Resources & Information

Each application has a checklist of items required for your application. Please refer to the appropriate checklist for the license application you are submitting. You can find them in the Licensing Section of our website under each licensure type.

Changes and/or additions to licensure applications are not accepted via telephone. Please send all documents, clarifications, or other supplemental information via email to the Licensing Department. You may also send items via USPS or via FedEx or UPS.

Send mail to PO Box 20007, Raleigh, NC 27619 unless you are sending the information via overnight delivery. If you are overnighting something, use the street address, 3127 Smoketree Court, Raleigh, NC 27604.

Fax documents are not permitted unless prior permission has been given by the Licensing Department.

No. The original notarized applicant oath must be mailed to NCMB. Send mail to PO Box 20007, Raleigh, NC 27619 unless you are sending the information via overnight delivery. If you are overnighting something, use the street address, 3127 Smoketree Court, Raleigh, NC 27604. Faxes and emails will not be accepted.

Yes. Reference forms can be emailed to license@ncmedboard.org from the author of the form.

Fees vary by application or registration type. Click here for a current list of all application and registration fees.

Yes. You must pass each step/component within three attempts. However, this requirement can be waived IF the applicant can show proof of being certified/recertified by an approved specialty board within the past 10 years. To document certification/recertification, send a photocopy of the supporting document(s) to the NCMB Licensing Department.

You should contact their office at 817-868-4000 or www.fsmb.org/fcvs.html

Yes.

Applicants who have their fingerprints completed within the state of North Carolina may opt to submit electronic fingerprints. Applicants who have fingerprints taken outside of NC must submit paper fingerprint cards.

If you decide to submit electronic fingerprints, the results of the background check will be submitted directly to NCMB by the NC State Bureau of Investigations. NC SBI may provide you with paper fingerprint cards even if you opt to have your prints submitted electronically. Please do not submit the cards; the electronic prints fully satisfy the fingerprint requirement.

Fingerprint cards should be sent to the NCMB along with a completed authority to release information form. Send both to NCMB at PO Box 20007, Raleigh, NC, 27619 unless you are overnighting, in which case you should use the street address, 3127 Smoketree Court, Raleigh, NC 27604. Please remember NCMB cannot forward fingerprint cards to the appropriate agency until the online license application fee has been paid.

Applicants outside North Carolina
You will need to go to your local law enforcement office to be fingerprinted. Your fingerprints will need to be provided on an FD-258 fingerprint card which can be provided by the law enforcement office. Two fingerprint cards will need to be submitted.
 
You will need to upload the Authority for Release of Information Form to your application via the gateway.

Applicants in North Carolina
Live Scan is available to those applicants who are in NC. You will need to go to your local law enforcement office to have this process completed and take the following with you: (1) Applicant Information Form, and (2) Electronic Fingerprint Submission Release of Information Form.

Once the fingerprinting process has been completed, you will need to upload the Electronic Fingerprint Submission Release of Information Form to your application via the gateway.

The Applicant Information form can be discarded after being fingerprinted.

The sooner documentation is received, the sooner the application review process can begin and the license issued. Applicants have up to one year after payment is made to submit documentation, or the application will be made inactive.

NCMB has several processing steps that it follows in reviewing your application and materials.

The first step is for you to submit the application online and pay for it. The second step is for all supporting documentation to be received by NCMB, including the results of the criminal background check. You should expect the process to take approximately four months. Please begin your license application well in advance of your plans to begin practicing in NC.

The application process will take roughly four months. Processing time will take longer during the months of February through August, due to the increased number of residents and relocating physicians. We recommend you allow four to six months of total processing time if you wish to be granted a license during these months.

The following lists common reasons a license approval may take longer:

• Forms submitted by the applicant are not completed correctly and must be resubmitted.
• The fingerprinting requirement was not submitted in a timely manner.
• One or more of the items sent to NCMB never reached us.

Aside from the increased volume of licensing applications during the months of March through August, here are some other potential reasons for licensure delay:

• Forms submitted by the applicant are not completed correctly and must be resubmitted.
• The fingerprinting requirement was not submitted in a timely manner.
• One or more of the items sent to NCMB never reached us.
• Information submitted to NCMB did not include the applicant’s full name and/or File ID#, or this information was not legible, and staff were unable to match submitted information with the correct application.

You can check the status of your online application by using the Check Status tool on this website. Click here to access it now.

Please allow 2-3 business days to receive a response.

Please allow 12-15 business days from the time NCMB the receives items for it to be reflected on your “check status” page.

Results from SBI/FBI can take 8-10 weeks.

You can check the status of your online application by using the Check Status tool on this website. Click here to access it now.

On average, licenses are issued 7-10 business days after starting the QA process.

You have the option to delete any applications in progress from the homepage of your Licensure Gateway.

Send an email to the Licensing Department and ask that the expedited application be withdrawn. Ask for a refund when you make this request.

Once payment has been made on your application, you will not be allowed to make any changes to your application through the portal. If you need to make changes or have additions to your application please send all documents, clarifications, or other supplemental information via email to the Licensing Department. Be sure to include your full name and/or File ID# so that the information can be routed to the correct licensing coordinator.

You should send an e-mail to license@ncmedboard.org and indicate which requirement states “not received,” and that it’s not applicable to you.

Yes. North Carolina law requires that physicians register their license within thirty days of their birthday each year.

No. NCMB does not require verification of training licenses.

Typically, NCMB does not issue temporary licenses. However, in rare instances, such natural disasters or other emergency situations, NCMB may activate its Limited Emergency License, an expedited temporary license, to allow medical professionals not currently licensed in NC to work or volunteer in our state. A Limited Emergency License authorizes a clinician to practice in NC for 30 days, or until the state of emergency is officially declared over.

No. North Carolina does not have “reciprocity” with any other states at this time. Physicians and PAs who wish to practice in North Carolina must obtain a license in this state.

No. Physicians wanting to practice teleradiology will need to obtain a full license.

No. NCMB cannot share applicant information with anyone except the applicant.

The NCMB does not have a list of approved or disapproved schools.

It will be determined upon completion of the application as to whether an applicant will be required to appear for a personal interview.