How long does a Mississippi medical license take?

The board publishes no processing time for physician applications, and Mississippi law sets no deadline for a decision: the board’s rule gives it a reasonable period of time to collect what it needs to issue a license. Your application stays active 90 days after each verification arrives, up to 365 days in all, and the rule voids one after three months without a response or good-faith effort from you. 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 Mississippi medical license cost?

$620 in published fees for an MD and $615 for a DO by credentials: the board’s $550 application and license fee plus a $70 USMLE or $65 COMLEX-USA transcript. Through the IMLC, fees total $1,300: $700 to the IMLCC plus $600 for Mississippi. Verifications from your other boards come on top, the board publishes no separate charge for the fingerprint check, and an optional first FCVS profile brings an MD’s total to $945.

Is Mississippi in the IMLC?

Yes. Mississippi enacted the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact in 2016, the board issues licenses through it, and Mississippi can be your state of principal license. IMLCC’s September 2026 volume report counts 1,906 initial Mississippi licenses issued in 2025, 1,230 of them, or 65%, through the compact. Compact fees come to $1,300: $700 to the IMLCC plus $600 for Mississippi, and adding Mississippi to a Letter of Qualification still within its 365 days costs $700.

Can I get a Mississippi license by endorsement?

Yes, by credentials: Mississippi law lets the board license a physician who holds another state’s license when that state’s requirements equal its own, and licensure by credentials is the board’s route for a physician licensed elsewhere. It leads to the same permanent license, for the same $550, on the same file verified at every source, with fingerprints. Mississippi’s universal license recognition law offers no shortcut, since it excludes the practice of medicine by physicians.

Do MDs and DOs apply differently in Mississippi?

Barely. One board licenses both through the same permanent license, application, and $550 fee, and the IMLCC lists a single Mississippi fee. DOs send COMLEX-USA scores from NBOME, at $65, instead of USMLE scores from FSMB, at $70, may train in AOA-accredited programs, and can count AOA Category 1-A credit toward their CME.

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

Yes. Mississippi has no out-of-state telehealth license or registration: state law requires a license from the board to practice medicine across state lines into Mississippi, and the board’s rule says medicine is practiced where the patient is, so only physicians with a valid Mississippi license may practice telemedicine there. One narrow exception is an evaluation, treatment, or opinion that a Mississippi physician requests for a patient they already treat.

Does Mississippi require fingerprints or a jurisprudence exam?

Fingerprints yes, jurisprudence exam no. Every applicant submits fingerprints for a state check by the Department of Public Safety and a national FBI check, on cards the board mails you or by LiveScan at the board, and the board publishes no separate charge for the check. There is no routine interview either. On the compact route, your state of principal license runs the background check.

Is FCVS required in Mississippi?

No. The board accepts an FCVS profile as primary source verification but does not require one, and it does not say which of its own verifications a profile replaces. A first profile costs $395 with USMLE transcripts included, which brings an MD’s total to $945, or $99 for an existing profile, and FSMB says it typically processes initial profiles in roughly 35 days and subsequent ones in roughly 20 days or less.

When is my first Mississippi renewal due?

It depends on the issue date: a license issued on or before March 31 expires June 30 of that year, and one issued on or after April 1 runs to June 30 of the following year. Every license then renews each year between May 1 and June 30, for $300, and the board’s CME page exempts a physician first licensed during a two-year CME cycle from that cycle’s 40 hours.

What if my last licensing exam was more than ten years ago?

You need current specialty certification with maintenance, or a passing SPEX or COMVEX. The board’s rule requires an applicant who has taken no licensing or medical proficiency exam in the ten years before applying to pass the SPEX or COMVEX, unless they hold current ABMS certification and take part in Maintenance of Certification, hold AOA certification and take part in Osteopathic Continuous Certification, or seek the license only to serve as a dean, department chair, or faculty member of an ACGME- or AOA-approved training program. FSMB’s SPEX fee is $1,400.

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

Mississippi licenses MD and DO physicians through one board, the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure, by credentials or through the IMLC, and can be your state of principal license. Applying directly costs $620 for an MD and $615 for a DO in published fees: the board’s $550 fee plus a $70 USMLE or $65 COMLEX-USA transcript. Compact fees total $1,300. The board publishes no processing time for physician applications, and its rule gives it a reasonable period of time. The friction is verification: every state that has licensed you and every place you worked or held privileges in the last five years reports directly to the board, and an application stays active only 90 days after each verification arrives.

