Overview

Physician licenses issued through the Interstate Medical Licensing Compact, Physician Licensees who were printed for their applications prior to 2018, and all Licensure applicants are required to submit their fingerprints for state and national criminal history background checks.

 

Please note that having a criminal history does not automatically disqualify you from obtaining or maintaining a license through the Texas Medical Board. For additional information please review the Texas State Auditor’s Guide to Applying for an Occupational License After Conviction or Deferred Adjudication.

 

Fingerprinting services are provided through IdentoGo by IDEMIA for a fee payable directly to IdentoGo. Taking a photo is a requirement of the fingerprinting process. Results of the fingerprinting will be sent directly to the TMB from both the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Records and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Please note – applicants for initial licensure should not submit fingerprints for review until after they have submitted the online application. Additionally, fingerprint cards should not be mailed to the TMB.

 

Specific instructions for fingerprinting will be provided through the LIST message system for Physician licensure applicants and by email for the following applicants:

 

  • Physician Faculty Temporary License (FTL)
  • Physician Assistant
  • Acupuncturist
  • Acudetox
  • Surgical Assistant
  • Provisional License
  • Medical Radiologic Technologist
  • Limited Radiologic Technologist
  • Respiratory Care Practitioner
  • Non-Certified Radiological Technician
  • Medical Physicist
  • Perfusionist
  • Criminal History Evaluation applicants

As of 9/1/2023, criminal history background checks through the Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are required prior to the first renewal for current licenses issued through the IMLC. Detailed Instructions for getting your fingerprints done will be provided in your email renewal reminder, or upon request. Processing times vary (average turnaround time is less than 10 business days), but please note that the criminal history results can take up to 4-6 weeks for processing.  A Board issued 6-digit ID number is required for submitting your fingerprints and will be included with your renewal reminder, or upon request.

 

A Board issued 6-digit ID number is required for submitting your fingerprints. This 6-digit ID number was assigned when we received your IMLC application submission. This 6-digit ID number will be included in your renewal instructions and email renewal reminders. If you wish to submit your fingerprints early, please contact us at Registration Department and request your 6 digit ID number and instructions for your fingerprint submission. Please note that the fingerprint background check results will be required before you can access the online registration.

 

Per Title 28, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Section 50.12, FBI fingerprinting reports are only allowed to be used for the purposes requested. Therefore, we are not able to access fingerprint results that were submitted to another state or agency. If you have been previously fingerprinted for another license or by another state or agency, we apologize for the inconvenience; however you will still be required to submit the fingerprint criminal history background prior to the next registration/renewal of your license.

A fingerprint background check will be required before you can access online registration renewal, per the statutory requirement set out in Texas Occupations Code, Sec 156.0015, unless you were fingerprinted for your Physician licensure application after 1/15/2018. Reminders of the fingerprint requirement will be included in the renewal notice sent out 90 days prior to your current expiration date. Detailed instructions will be included in the email renewal reminder notices.

 

As results can take weeks to receive, we encourage you to begin this process as soon as possible. If you wish to submit your fingerprints early, please email the Registration Department and request instructions for your fingerprint submission. You can complete the fingerprint requirement at any point prior to your license expiration date. Completing your fingerprints prior to your renewal period will NOT enable you to renew your license early.

 

Per Title 28, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Section 50.12, FBI fingerprinting reports are only allowed to be used for the purposes requested. Therefore, we are not able to access fingerprint results that were submitted to another agency. If you have been previously fingerprinted for another license or by another agency, we apologize for the inconvenience; however you will still be required to submit the fingerprint criminal history background prior to the next registration/renewal of your license.

 

A Board issued 6-digit ID number is required for submitting your fingerprints. This 6-digit ID number is assigned at the time of application submission. This 6-digit ID number will be included in your post card and email renewal reminders. If you wish to submit your fingerprints early, please email the Registration Department and request your 6-digit ID number and instructions for your fingerprint submission. Please note that the fingerprint background check results will be required before you can access the online registration.

 

If you have any questions, please email the Registration Department.

