How long does a New Hampshire medical license take?

At least 8 weeks for the whole process, by the board’s instructions, which do not say when the count starts. They add that the board reviews complete applications at its meeting on the first Wednesday of each month and that licenses issue within 7 to 10 working days after it; state law gives the agency 60 days after receipt, or after your response to its request, to act on the application. FSMB says it typically processes a first FCVS profile in roughly 35 days. 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 New Hampshire medical license cost?

$858.50 in published fees with a first FCVS profile, or $562.50 with an existing one: the $413 application fee, which includes the $28 professionals’ health program fee, FCVS at $395 or $99 with its $3.50 NPDB report, and OPLC’s published $47 for the state and FBI check. Through the IMLC, fees are $1,113: $700 to the IMLCC plus $413 for New Hampshire. Verifications from your other boards, the fingerprinting service’s own charge, and notary fees come on top.

Is New Hampshire in the IMLC?

Yes. New Hampshire enacted the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact in 2016, issues licenses through it, and can be your state of principal license. IMLCC’s September 2026 volume report puts 786 of the 1,685 initial licenses it lists for the New Hampshire Board of Medicine in 2025, 47%, through the compact. Compact fees come to $1,113, $700 to the IMLCC plus $413 for New Hampshire, against $858.50 to apply directly with a first FCVS profile.

Is FCVS required in New Hampshire?

Yes, for every applicant on the direct route: the board’s rules and instructions require an FCVS profile, and the board counts an application complete only when the profile is in. A first profile costs $395 and an existing one $99, each with a $3.50 NPDB report, USMLE transcripts and the Uniform Application included, and FSMB says it typically processes a first profile in roughly 35 days. The board’s instructions suggest a 6-month temporary license, $55, to applicants without a profile.

Do MDs and DOs apply differently in New Hampshire?

Barely. One board licenses both through one application and one fee, its members include an osteopathic physician, and the IMLCC lists a single New Hampshire fee. DOs send COMLEX-USA scores from NBOME, through FCVS, instead of USMLE scores.

Does New Hampshire require fingerprints or a jurisprudence exam?

Fingerprints yes, jurisprudence exam no. Every applicant for a first permanent license submits fingerprints for a state and FBI criminal history check at OPLC’s published $47, on a standard card if taken outside New Hampshire or at a Department of Safety site in the state, and the board treats the result as valid for 3 months after it arrives. New Hampshire has no jurisprudence exam for physicians. On the compact route, your state of principal license runs the check.

Can I practice in New Hampshire before my full license issues?

Yes, on a temporary license or, for a short assignment, a locum tenens license; otherwise the board’s instructions say not to commit to a start date until your license issues. The temporary license, $55 and valid for 6 months, is for applicants who have filed the full application and applied to FCVS, and the board asks them to confirm first that their New Hampshire facility accepts it. A locum tenens license, $165, covers up to 100 consecutive calendar days at one location, and only one is issued in any 12-month period.

What CME does New Hampshire require?

100 hours every two years, at least 40 of them in Category 1 and no more than 60 in Category 2. Passing a specialty board exam counts as 100 Category 1 hours, staying current in maintenance of certification meets the requirement, and licensees who must register with the prescription drug monitoring program also complete 3 hours on pain management or addiction disorders, or pass an online exam.

New Hampshire physician license: fees, timeline, requirements, and common delays

Q: Do I need a New Hampshire license to treat New Hampshire patients by telehealth?

Yes, outside narrow exceptions. New Hampshire law treats an out-of-state physician who provides telemedicine as practicing medicine, which takes a New Hampshire license, and there is no separate telehealth license or registration. The exceptions in statute include a consultation called in by a New Hampshire licensee who keeps responsibility for the patient’s diagnosis and treatment, though regular or frequent consultation counts as practice, and consultation or follow-up care by telehealth for a patient who previously received services from you in the state where you are licensed.

New Hampshire licenses MD and DO physicians through one board, the Board of Medicine, within the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC), directly or through the IMLC, and can be your state of principal license. Applying directly costs $858.50 in published fees with a first FCVS profile, or $562.50 with an existing one: the $413 application fee, including the $28 professionals’ health program fee, FCVS at $395 or $99 plus a $3.50 NPDB report, and OPLC’s published $47 state and FBI check. Compact fees total $1,113. The board asks you to allow at least 8 weeks for the whole licensure process. The friction is FCVS: the board requires a profile from every applicant and counts no application complete without it.