Mississippi at a glance.

License: Permanent license to practice medicine (MD or DO), renewed every year
MD and DO: One board, one application, and one $550 fee for both
IMLC: Member state, issuing licenses. Enacted 2016; Mississippi can be the SPL; $700 IMLCC fee plus $600 for Mississippi
FCVS: Accepted, not required
Uniform Application: Not used; the board takes its own online application
Fingerprints: Required: a state and FBI check, on cards the board mails you or by LiveScan at the board
Jurisprudence exam: None
Interview: Not routine; the board’s rules require none
Board fee: $550 for MDs and DOs alike; no refunds under any circumstances
Renewal: Every year, May 1 to June 30: $300
CME: 40 Category 1 hours every two years; the current cycle ends June 30, 2028

Which route fits.

MDs and DOs file the same application with the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure, for the same $550 fee and the same permanent license, and the IMLC is a second way to a full Mississippi license. Mississippi has no out-of-state telehealth license or registration: state law requires a license from the board to practice medicine across state lines into Mississippi, and the board’s rule says medicine is practiced where the patient is. So outside narrow exceptions, such as an evaluation a Mississippi physician requests for a patient they already treat, treating a patient located in Mississippi takes a Mississippi license. Mississippi’s universal license recognition law offers no shortcut either: it excludes the practice of medicine by physicians.

Licensure by credentials.

Who it fits: MDs and DOs licensed in another state who meet the board’s requirements, among them at least one year of accredited postgraduate training for US and Canadian graduates and licensing exams passed within the board’s time limits; state law lets the board license a physician from a state whose requirements equal its own. It is also the route for physicians the compact excludes, such as those without specialty certification, which Mississippi does not require of US and Canadian graduates.
The trade-off: The full file, verified at its source: your medical school, each training program, FSMB or NBOME, every state that has licensed you, and every place you worked or held privileges in the last five years certify directly to the board, alongside a notarized affidavit and fingerprints for a state and FBI check, for $620 (MD) or $615 (DO) in published fees. The application stays active only 90 days after each verification arrives, 365 days at most, and the board publishes no processing time.

Licensing board: Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure.

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 and each exam component passed within three attempts. Mississippi can also be your state of principal license, to add other member states, if you hold its full license and Mississippi is your primary residence, the site of at least 25% of your practice, your employer’s location, or your federal tax residence.
The trade-off: It costs more: $700 to the IMLCC plus $600 for Mississippi, $1,300, none of it refundable, against $620 (MD) or $615 (DO) to apply directly; adding Mississippi to a Letter of Qualification still within its 365 days costs $700. Your state of principal license runs the background check, the board’s rule requires compact applicants to answer any supplemental questions it asks promptly, and the license renews each year in two steps, through the IMLCC and then the board, both by June 30.

What it costs.

MD license by credentials
Application and license fee, paid to the board	$550
USMLE transcript (FSMB)	$70
All-in	$620
Our service fee	Quoted with your plan

DO license by credentials
Application and license fee, paid to the board	$550
COMLEX-USA transcript (NBOME)	$65
All-in	$615
Our service fee	Quoted with your plan

MD or DO license through the IMLC
IMLCC fee	$700
Mississippi license fee, from the IMLCC fee table	$600
All-in	$1,300
Our service fee	Quoted with your plan

The $550 is paid to the board after you submit the online application, the same for an MD or a DO, and the board issues no refunds under any circumstances. A license issued on or before March 31 expires that June 30, and one issued from April 1 runs to June 30 of the following year, when the $300 annual renewal falls due. Transcript fees go to FSMB or NBOME. On the IMLC route, the $700 and the $600 are paid through the IMLCC, which calls all fees non-refundable. The $600 is Mississippi’s fee for a license through the compact, from the IMLCC fee table, and the board’s own fee list, as printed in the Legislature’s 2024 PEER Committee review of the board, carries it as a line of its own, apart from the $550 application fee. Adding Mississippi to a Letter of Qualification still within its 365 days costs a $100 handling fee plus the $600.

