How long does a Texas medical license take?

The board reports an average of 19 days in fiscal 2025 to process a complete file, and Texas law caps its average processing time at 51 days. Both clocks start once the file is complete; licenses then issue on set dates about twice a month, and fingerprint results average under 10 business days but can take 4 to 6 weeks by mailed card.

How much does a Texas medical license cost?

To license issuance, $965 in published fees for an MD and $960 for a DO, plus $40.00 to $42.50 for fingerprints, a range because the board publishes no current fingerprint total. The first registration that activates the license adds $281.48 or $467.48, so an active license costs $1,286.48 to $1,474.98 for an MD and $1,281.48 to $1,469.98 for a DO.

Is Texas in the IMLC?

Yes. Texas joined the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact by a law effective September 1, 2021, issues licenses through it, and can be your state of principal license. In the IMLCC’s Year 9, April 2025 to March 2026, the board issued 1,462 licenses through the compact.

Is the IMLC or a direct application cheaper for Texas?

A direct application: $965 in published fees for an MD, or $960 for a DO, plus $40.00 to $42.50 for fingerprints, against $1,595 through the compact. The compact can still make sense when you meet its terms and are adding other member states, since the IMLCC’s $700 covers one application and each state adds its own license fee.

Do MDs and DOs apply differently in Texas?

No. The Texas Medical Board licenses both through the same application, $867 fee, and rules, and the IMLCC lists a single Texas fee; DOs send COMLEX-USA scores from NBOME, at $65, instead of USMLE scores from FSMB, at $70.

Is there a Texas telemedicine license for out-of-state physicians?

Not for new applicants. Texas requires a full Texas medical license for telemedicine with patients in Texas; the out-of-state telemedicine license survives only for physicians who held one on September 1, 2022, and the board counted 19 of them in September 2026. Narrow exemptions cover cases such as an episodic consultation requested by a Texas physician in the same specialty.

Does Texas require fingerprints for a medical license?

Yes. Every direct applicant completes a Texas DPS and FBI check through IdentoGo, at $40.00 to $42.50, and prints taken for another state or agency cannot be reused. DPS lists IdentoGo live scan sites in 27 other states, and elsewhere the prints go in on a mailed card; licenses issued through the compact need the Texas check before the first renewal.

Is there a jurisprudence exam for a Texas medical license?

Yes. Every applicant passes the Texas Medical Jurisprudence Examination online with a score of 75 or better; the $867 application fee covers it, and attempts are unlimited at no extra cost. Physicians licensed through the compact take it after issuance, within 90 days.

Does Texas expedite licenses for experienced physicians?

Yes. Texas law calls for expedited handling, at no extra fee, of applications from physicians fully licensed and actively practicing in another state for at least 5 years with no disciplinary history or open investigations, and from physicians who will practice in a rural community, a medically underserved area, or a health professional shortage area. Military service members, spouses, and veterans also qualify, the board says.

Can I hold a Texas license without living in Texas?

Yes. Of the 104,497 physicians the board listed as active in practice in September 2026, 25,053 had a practice address outside Texas, according to its licensee statistics.

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

Texas licenses MD and DO physicians through one board, the Texas Medical Board, and is an IMLC member that can be your state of principal license. Filing directly, an MD pays $965 to license issuance and a DO $960: $895 to the board, jurisprudence exam included, plus a $70 USMLE or $65 COMLEX transcript. Fingerprints add $40.00 to $42.50. The compact route is $700 to the IMLCC plus $895 for Texas. On either route, the first registration that activates the license adds $281.48 or $467.48. The board reports an average of 19 days in fiscal 2025 to process a complete file. The friction is paperwork: an evaluation sent directly by every place you practiced in the past five years, locums included.

Texas at a glance.

License: Full Texas medical license (MD or DO), registered every two years
MD and DO: One board, one application and one fee for both
IMLC: Member state, issuing licenses. Texas can be the SPL; $700 IMLCC fee plus $895 for Texas
FCVS: Accepted, not required
Uniform Application: Optional; it does not replace the Texas application
Fingerprints: Required; on the compact route, before the first renewal
Jurisprudence exam: Required, covered by the $867 fee, unlimited attempts
Interview: Not routinely required
Board fee: $895: the $867 application fee plus two surcharges
Renewal: Every two years, $491.48
CME: 48 credits every two years, at least 24 formal

Which route fits.

MD and DO applicants file the same application, for the same fee, with the Texas Medical Board, and the IMLC is a second way to the same full Texas license. Telemedicine with patients in Texas needs that license too, because the out-of-state telemedicine license takes no new applicants.

Direct application.