New Hampshire at a glance.

License: Unrestricted permanent license (MD or DO), renewed every two years
MD and DO: One board, one application, and one fee for both
IMLC: Member state, issuing licenses. Enacted 2016; New Hampshire can be the SPL; $700 IMLCC fee plus $413 for New Hampshire
FCVS: Required of every applicant on the direct route, by board rule and the board’s instructions
Uniform Application: Required on the direct route, included with FCVS at no extra charge
Fingerprints: Required: a state and FBI check, $47, on a card from out of state or at a Department of Safety site in New Hampshire
Jurisprudence exam: None
Interview: Not routine; no statute or rule requires one
Board fee: $413 application fee, including the $28 professionals’ health program fee; non-refundable
Renewal: Every two years from the date of issue, $413
CME: 100 hours every two years, at least 40 in Category 1, plus 3 on pain management or addiction for prescription monitoring registrants

Which route fits.

MD and DO applicants file with one board, the Board of Medicine, on the same application and at the same fees. The Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC), which houses the board, sets its fees and processes its applications. Treating a patient located in New Hampshire, including by telemedicine from another state, takes a New Hampshire license outside narrow exceptions, such as a consultation called in by a New Hampshire licensee who keeps responsibility for the patient.

The direct application.

Who it fits: Any MD or DO with two years of accredited postgraduate training and a passed licensing exam, including physicians the compact excludes: New Hampshire does not require specialty certification, and it allows 4 attempts at each exam section where the compact allows 3.
The trade-off: The full file for every applicant: FSMB’s Uniform Application, a required FCVS profile, New Hampshire’s own application and addendum, reference letters, a state and FBI fingerprint check, and a verification from every board that has ever licensed you, for $858.50 in published fees, or $562.50 with an existing FCVS profile. The board counts the file complete only when the FCVS profile and every verification are in, and it asks you to allow at least 8 weeks for the whole process.

Licensing board: New Hampshire Board of Medicine.

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. New Hampshire can also be your state of principal license, to add other member states, once you hold its full license.
The trade-off: It costs more in fees: $700 to the IMLCC plus $413 for New Hampshire, $1,113, none of it refundable, against $858.50 to apply directly with a first FCVS profile; adding New Hampshire to a Letter of Qualification still within its 365 days costs $513. Your state of principal license verifies your eligibility and runs the background check, and licenses issued through the compact renew through the IMLCC.

A temporary license.

Who it fits: An MD or DO with a full, unrestricted license in another state who has filed the full New Hampshire application and applied to FCVS, and who needs to start before the permanent license issues, at a New Hampshire facility that accepts a temporary license. The board’s instructions suggest it to applicants without an FCVS profile.
The trade-off: $55 on top of the direct application’s fees, for a license valid for only 6 months, pending the permanent license. It takes the full application except the FCVS items, plus proof of your other state’s license sent directly by that state and proof that you have applied to FCVS, and you may not practice in New Hampshire until it issues.

A locum tenens license.

Who it fits: An MD or DO with a full, unrestricted license in another state, for a short assignment at one New Hampshire facility.
The trade-off: $165 for up to 100 consecutive calendar days, valid only at the location on the license, and only one in any 12-month period. It needs a clearance of your current license, sent directly by that state and covering the dates, the facility’s own verification of the dates, and reference letters.

What it costs.

MD or DO license, direct application
Application fee: the $385 processing and licensing fee plus the $28 professionals’ health program fee	$413
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 criminal history check, OPLC’s published fee	$47
All-in	$858.50, or $562.50 with an existing FCVS profile
Our service fee	Quoted with your plan

MD or DO license through the IMLC
IMLCC fee	$700
New Hampshire license fee, from the IMLCC fee table	$413
All-in	$1,113
Our service fee	Quoted with your plan

OPLC’s fee page lists the physician application fee as $413, including the mandatory $28 professionals’ health program fee, which OPLC’s rules charge on top of the $385 processing fee; the board’s instructions name only the $385, and every applicant pays both. An adopted rule lowers the health program fee to $22 from January 18, 2027, which takes the direct-application totals to $852.50 and $556.50. The $385 is paid to the State of New Hampshire and is non-refundable, including when an application is denied, abandoned, or withdrawn. FCVS fees, including the $3.50 NPDB report on each profile sent to this board, go to FSMB, which includes the Uniform Application at no extra charge for boards that require FCVS. The $47 is OPLC’s published fee for the state and FBI check. On the IMLC route, the $700 and the $413 are paid through the IMLCC, which calls all fees non-refundable; OPLC’s fee page lists the same $413 for a compact physician, health program fee included, and adding New Hampshire to a Letter of Qualification still within its 365 days costs a $100 handling fee plus the $413.

