395), if you use it; and registered agent fees on a telehealth registration. Examination files add school and training-program verifications at the institutions’ own fees, a $3 NPDB self-query for MDs, ECFMG’s $70 status report for international graduates, and, for DOs, an AOA profile (free to AOA members) and an FSMB Data Check with no published fee. The DO MOBILE fee is left out because Florida publishes two conflicting amounts. On the IMLC route, add your principal license state’s fingerprint costs and $100 for each state added during the 365 days a Letter of Qualification stays valid.

Fees change; verified October 25, 2026.

How long it takes.

12 daysBoard of Medicine, current days to initial reviewThe board’s live count for MD applications on the verified date: a snapshot of its review queue, not the time to a license.Board-published
4 daysBoard of Osteopathic Medicine, current days to initial reviewThe board’s live count for DO applications on the verified date: a snapshot of its review queue, not the time to a license.Board-published
1 dayBoth boards, current days to initial review of an IMLC applicationEach board’s live count for licenses through the compact on the verified date; it covers Florida’s review, not the IMLCC’s own stages.Board-published
Up to 14 business daysDocuments sent after initial reviewBoth boards say documents received after the initial review are updated in the file within 14 business days of receipt.Board-published
30 daysNotice of errors or omissionsFlorida law gives the board 30 days from receipt of an application to point out any apparent errors or omissions; both boards restate it as a 30-day initial review.Statutory deadline
90 daysDecision on a complete applicationFlorida law requires approval or denial within 90 days after a complete application is received; an unfinished investigation can add a 90-day licensure delay.Statutory deadline
7 daysMOBILE license after the last documentFlorida law requires a MOBILE license for a qualified applicant within 7 days after the board receives all required documentation.Statutory deadline
2 to 6 monthsBoard of Osteopathic Medicine, the whole processThe board’s published estimate for a DO license by examination, from receipt of the application; the Board of Medicine publishes no overall range for a full MD license.Board-published
38 daysIMLC application to Letter of QualificationIMLCC’s Year 9 average across the compact, April 2025 to March 2026; 55% received the letter in 30 days or less.IMLCC average
22 daysIMLC qualification to licenses issuedIMLCC’s Year 9 average for the next stage, from qualification to the requested state licenses; 47% received them in 7 days or less. The two stages are separate averages, not a total.IMLCC average

On the direct routes, no license issues before the background results arrive, and AHCA’s screening clearinghouse says the full screening typically takes 7 to 10 business days. Files also stretch when a verification is slow or a board calls a personal appearance; the Board of Medicine’s cutoff for a complete file is 6 weeks before the committee meeting that would hear it. No board guarantees a date.

What the file involves.

The file depends on the route. An MD file by MOBILE endorsement moves between 6 parties and 6 document types: the board, every state that has licensed you, FSMB, the NPDB, a Livescan provider, and FDLE and the FBI. An MD file by examination adds your medical school and each training program, for 8 parties and 9 document types, and a DO file by examination reaches 11 parties and 10 document types with the AOA, FSMB’s Physician Data Center, and your malpractice insurer. Through the IMLC, the work runs through the IMLCC, your principal license state’s board, and Florida’s own state application.

The Board of Medicine or Board of Osteopathic MedicineReviews the file within the Department of Health, can call a personal appearance, and issues the license.
Every state that has licensed youVerifies each license, active or lapsed.
FSMB or NBOMECertifies your USMLE or COMLEX-USA scores directly to the board.
The National Practitioner Data BankReports any malpractice or discipline history; on an MD file by examination you supply a self-query, and on the other files the state runs the query.
An approved Livescan providerCaptures your fingerprints and photo electronically.
FDLE and the FBI, through AHCA’s clearinghouseReturn your state and national criminal history results to the board.
Your medical school (examination files)Verifies your degree for an MD, or sends your official transcript for a DO.
Each postgraduate program (examination files)Verifies or evaluates every program you attended, completed or not.
The AOA (DO files)Provides your AOA profile.
FSMB’s Physician Data Center (DO files)Provides an FSMB Data Check.
Your malpractice insurer (DO files)Sends proof of your liability coverage directly, when you meet financial responsibility with coverage.