Left out of every total: verifications from every state that has licensed you, at each board’s own fee; any charge your schools, training programs, employers, and hospitals set for their certifications; notary fees for the affidavit and any notarized copies; any separate charge for the state and FBI fingerprint check, since the board publishes none, and a local agency’s or provider’s charge for taking your prints; an optional FCVS profile, $395 with USMLE transcripts included or $99 for an existing profile, which brings the MD total to $945 or $649, though the board does not say which of its own verifications a profile replaces; the board’s one-time $50 incomplete application fee, charged if staff find something the application left out, such as a prior name change or an unreported stretch of training; for international graduates, ECFMG’s $70 certification verification report; the SPEX, $1,400, or the COMVEX, only where the ten-year exam rule applies; an assessment or re-entry program, at its own fee, only after three years without active practice; and, for prescribers, the $888 DEA registration, since Mississippi has no state controlled substance registration. On the IMLC route, your state of principal license runs the background check.

Fees change; verified November 11, 2026.

How long it takes.

90 days per verification, 365 days at mostHow long an application stays activeThe board’s instructions keep an online application active for 90 days from the day the board receives each verification from an outside institution, each one restarting the window, up to 365 days in all, a limit the board never waives; its rule also voids an application after three months without a response or good-faith effort from you. It limits the file’s life, not the board’s review.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

Mississippi law sets no deadline for the board to decide a physician application, and the board publishes no processing time for physician applications: its rule gives it a reasonable period of time to collect and assimilate what it needs to issue a license. So the pace depends on how fast your schools, training programs, licensing boards, employers, and hospitals send their verifications. State law does set one deadline, for military-connected applicants only: under the Military Family Freedom Act, the board must issue or deny a license within 120 days of receiving the application from a qualifying service member, spouse, or dependent. No board guarantees a date.

What the file involves.

A Mississippi file by credentials moves between 11 core parties and 13 core document types, for an MD or a DO, and the board accepts a verification only when it comes straight from its source. You supply 7 documents: the online application, a certified or notarized copy of your birth certificate or passport, copies of your diploma and driver’s license, a notarized affidavit and release, a passport-type photograph, and fingerprints. Your sources send 6: certifications of your education, each training program, each activity and each hospital privilege of the last five years, and each state license, plus your exam transcript. Each extra school, program, employer, board, and hospital adds a party, and international graduates add ECFMG. On the IMLC route, Mississippi’s part involves 3 parties to issuance: the IMLCC, your state of principal license, and the board.

Each medical school you attendedCertifies your medical education directly to the board.
Each internship, residency, and fellowship programCertifies your postgraduate training directly to the board.
Each place you worked in the last five yearsVerifies each activity of the past five years, since the board asks you to account for all your time since medical school; activities outside the US and Canada need no verification.
Every state that has licensed youCertifies each license you hold or have held directly to the board.
Each hospital or staffing entity where you held privileges in the last five yearsCertifies your staff membership directly to the board; privileges outside the US and Canada need no verification.
FSMB, or NBOME for DOsSends your USMLE, FLEX, or SPEX transcript, or your COMLEX-USA or COMVEX transcript, directly to the board.
A notary publicNotarizes your signed affidavit and release, and any copy of your birth certificate or passport that is not certified.
A fingerprinting agency or providerTakes your prints on the cards the board mails you, unless you choose LiveScan at the board.
The Mississippi Department of Public SafetyRuns the state fingerprint-based criminal history check for the board.
The FBIRuns the national fingerprint-based criminal history check.
The Mississippi State Board of Medical LicensureReviews the file, verified at each source, and issues the license.

