How long does a Maryland medical license take?

Under 20 days on average for an application with no discrepancies, the board’s FAQ says, without saying when that count starts. The board told the legislature in 2026 that it processes physician and allied health applications in 10 business days on average once every credential is in, and completes endorsement and reciprocity in under 7 business days; the Maryland Department of Health reported an average of 13 days from application fee to license for 1,832 applications for a first license received from January 1, 2025 to February 16, 2026. On the initial route, the FCVS profile that must come first can take several months, the board says. On the compact route, IMLCC’s Year 9 averages were 38 days from application to a Letter of Qualification, then 22 days from qualification to issued licenses.

How much does a Maryland medical license cost?

$761.50 to $1,221.50 in published fees on the initial route: the $310 application fee, a license fee of $20 a month to the first September 30 expiry, capped at $480, a $395 FCVS profile with its $3.50 NPDB report, and $33 for the state and FBI checks, or $465.50 to $925.50 if you already have an FCVS profile. Endorsement and reciprocity cost $363 to $823 if the board asks for no FCVS profile, and the IMLC $1,490: $700 to the IMLCC plus $790 for Maryland. The fingerprinting service’s own charge and verifications from your other boards come on top.

Why is the Maryland license fee a range?

Because the board charges $20 for each month until your license’s first September 30 expiry, capped at $480, on top of the $310 application fee. Licenses for last names A to L expire in even years and M to Z in odd years, so depending on the month of approval the license fee runs from one month’s $20 to the full $480, and a license can expire in the same year it issues, with the $512 renewal due by that September 30.

Is Maryland in the IMLC?

Yes. Maryland enacted the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact in 2018, has taken part since July 1, 2019, and can be your state of principal license if you live or work in Maryland. Its compact law runs until June 30, 2030 unless the General Assembly extends it, as it did in 2022. In IMLCC’s Year 9, April 2025 to March 2026, the board approved 304 Letters of Qualification as a state of principal license and issued 511 licenses through the compact.

Can I get a Maryland license by endorsement or reciprocity?

Yes, if you have never held a Maryland license and have no disciplinary actions. Endorsement takes board certification and a full license in another US state or jurisdiction or in Canada; reciprocity takes an active, unrestricted license in Virginia or the District of Columbia, and international graduates licensed in Virginia do not qualify. Both cost $363 to $823 in published fees if the board asks for no FCVS profile, the board told the legislature in 2026 that it completes them in under 7 business days, and in fiscal 2026 it issued 164 licenses by endorsement and 300 by reciprocity.

Is FCVS required in Maryland?

Yes, on the initial route: the board requires a completed FCVS profile and the Uniform Application before you can file its application, and says a profile can take several months, so it encourages starting at least six months ahead. A first profile costs $395 and an existing one $99, each with a $3.50 NPDB report, and the Uniform Application adds no charge for boards that require FCVS. The board’s endorsement and reciprocity pages list no FCVS step, though FSMB lists Maryland as requiring a profile of all applicants.

Do MDs and DOs apply differently in Maryland?

Barely. One board licenses both through the same applications and fees, and the IMLCC lists a single Maryland fee. DOs take COMLEX-USA rather than USMLE, with NBOME sending their scores, and where the board requires a competence exam it is COMVEX-USA for DOs and SPEX for MDs.

Do I need a Maryland license to treat Maryland patients by telehealth?

Yes. Maryland law requires a practitioner treating a patient located in Maryland by telehealth to be licensed or otherwise authorized there, and the board says there is no special telehealth license, only the full Maryland license. The exceptions are narrow, such as consulting with a Maryland physician about a particular patient without directing care.

Does Maryland require fingerprints or a jurisprudence exam?

Fingerprints yes, jurisprudence exam no. Every applicant on the board’s own routes passes a Maryland state and FBI check, $33 on a card mailed from out of state or $53 in person at a state-run site in Maryland, plus any provider’s own charge. The board cannot use a check run for another state or agency, keeps results for only 90 days, and says it receives them within 3 to 14 days. On the compact route, your state of principal license runs the check.