Left out of every total: verifications from every board that has licensed you, at each board’s own fee; the fingerprinting service’s own charge outside New Hampshire, which is unpublished; notary fees, where a document needs one; for DOs, NBOME’s $65 COMLEX-USA transcript, if the FCVS invoice includes it, which FSMB does not make clear; for international graduates, ECFMG’s one-time $75 medical education verification and $70 for each state board designation, through FCVS; the $55 temporary license, only if you seek one; and, for prescribers, the $888 DEA registration for three years, since New Hampshire has no state controlled-substance registration. On the IMLC route, your state of principal license runs the background check, at its fees.

Fees change; verified November 11, 2026.

How long it takes.

At least 8 weeksThe whole licensure process, board guidanceThe board’s instructions, revised January 2026, ask applicants to allow a minimum of 8 weeks for the entire licensure process, and say malpractice or disciplinary history can add 2 or 3 months for the documents to arrive; they do not say when the count starts.Board-published
MonthlyBoard review of complete applicationsThe board’s instructions say it meets and reviews applications on the first Wednesday of each month, that only complete applications, with every outside verification in, go forward for review, and that the agenda closes at noon on the Friday before each meeting.Board-published
7 to 10 working daysLicense issued after the board meetingThe board’s instructions say licenses are issued within 7 to 10 working days after the board meeting that reviews the file.Board-published
60 daysTime to complete the fileOPLC’s physician applications page warns that an application may be denied if all required information and documents are not in within 60 days of the application date. It limits the file’s life, not the review.Board-published
60 daysAgency action on an application, by statuteNew Hampshire’s Administrative Procedure Act gives the agency 30 days from receipt to point out errors or omissions and ask for more information, then no more than 60 days after receipt, or after your response, to approve or deny the application or open an adjudicative proceeding, unless you agree in writing to more time; OPLC’s rules likewise set 60 days from the finding that an application is complete to a decision.Statutory deadline
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

Beyond the board’s 8-week guidance, neither the board nor OPLC publishes a processing time or average for physician licenses. The board counts an application complete only when your FCVS profile, every license verification, and its own application are in, and FSMB says it typically processes a first profile in roughly 35 days and later ones in roughly 20 days or less. The board treats a criminal history result as valid for 3 months and each license verification for 6 months after it arrives, so a slow file can need repeats. No board guarantees a date.

What the file involves.

A New Hampshire file on the direct route moves between 11 core parties for an MD and 12 for a DO, whose COMLEX-USA scores come from NBOME through FCVS, and 12 core document types: 9 from you, among them FSMB’s Uniform Application and its notarized affidavit, the FCVS application with its own, New Hampshire’s application and addendum, a criminal record release with your fingerprints, and a CV, and 3 from others: the reference letters, a verification from every board that has licensed you, and your FCVS profile. Each extra board, training program, or hospital adds a party. On the IMLC route, New Hampshire’s part involves 3 parties to issuance: the IMLCC, your state of principal license, and OPLC for 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 programVerifies your training, at least two years of it, through FCVS.
Every board that has licensed youVerifies each health care license you have ever held in the US or Canada, full, temporary, training, or limited, directly to the board; each verification counts for 6 months after it arrives.
Your referencesWrite original letters on letterhead: the chief medical officer or medical staff president at each hospital where you hold privileges, or two practicing physicians.
A notary publicWitnesses your signature on the affidavits.
A fingerprint providerTakes your prints, on a card outside New Hampshire or at a Department of Safety site in the state.
The New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of State PoliceRuns the state criminal records check and passes your prints to the FBI.
The FBIRuns the national criminal history check.
The National Practitioner Data BankReports on you through FCVS, which queries it as the board’s agent.
OPLC and the Board of MedicineReview the file and issue the license.
NBOME, for DOsReports your COMLEX-USA scores, through FCVS.