The TMB service code for IdentoGo is only able to be provided directly to licensure applicants or existing licensees. The service code is provided in the detailed instructions that are part of the email renewal notice for licensees and the email notice for applicants after submitting the application. If you have not received your email renewal notice, or you would like to complete the fingerprint requirement early, please contact us at Registrations@tmb.state.tx.us and we will provide you with your ID number, and instructions that include the TMB service code.

This number is assigned to you at the time you submitted your application for licensure. For physicians, it can be found online through LIST (Licensure Inquiry System of Texas). For all other applicants, it can be found in the email correspondence you received from the Board indicating the status of your application (be sure to check the subject line as well as the text of the email). If you are still unable to located your 6-digit Board issued ID number, please contact the Texas Medical Board Customer Service Department at (512) 305-7030 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CST or email Screen-CIC@tmb.state.tx.us for assistance.

There is no financial gain for the TMB.  The TMB participates in the DPS contract with IdentoGo by IDEMIA (formerly known as MorphoTrust USA, LLC) for the digital fingerprint system for criminal background checks on licensees and applicants.  This contract is maintained by DPS and licensee and applicants pay a fee directly to the vendor for fingerprint services. No portion of the fee comes to or through the TMB.

Please note that the fingerprint background check results will be required prior to a license being able to access the online registration system. While processing times vary (average turnaround time is less than 10 business days), please note it can take 4-6 weeks for hard card submissions. Completing your fingerprints prior to your renewal period will NOT enable you to renew your license early. If you believe that you should be able to access the online registration system, and you are not able to, please contact us a Registrations@tmb.state.tx.us.

No. Multiple methods of submission will delay the fingerprinting process, as the fee paid to IdentoGo allows for either a live scan or a mailed submission of fingerprint cards. An applicant or Texas licensee should complete their fingerprints by arranging an appointment at an approved IdentoGo location or mail to Identogo one completed fingerprint card with the completed IdentoGo confirmation document containing a bar code. If fingerprints are submitted using multiple methods or if an applicant completes their fingerprints at a different IdentoGo location than the one they set up their appointment with, the applicant will be responsible for contacting IdentoGo directly to identify the correct submission method. TMB does not have access to the IdentoGo system and is not able to amend or verify an applicant’s submission method. Applicants should not mail fingerprint cards to the TMB.

Applicants are informed of their fingerprints being rejected by IdentoGo prior to that information being sent to the TMB. Fingerprints can be rejected by either DPS or the FBI. Our office will not communicate that a reprint is needed until we receive your unique reference code, which you may then use on the IdentoGo site to waive the fee for a required reprint.

If you have been previously fingerprinted for another license or by another agency, you will still be required to submit the fingerprint criminal history background to the TMB. Per Title 28, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Section 50.12, FBI fingerprinting reports are only allowed to be used for the purposes requested. Therefore, we are not able to access fingerprint results that were submitted to another agency (other states licenses, CHL permits, other background checks, etc.). Applicants or Texas licensees looking to renew their licensure must use the TMB Service Code and their Board issued 6-digit ID# on the IdentoGo website in order for our agency to receive your DPS/FBI consolidated report. If you used any other service code other than the one assigned to the TMB, those results cannot be disclosed to our agency. Refer to the instructions provided to you by either the Licensure or Registrations Department.

Please be sure you are entering your Board issued 6 digit ID# with “MB-“in front – example: MB-123456

Please put a zero in front of the 5-digit ID when entering it on the Identogo website – example: MB-012345

All licensure applicants, with the exception of some Physician-in-Training permit applicants, are required to submit their fingerprints for a criminal background check.

No, fingerprint cards are not automatically sent out to applicants. Because not all applicants reside at the mailing address of record when they submit their online applications, it is the responsibility of the applicant to verify whether or not they can be live-scanned. If that is not an option, they must request a fingerprint card by contacting the Texas Medical Board at Screen-CIC@tmb.state.tx.us if they are an applicant, or at Registrations@tmb.state.tx.us if they are a licensee. When emailing the request, please include a current mailing address.