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

Q: What if I held a Maryland license before?

You reinstate it rather than apply anew: the board’s initial, endorsement, and reciprocity applications are only for physicians never issued a Maryland license. Reinstatement costs $700 and needs a new criminal history check and CME for the two years before it.

Maryland licenses MD and DO physicians through one board, the Maryland Board of Physicians, by initial application, endorsement, reciprocity for Virginia and District of Columbia licensees, or the IMLC, and can be your state of principal license. The initial route costs $761.50 to $1,221.50 in published fees with a first FCVS profile, because the license fee is $20 a month to its first September 30 expiry, capped at $480. Endorsement and reciprocity cost $363 to $823 if the board asks for no FCVS profile, and the compact $700 to the IMLCC plus $790 for Maryland. The board’s average for an application with no discrepancies is under 20 days. The friction is FCVS: the board says a new profile can take several months.

Maryland at a glance.

License: Physician license (MD or DO), renewed every two years
MD and DO: One board, one set of applications and one fee schedule for both
IMLC: Member state, issuing licenses. In the compact since July 1, 2019; Maryland can be the SPL; the compact law runs to June 30, 2030 unless extended
FCVS: Required on the initial route; the board’s endorsement and reciprocity pages name none
Uniform Application: Required on the initial route, included with FCVS at no extra charge
Fingerprints: Required on the board’s own routes: state and FBI checks, by livescan in Maryland or by mailed card
Jurisprudence exam: None
Interview: Not routine; the board does not have to meet to decide eligibility
Board fee: $310 application fee plus $20 a month to the first September 30 expiry, capped at $480, both nonrefundable
Renewal: Every two years by September 30, even years for last names A to L and odd for M to Z; $512
CME: 50 hours every two years, at least 25 in Category 1; none for the first renewal

Which route fits.

MD and DO applicants file with one board, on the same applications and at the same fees, through one of four pathways: the initial application, endorsement, reciprocity, or the IMLC. The board’s own three are only for physicians never issued a Maryland license; a former licensee reinstates instead. Maryland has no out-of-state telehealth registration, and the board says it issues no temporary licenses, so outside narrow exceptions, such as consulting with a Maryland physician about a particular patient, treating a patient located in Maryland takes a Maryland license.

The initial application.

Who it fits: Any MD or DO never issued a Maryland license, including physicians who do not meet endorsement’s or reciprocity’s conditions, since this route requires neither board certification nor a Virginia or District of Columbia license.
The trade-off: The full file: the board requires the Uniform Application and a completed FCVS profile before you can file its application, and it encourages starting FCVS at least six months ahead because a profile can take several months. Published fees run $761.50 to $1,221.50, or $465.50 to $925.50 with an existing FCVS profile, depending on how many months the first license fee covers.

Licensing board: Maryland Board of Physicians.

Licensure by endorsement.

Who it fits: Board-certified physicians with a full license in another US state or jurisdiction or in Canada, no disciplinary actions, and no Maryland license ever issued. The board decides eligibility from its screening questions and your character and fitness answers.
The trade-off: A lighter file: the board accepts your current license as evidence of some or all of its requirements, says it verifies credentials through reports and data, and names no FCVS profile, Uniform Application, or transcript for this route. Published fees run $363 to $823, plus $395 and a $3.50 NPDB report if the board asks for an FCVS profile, and nothing is refunded if the board finds you do not qualify for the pathway you chose.

Licensure by reciprocity.

Who it fits: Physicians with an active, unrestricted license in Virginia or the District of Columbia, no disciplinary actions, and no Maryland license ever issued; board certification is not required. International graduates licensed in Virginia do not qualify, because Maryland and Virginia have different training requirements.
The trade-off: The same lighter file and fees as endorsement, $363 to $823 in published fees if the board asks for no FCVS profile, and a board rule has it processed in an expedited manner. It reaches only those two jurisdictions; Maryland law requires the other jurisdiction to offer a similar reciprocal process.

The IMLC.