Postgraduate training: Two years, PGY-1 and PGY-2, in an ACGME- or AOA-accredited program, for US and international graduates alike. Under the board’s rule, an equivalent must include at least board certification in your specialty, or 10 or more years of practice with 2 years of training outside the US or Canada, and applicants without the 2 accredited years petition the board.
Exams: USMLE, COMLEX-USA, or an accepted older exam such as NBME parts I to III, FLEX, or the MCCQE, with each section passed within 4 attempts; New Hampshire’s rules and statute name no time limit for finishing them. Board certification by ABMS or AOA waives the exam requirement. The compact is stricter, with each component passed within 3 attempts.
Board certification: Not required for a New Hampshire license, though it waives the exam requirement and can support a training equivalent. The IMLC requires it.
International graduates: A medical school recognized by the World Health Organization, ECFMG certification and your transcript verified through FCVS, and the same 2 years of postgraduate training.
Time out of practice: No rule in force sets a recency test or a reentry requirement, though the application asks whether you have practiced clinical medicine in the past 12 months.
Prescriber education: State law makes 3 hours of free online education on pain management and addiction disorders, or an online exam, a condition of initial licensure and each renewal for prescribers with a DEA registration who must register with the prescription drug monitoring program. Neither the board’s checklist nor OPLC’s applications page lists it.

We run the New Hampshire file.

We do

Check your IMLC eligibility and weigh the compact against the direct application, or a locum tenens license for a short assignment, before any fee is paid.
Start your FCVS profile and Uniform Application early, and chase every school, training, and exam verification until the profile reaches the board.
Prepare the New Hampshire application and addendum, and check every answer against the board’s current requirements before it goes in.
Request the verification from every board that has licensed you and line up your reference letters, timed so each verification is still within its 6 months when the file is reviewed.
Coordinate your fingerprint card and the state and FBI check, track every open item against the 60 days OPLC allows to complete a file, 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 affidavits, before a notary where required.
Have your fingerprints taken, on a card rolled near you or at a Department of Safety site in New Hampshire.

Get My Licensing Plan

Staying licensed.

Renewal cycle: Every two years from the date your license issues, at $413, including the $28 professionals’ health program fee. OPLC must send notice at least 2 months before expiration and accepts renewals in the 60 days before it. An expired license can be reinstated within a year, also for $413; after that it lapses and a new application is needed. Licenses issued through the compact renew through the IMLCC, at the same $413 on OPLC’s fee page.
CME: 100 hours every two years, at least 40 of them in Category 1 and no more than 60 in Category 2, tracked in OPLC’s online system, with 10% of renewing licensees audited. Passing a specialty board exam, initial or recertification, counts as 100 Category 1 hours; staying current in maintenance of certification meets the requirement; and each year of residency or fellowship earns 50 Category 1 hours. Licensees who must register with the prescription drug monitoring program also complete 3 hours of online education, or pass an online exam, on pain management or addiction disorders.
State controlled-substance registration: None. New Hampshire requires only the physician license and a DEA registration to prescribe controlled substances, and DEA lists it among the states with a one-license requirement.
Prescription monitoring: If you will prescribe Schedule II to IV controlled substances in New Hampshire, register with its prescription drug monitoring program within 90 days of your license, and prescribe none of them until you have. Before an initial Schedule II, III, or IV opioid for pain, query the program for the patient’s history, then at least twice a year, with exceptions such as administration in a health care setting, a program outage, or an unusually busy emergency department.
DEA registration: $888 for three years, with a separate registration for New Hampshire.
E-prescribing: Required for controlled drugs, with exceptions such as a prescription to be dispensed by a pharmacy outside New Hampshire and waivers of up to a year.
Telemedicine prescribing: New Hampshire law lets a licensed physician prescribe Schedule II to IV controlled drugs, opioid or not, by telemedicine, with a follow-up evaluation by a practitioner licensed to prescribe the drug at intervals suited to the patient, condition, and drug, at least once a year.
Reporting duties: Report a change of address to OPLC within 30 days, and give notice within 30 days of any complaint, claim for medical injury, disciplinary action elsewhere, or misdemeanor or felony conviction.

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?

Massachusetts One board for MDs and DOs and no IMLC route: every license is a direct application, with FCVS required.
Maine Separate boards for MDs and DOs until they merge into one Maine Board of Medicine on January 1, 2027, each licensing through FSMB’s Uniform Application and a required FCVS profile, or through the IMLC.
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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