Postgraduate training: At least one year of postgraduate training accredited by the ACGME or the AOA in the US, or by the RCPSC or CCFP in Canada, for US and Canadian graduates. International graduates need ECFMG certification, or a Fifth Pathway completed by the end of 2009 with ABMS certification, and either three years of ACGME-approved training in the US or approved training in Canada, or one year plus current ABMS certification and the approval of the board or its executive director.
Exams: USMLE Steps 1, 2, and 3 passed within seven years of passing the first, a window the board may waive for extraordinary circumstances; the NBME and NBOME exams, COMLEX-USA included, carry the same seven years across their three parts. The board’s licensure rules set no limit on attempts, while the IMLC allows three per component.
The ten-year rule: If you have taken no licensing or medical proficiency exam in the ten years before you apply, you must pass the SPEX or COMVEX, unless you hold current ABMS certification and take part in Maintenance of Certification, hold AOA certification and take part in Osteopathic Continuous Certification, or seek the license only to serve as a dean, department chair, or faculty member of an ACGME- or AOA-approved training program.
Time out of practice: Three years without active practice, which the board’s rule defines as treating no patients for pay other than friends and family, means taking part in a board-approved assessment, clinical skills assessment, or re-entry program before the license issues.
Board certification: Not required of US and Canadian graduates. Current certification with maintenance exempts you from the ten-year rule’s exam, ABMS certification opens the one-year training path for international graduates, and the IMLC requires specialty certification.
Waivers: The board may waive any or all of its licensure requirements on a written request from a physician who graduated from an approved medical school, holds a current unrestricted license in another state, and has at least 3 years of clinical experience in the area of expertise; a committee of the executive director and two board members reviews the request, and the board decides.

We run the Mississippi file.

We do

Check your IMLC eligibility and weigh it against licensure by credentials before any fee is paid, since the board refunds nothing.
Prepare the Mississippi application and check every answer against the board’s current rules before it goes in.
Request every certification for you, from your schools, training programs, exam body, licensing boards, and the employers and hospitals of your last five years, and chase each one until its source sends it straight to the board.
Watch the 90-day window each verification opens, and the 365-day limit, and push on whatever is holding the file.
Coordinate your fingerprint cards and track the state and FBI 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 affidavit before a notary.
Have your fingerprints taken on the board’s cards, or by LiveScan at the board.
Register with the Mississippi Prescription Monitoring Program yourself, since the program requires each user to register personally.

Get My Licensing Plan

Staying licensed.

Renewal cycle: Every year: renewal opens May 1 and is due by June 30, at $300 plus a card processor’s convenience fee. A license issued on or before March 31 expires that June 30, and one issued from April 1 runs to June 30 of the following year. A license issued through the compact renews in two steps, through the IMLCC and then the board, both by June 30, or the Mississippi license expires July 1. Paying the renewal fee is optional for physicians over 70.
CME: 40 hours of Category 1 CME every two-year cycle, with no carryover of extra hours; the current cycle runs July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2028. Category 1 covers programs from sponsors the Mississippi State Medical Association, the AMA, or the ACCME approve, AOA Category 1-A, AAFP prescribed hours, and ACOG cognates. If you hold a DEA registration, you also complete the controlled substance training federal law requires; the board accepts the DEA’s one-time, eight-hour training on opioid or other substance use disorders and asks for nothing more once it is done. You attest to your CME at each annual renewal, the board’s CME page exempts a physician first licensed during a cycle from that cycle, and the board audits at random, with any deficiency to be made up within six months.
State controlled-substance registration: None. Mississippi issues no separate state controlled substance registration: the board’s rule adopts your DEA registration in its place, and every licensee who prescribes, administers, or dispenses a controlled substance in Mississippi must hold one.
Prescription monitoring: The board’s rule requires every licensee with prescriptive authority to register with the Mississippi Prescription Monitoring Program, run by the Board of Pharmacy, and state law requires it of every practitioner with an active DEA number; each user registers personally. Review the patient’s record at every encounter where you prescribe an opioid for acute or chronic non-cancer, non-terminal pain, and each time you authorize a benzodiazepine; for other controlled substances, check it at first contact with a new patient and at least every three months after, with exceptions in the board’s rule. Pain management practices review it at every encounter where they prescribe a controlled substance.
DEA registration: $888 for three years, with a separate registration for Mississippi.
Benzodiazepine prescriptions: The board’s rule limits a benzodiazepine prescription to a one-month supply with no more than two refills, or a 90-day supply with no refills.
Address changes: Tell the board immediately when your practice location or mailing address changes; failing to within 30 days can lead to discipline.

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?

Tennessee Separate boards for MDs and DOs, each licensing directly or through the IMLC, plus locum tenens licenses for physicians living outside Tennessee and a telemedicine license for DOs.
Alabama The Medical Licensure Commission licenses MDs and DOs, on the Board of Medical Examiners’ certificate or through the IMLC, and Alabama can be your state of principal license.
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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