Who it fits: Physicians whose state of principal license is another member state and who meet the compact’s terms, which include specialty certification. Maryland can also be your state of principal license, to add other member states, if you live or work in Maryland.
The trade-off: It costs more: $700 to the IMLCC plus $790 for Maryland, none of it refundable, against $761.50 to $1,221.50 on the initial route; the $790 equals the board’s $310 application fee plus the full $480 license fee. After issuance the board requires its own supplemental application. Maryland’s compact law runs until June 30, 2030 unless the General Assembly extends it.

What it costs.

MD or DO license, initial application
Application processing fee	$310
License fee, $20 a month to the first September 30 expiry, capped at $480	$20 to $480
FCVS profile, required, USMLE transcripts included	$395, or $99 for an existing profile
NPDB report, on the FCVS invoice	$3.50
Uniform Application, included with FCVS	No fee
State and FBI checks, mailed fingerprint card	$33
All-in	$761.50 to $1,221.50, or $465.50 to $925.50 with an existing FCVS profile
Our service fee	Quoted with your plan

MD or DO license by endorsement or reciprocity
Application review and processing fee	$310
License fee, $20 a month to the first September 30 expiry, capped at $480	$20 to $480
State and FBI checks, mailed fingerprint card	$33
All-in	$363 to $823 if the board asks for no FCVS profile
Our service fee	Quoted with your plan

MD or DO license through the IMLC
IMLCC fee	$700
Maryland license fee, from the IMLCC fee table	$790
All-in	$1,490
Our service fee	Quoted with your plan

The $310 application fee goes to the board with the application and is nonrefundable, including when the board finds you do not qualify for the endorsement or reciprocity pathway you chose. The license fee is billed after approval at $20 for each month until the license’s first September 30 expiry, capped at $480, and is nonrefundable; the board closes an application whose license fee is not paid within 32 days. That expiry falls in an even year for last names A to L and an odd year for M to Z, so a license can expire the year it issues. FCVS fees, including the $3.50 NPDB report, go to FSMB, which includes the Uniform Application at no additional charge for boards that require FCVS. The $33 covers the state and FBI checks on a mailed fingerprint card; prints taken in person at a state-run site in Maryland cost $53. The board’s endorsement and reciprocity pages list no FCVS profile, so the second table has none, though FSMB lists Maryland as requiring a profile of all applicants. On the IMLC route, the $700 and the $790 are paid through the IMLCC, and the board and the IMLCC both call them non-refundable; adding Maryland to a Letter of Qualification still within its 365 days costs a $100 handling fee plus the $790.

Left out of every total: the fingerprinting service’s own charge outside Maryland, or a private Maryland provider’s service fee, which the state does not publish; verifications from every board that has licensed you, at each board’s own fee; certified translations of any foreign-language documents; for DOs, NBOME’s $65 COMLEX-USA transcript, if the FCVS invoice includes it, which FSMB does not make clear; on endorsement or reciprocity, a $70 USMLE or $65 COMLEX-USA transcript if the board asks for your scores; SPEX or COMVEX-USA, only if the board requires a competence exam, and an English proficiency test, only when no other proof applies; for international graduates, ECFMG’s one-time $75 medical education verification and its $70 certification status report for Maryland; and, for prescribers, the $120 Maryland controlled dangerous substances registration and the $888 DEA registration, each for three years, plus a $1,050 permit only if you will dispense drugs yourself. On the IMLC route, fingerprints and verifications run through your state of principal license, at its fees.

Fees change; verified November 11, 2026.

How long it takes.