MOBILE endorsement: An active, unencumbered license in another state, a passing score on a national licensing exam, and no discipline in the 5 years before applying. A complaint or investigation pending before another state’s board, a practice-related conviction, a license revoked, suspended, or surrendered in lieu of discipline, or an NPDB report rules it out, with board discretion where the reported conduct would not violate Florida law.
Time in practice: MOBILE needs active practice in at least 2 of the 4 years before applying, down from 3 since July 1, 2025; MDs short of that can count board-approved training within 2 years, or SPEX or an ABMS board exam within the prior year. On the DO examination route, more than 2 years out of active practice lets the board deny, restrict, or condition the license.
Postgraduate training, MD: On the examination route, at least 1 year of approved residency, or 2 years in one specialty area for graduates of international schools Florida has not certified; ACGME, CFPC, and RCPSC programs all count.
Postgraduate training, DO: On the examination route, at least 12 months of AOA or ACGME internship or residency.
Exams, MD: USMLE, with no completion window, though the board can require remedial training before a sixth attempt.
Exams, DO: COMLEX only: the board does not accept USMLE, and on its examination route every part must be passed within 5 years before applying or, for a DO licensed elsewhere, within 5 years before the first license.
Board certification: Not required for MOBILE or a license by examination. The IMLC requires current or time-unlimited ABMS or AOABOS certification, and no more than three attempts at each exam component.
Financial responsibility: Malpractice coverage of at least $100,000 per claim and $300,000 aggregate, or $250,000 and $750,000 with hospital privileges; an escrow account or letter of credit can stand in, and some physicians qualify for an exemption.

We run the Florida file.

We do

Confirm the right board and route, whether MOBILE, the license by examination, the IMLC, or a telehealth registration, before anything is filed.
Prepare the application for the Board of Medicine or the Board of Osteopathic Medicine and check it against that board’s current requirements.
Request and chase every verification: each state that has licensed you, your exam scores, and, on examination files, your school and each training program.
Line up your Livescan screening with a provider Florida accepts and track the results until they reach the board.
Answer every board request and follow the file until the license issues.

You do

Share your credentials and license history once, in our secure portal.
Approve your application answers and sign the attestations.
Have your fingerprints taken for the Livescan screening, a step that has to be you in person.
Appear before the board if it calls a personal appearance.

Get My Licensing Plan

Staying licensed.

Renewal cycle: Every two years. MD licenses expire January 31 in staggered groups and renew for $355, or $365 from February 1, 2027 without an extension; renewing also takes active practice in 2 of the preceding 4 years, or passing SPEX. DO licenses all expire March 31 of even-numbered years and renew for $405.
CME: 40 hours every two years. MDs need 2 hours on preventing medical errors every renewal, 2 hours on controlled-substance prescribing, now including sickle cell pain, if they hold a DEA registration, 2 hours on domestic violence every third renewal, and 1 hour on HIV/AIDS by the first renewal, which needs only the HIV/AIDS, medical errors, and prescribing courses. DOs take at least 20 hours in AOA Category 1-A and 1 hour of Florida laws and rules every renewal, plus the same medical errors, prescribing, HIV/AIDS, and domestic violence courses, with no more than 8 home-study hours.
State controlled-substance registration: None. Florida has no separate state controlled-substance registration; your Florida license and DEA registration carry prescribing authority. Prescribing Schedule II to IV drugs for chronic nonmalignant pain also requires designating yourself a controlled substance prescribing practitioner on your practitioner profile, and Schedule II opioids for acute pain are limited to a 3-day supply, or 7 days with an acute pain exception.
Prescription monitoring: Check E-FORCSE, Florida’s prescription drug monitoring program, before prescribing or dispensing a controlled substance to a patient 16 or older, except nonopioid Schedule V drugs and hospice patients; if the system cannot be consulted, document why and prescribe no more than a 3-day supply.
DEA registration: $888 for three years, with a separate registration for Florida.
NICA assessment: $250 every year, due by December 31, for non-participating physicians, and $5,000 a year for participating physicians; new licensees pay the first assessment with the application.
Background screening: Since July 1, 2025, every licensee not yet screened must complete Livescan screening to renew, and fingerprints stay on file in 5-year retention periods.
Licenses through the IMLC: They renew at the board’s renewal fee plus a $25 IMLC renewal fee, with Level 2 background screening.
E-prescribing: Required if you keep an electronic health record, or prescribe in a practice or facility that does, with listed exceptions and one-year waivers; controlled-substance prescriptions not sent electronically go on counterfeit-proof pads from an approved vendor.
Human trafficking course: A Florida statute requires MDs and DOs to complete a 1-hour course on human trafficking and post a hotline sign at work, but neither board lists the course among its CME requirements, and the statute’s only deadline, January 1, 2021, does not address physicians licensed since.