Who it fits: Any MD or DO, and the only route for physicians the compact excludes, such as those without board certification. Texas sets its own exam-attempt limits, which relax with years of clean practice in another state, and Texas law calls for expedited handling of files from physicians with five clean years of full licensure and active practice elsewhere.
The trade-off: The full Texas file: fingerprints, certification from your school, training verifications, and an evaluation from every place you practiced in the past five years. Licenses issue on set dates about twice a month, and a file completed after a date’s cutoff waits for the next one.

Licensing board: Texas Medical Board.

The IMLC.

Who it fits: Physicians 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. Texas can also be the SPL for physicians who qualify here, to add other states.
The trade-off: It costs more, $700 to the IMLCC plus $895 for Texas, none of it refundable, for a separate Texas license. After issuance Texas still requires its jurisprudence exam, proof of lawful presence, and the first registration within 90 days, then a Texas fingerprint check before the first renewal.

What it costs.

MD license, direct application
Application fee, jurisprudence exam included	$867
NPDB surcharge	$21
Texas Physician Health Program surcharge	$7
USMLE transcript (FSMB)	$70
Fingerprints, Texas DPS and FBI check (IdentoGo)	$40.00 to $42.50
First registration, 12 or 24 months, due after issuance	$281.48 or $467.48
All-in	$1,005.00 to $1,007.50 to issuance; $1,286.48 to $1,474.98 to an active license
Our service fee	Quoted with your plan

DO license, direct application
Application fee, jurisprudence exam included	$867
NPDB surcharge	$21
Texas Physician Health Program surcharge	$7
COMLEX-USA transcript (NBOME)	$65
Fingerprints, Texas DPS and FBI check (IdentoGo)	$40.00 to $42.50
First registration, 12 or 24 months, due after issuance	$281.48 or $467.48
All-in	$1,000.00 to $1,002.50 to issuance; $1,281.48 to $1,469.98 to an active license
Our service fee	Quoted with your plan

MD or DO license through the IMLC
IMLCC application fee	$700
Texas license fee, from the IMLCC fee table	$895
First registration, 12 or 24 months, due after issuance	$281.48 or $467.48
All-in	$1,595 to issuance; $1,876.48 or $2,062.48 to an active license
Our service fee	Quoted with your plan

The $895 goes to the Texas Medical Board with the application: the $867 fee can be refunded only in limited cases, such as a withdrawal within 45 days of applying, and the $21 and $7 surcharges are non-refundable. The first registration is a separate payment to the board after the license issues. Fingerprint fees go to IdentoGo and transcript fees to FSMB or NBOME; on the compact route, the IMLCC’s $700 and the $895 Texas fee are non-refundable.

Left out of every total: an optional FCVS profile ($395, plus a $3.50 NPDB report fee), which replaces the separate exam transcript; for international graduates, the $70 ECFMG certification report and, where the board asks for one, a $200 foreign credentials evaluation; any charges schools or facilities set for their certifications and evaluations; and, on the compact route, your SPL’s own background check and the Texas fingerprint check before your first renewal ($40.00 to $42.50).

Fees change; verified October 25, 2026.

How long it takes.

19 daysBoard processing of a complete direct applicationThe board’s fiscal 2025 average from a complete application, every expected document in, to notice that its evaluation is done; the time spent gathering documents is not counted.Board-published
51 daysAverage processing time allowed by lawTexas law caps the board’s average processing time at 51 days, counted from when all initial documents are in and the file reaches the licensing stage. It is an average across files, not a deadline for any one file.Statutory deadline
About twice a monthLicensing datesLicenses issue on set dates, each with a file-complete cutoff about a week before; applications through the compact are exempt from the cutoff.Board-published
Under 10 business daysFingerprint results reaching the boardThe board’s average turnaround for Texas DPS and FBI results; fingerprint cards sent by mail can take 4 to 6 weeks.Board-published
11 daysTexas issuance of a license through the compactThe board’s fiscal 2025 average from the compact’s notice of a pending application to the Texas license, for physicians whose state of principal license is another state.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

The board’s processing clocks start once the file is complete, so they leave out the time schools and facilities take to send their parts. Once a file is complete, a temporary license, issued at no fee, can bridge the wait for the next licensing date, and after issuance the license becomes active only with the first registration, due within 90 days. An application stays open for one year, and no board guarantees a date.

What the file involves.

A typical direct Texas file for a US-trained physician moves between 9 parties and 9 document types: the board, your medical school, each residency program, every place you practiced in the past five years, FSMB or NBOME for your scores, IdentoGo, Texas DPS and the FBI for the background check, and the NPDB, which the board queries on its own. Eleven more document types apply only to some files, such as a name change or international training. Verifications from other state boards are not on the board’s required list, though the application asks you to name every state where you have applied or been licensed.