Under 20 daysBoard average, an application with no discrepanciesThe board’s FAQ gives this as its average licensure timeframe for an application with no discrepancies or other issues, without saying when the count starts, and notes the process can take longer.Board-published
10 business daysBoard processing once every credential is inThe board’s average in a 2026 letter to the legislature, counted from its receipt of all required credentials, for physician and allied health applications together.Board-published
Under 7 business daysEndorsement and reciprocity, board figureThe same 2026 letter says the board completes its expedited options, licensure by endorsement and by reciprocity, in under 7 business days; it does not say when the count starts.Board-published
13 daysApplication fee to license, first Maryland licensesThe Maryland Department of Health’s average for the board’s 1,832 applications for a first physician license received from January 1, 2025 to February 16, 2026, counted from payment of the application fee, which comes with the submitted application, to the license, with approval at 10 days on average. It does not separate the initial application from endorsement and reciprocity.Board-published
10 days, then 60 daysMissing-information notice, then your window to answerIf anything is missing, the board says its analyst emails you within 10 days of receiving the application, and you have 60 days to send it before the board closes the application, after which a new one means paying the nonrefundable application fee again.Board-published
Several monthsA new FCVS profile, board guidanceThe board’s FAQ says establishing an FCVS profile can take several months and encourages applicants to start at least six months before they need the profile sent to the board.Board-published
3 to 14 daysCriminal history results to the boardThe board says it receives state and FBI results electronically within 3 to 14 days; it does not say when the count starts.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

Maryland law sets no deadline for the board to decide a physician application; a board rule gives it 60 days from receipt to decide whether an application is complete. The board reviews applications in order of receipt, keeps criminal history results for only 90 days, and recommends taking fingerprints no earlier than 45 days before you apply. Maryland law does require the board to issue a license within 15 business days of a completed application from a service member, veteran, or military spouse who qualifies. No board guarantees a date.

What the file involves.

A Maryland file on the initial route moves between 8 parties for an MD and 9 for a DO, whose COMLEX-USA scores come from NBOME, and 6 core document types: the Uniform Application, your FCVS profile, the board’s application with a month-by-month account of your activities since medical school, your fingerprints, the FBI privacy notice you acknowledge, and verifications of every license you have held. Each extra board that has licensed you adds a party, and the board accepts no verification sent to or by you. The board’s endorsement and reciprocity pages name 3 parties: the board, the state’s criminal records repository with the FBI, and your fingerprint provider. On the IMLC route, Maryland’s part involves 3: the IMLCC, your state of principal license, and the board.

FSMB, through FCVSRuns the Uniform Application and assembles your FCVS profile, verifying your education, training, and exam history at the source, USMLE transcripts included.
Your medical schoolVerifies your medical education, through FCVS.
Each postgraduate training programReports on your performance and completion of training, through FCVS.
Every board that has licensed youVerifies each license you have held directly to the board, lapsed or surrendered ones included; training licenses need no verification.
The National Practitioner Data BankReports on you through FCVS, which queries it as the board’s agent.
NBOME, for DOsSends your COMLEX-USA scores directly to the board.
A fingerprint providerTakes your prints, by livescan in Maryland or on a state card elsewhere.
Maryland’s Criminal Justice Information System Central Repository and the FBIRun the state and national criminal history checks and send the results to the board and to you.
The Maryland Board of PhysiciansReviews applications in order of receipt and issues the license, and does not have to meet to decide your eligibility.

Postgraduate training: One year in an accredited program, ACGME, AOA, or RCPSC, for graduates of US and Canadian schools. International graduates need ECFMG certification and two years in an accredited program, which the board’s FAQ words as two years of accredited US training.
Exam attempts: No attempt cap and no time limit to finish the exams, but failing an exam or any part of one 3 or more times means you also need 2 or more years of ACGME- or AOA-accredited residency or fellowship, board certification, or 5 years of US or Canadian practice under a full license, 3 of them within 5 years of applying, with no disciplinary action.
Time out of practice: The board must require SPEX (MDs) or COMVEX-USA (DOs) when all four apply: your last licensing exam was more than 15 years ago; you were never board certified, or last passed a certification exam more than 10 years ago; you held no full license in the US or Canada in the last 10 years; and you practiced clinically there for fewer than 7 of the last 10 years. It may require either exam when any one applies.
Board certification: Not required on the initial route or for reciprocity. Endorsement and the IMLC require it, and it is one way to qualify after 3 or more exam failures; ABMS, AOA, RCPSC, and CFPC certification counts.
A past Maryland license: The initial, endorsement, and reciprocity applications are only for physicians never issued a Maryland medical license; a former licensee reinstates instead, for $700.
English: Oral and written competency in English. Since October 1, 2025, the board may not ask for more proof from a physician licensed in a state that requires English proficiency.