The Texas Medical BoardTakes the application and fee, gives the jurisprudence exam, and reviews the file through to licensure.
Your medical schoolCertifies your graduation directly to the board.
Each residency or fellowship programVerifies your training, with an evaluation from the program director.
Every facility or employer of the past five years, locums includedSends an evaluation of your practice directly to the board.
FSMB or NBOMECertifies a transcript of every USMLE or COMLEX attempt directly to the board.
IdentoGo by IDEMIATakes your fingerprints for the state and federal background check.
The Texas Department of Public SafetyRuns the state criminal history check and sends the results to the board.
The FBIRuns the national criminal history check and sends the results to the board.
The National Practitioner Data BankReports to the board through the continuous query it runs on every licensee, funded by the $21 surcharge.

Postgraduate training: One year of approved training in the US or Canada for US and Canadian graduates; two years for graduates of schools elsewhere.
Exam attempts and time limits: Each part passed within three attempts and all parts within seven years, or ten if you are board certified. A clean full license and active practice in another state or Canada relax the attempt limit: one more attempt on one part after a year of practice, three more if you are certified, and no limit after five years. The board’s exam guidance also drops the time limit for clean, fully licensed applicants with a year of active practice.
Recent practice: Patient care, postgraduate training, or active medical school teaching within the three years before you apply; without it, the executive director may set conditions before licensure.
International graduates: ECFMG certification, English proficiency, and two years of approved postgraduate training in the US or Canada. Graduates of schools not on the board’s substantial equivalence list may also need a foreign credentials evaluation.
Obstetric care: Physicians who provide obstetric care complete a one-time course of at least one hour on pregnancy-related medical emergencies before Texas issues or renews the license.

We run the Texas file.

We do

Check your IMLC eligibility before any compact fee is paid, and run whichever route fits.
Prepare the Texas application and check it against the board’s current requirements before it goes in.
Request and chase every verification: your school, each residency, every facility of the past five years, and your exam transcripts, through FCVS where you use it.
Route your fingerprints through the right channel, live scan or mailed card, and track the results to the board.
Follow the file to its licensing date and through the first registration, answering every board request along the way.

You do

Share your credentials and license history once, in our secure portal.
Approve your application answers and sign the attestations.
Get fingerprinted, at an IdentoGo site or on a card.
Pass the Texas jurisprudence exam online, which the board requires of every applicant.

Get My Licensing Plan

Staying licensed.

Renewal cycle: Every two years, $491.48, surcharges included. The first permit runs 12 or 24 months, prorated to the expiration date the board assigns, and renewal now requires proof of lawful presence and CME reported in CE Broker.
CME: 48 credits every two years, at least 24 of them formal (AMA PRA Category 1 or AOA 1-A), with 2 in medical ethics or professional responsibility. Physicians in direct patient care also owe 2 hours on pain management and opioid prescribing within a year of licensure and again in the second renewal period, then every eight years, and 1 hour of a state-approved human trafficking course in the first renewal period, then every third renewal period. Newer topics: 2 credits on forensic evidence collection for emergency room practice, required by statute for renewals from September 1, 2026 and applied by the board from licenses expiring February 28, 2027, and 1 credit on nutrition and metabolic health for licenses expiring on or after May 30, 2027.
State controlled-substance registration: None. Texas ended its state controlled substances registration on September 1, 2016; prescribing controlled substances in Texas takes a DEA registration.
Prescription monitoring: Check the Texas Prescription Monitoring Program, run by the State Board of Pharmacy, each time before prescribing opioids, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, or carisoprodol, and document the check; exceptions include cancer, sickle cell disease, and hospice care. Every board registration carries an $11.48 PMP fee.
DEA registration: $888 for three years, with a separate registration for Texas.
E-prescribing: Required for controlled substance prescriptions since January 1, 2021, with listed exceptions, including prescriptions filled outside Texas, and waivers the board grants a year at a time.
Opioids for acute pain: Limited to a 10-day supply, with no refills.
Licenses issued through the compact: They renew through the IMLCC, plus the board’s online questions, and need a Texas DPS and FBI fingerprint check before the first renewal.

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?

California Two boards and no IMLC route: every California license is a direct application.
Florida Separate boards for MDs and DOs, both issuing licenses through the IMLC, plus a telehealth registration with no state fee.
New York One license for MDs and DOs, filed directly: New York is not in the IMLC.
Pennsylvania Separate boards for MDs and DOs, and both issue licenses directly or through the IMLC.
Physician licensing at NP Licensing
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