We run the Maryland file.

We do

Check your IMLC eligibility and weigh endorsement, reciprocity, and the initial application before any fee is paid, since the board refunds nothing if you choose an expedited pathway you do not qualify for.
Start your FCVS profile and Uniform Application early where the initial route needs them, and chase every school, training, and exam verification until the profile reaches the board.
Prepare the Maryland application, including the month-by-month account of your activities since medical school, and check every answer against the board’s current requirements before it goes in.
Time your fingerprints to the application, request the verification from every board that has licensed you, and track each result until it reaches the board.
Answer every board request within its 60-day window, watch the 32 days to pay the license fee after approval, 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, by livescan in Maryland or on a state card rolled near you.

Get My Licensing Plan

Staying licensed.

Renewal cycle: Every two years, $512, due by September 30: in even years for last names A to L and odd years for M to Z, so a first license can expire the year it issues. The $512 includes a $26 Maryland Health Care Commission assessment that can change. There is no grace period: an expired license is reinstated for $700, with a new criminal history check and CME for the two years before. Each renewal also needs the Comptroller’s confirmation that you have paid all undisputed taxes. Licenses issued through the compact renew in two steps: $537 through the compact, the $512 plus a $25 processing fee, then the board’s own free renewal application within 30 days; the board may discipline a licensee who completes only one.
CME: 50 hours every two years, at least 25 of them Category 1, attested at renewal, with records kept for 6 years. None is due at the first renewal, which instead needs the board’s online orientation program. Current time-limited certification from an ABMS, AOA, RCPSC, or CFPC board, maintained within the 5 years before renewal, meets the requirement, and accredited residency or fellowship earns up to 50 credits a year. Two one-time items apply beyond the hours: an attestation, at your first renewal after April 1, 2026, that you completed an approved implicit bias and structural racism training program, and 2 hours on prescribing or dispensing controlled dangerous substances before a first Maryland registration to prescribe them.
State controlled-substance registration: Required. Maryland issues a separate controlled dangerous substances (CDS) registration through the Office of Controlled Substances Administration (OCSA), $120 for three years and nonrefundable, and you need it before applying for a Maryland DEA registration; one registration covers prescribing at different locations. A first registration needs the 2 hours of CDS prescribing education, and OCSA’s instructions say to allow about 7 to 10 business days for the whole process.
Prescription monitoring: Register with Maryland’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program before obtaining a new or renewed CDS registration. Before starting a course of treatment that includes an opioid or a benzodiazepine, request at least the prior 4 months of the patient’s data, repeat it at least every 90 days while the course continues, and document each request, with exceptions such as a supply of 3 days or less, cancer, inpatients, hospice, and acute pain for up to 14 days after surgery, a fracture, trauma, or childbirth.
DEA registration: $888 for three years, with a separate registration for Maryland, after your Maryland CDS registration.
E-prescribing: Required for controlled dangerous substances since January 1, 2022, with exceptions such as prescriptions issued by a practitioner outside Maryland, technology failures, low-volume prescribers as the Maryland Health Care Commission determines, and waivers of up to a year.
Schedule II by telehealth: No Schedule II opiate for pain by telehealth unless the patient is in a health care facility, a catastrophic health emergency is declared, or you have an established relationship with the patient that includes a prior in-person assessment by you or a colleague in your group practice; and no prescribing based solely on a static online questionnaire.
Reporting duties: Report a change of name or address to the board within 30 days; a late report can bring a $100 administrative penalty.

Renewals, CME tracking, and DEA registrations are managed where included in your plan: physician licensing at NP Licensing.

Frequently asked questions

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Also licensing in these states?

Pennsylvania Separate boards for MDs and DOs, and both issue licenses directly or through the IMLC.
Virginia One board for MDs and DOs and no IMLC route: every Virginia license is a direct application, by endorsement, reciprocity, or the traditional route.
California Two boards and no IMLC route: every California license is a direct application.
Texas One board licenses MDs and DOs, by direct application or through the IMLC.
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