Registering a supervising physician for an NCT will no longer be required.  However, an NCT will still need to obtain and maintain placement on the MRT Board’s general registry, or have an approved a hardship exemption, prior to starting practice.  

The NCT permit is no longer available.  In the 2017 legislative session, SB 674 changed the law so that the Texas Medical Board is no longer required to register NCTs who work for physicians.  What remains is the requirement that NCTs obtain placement on the MRT Board’s general registry, or have an approved a hardship exemption, prior to starting practice.

NCCPA Certification is required for initial licensure in Texas but not for renewal of an active Texas Physician Assistant License.

Please see the Application Process and General Information links in the Physician Assistant Quick Links menu, located here.

At this time, only physician applicants can use the Form Y to expedite an application. Should this change, notification will be posted.

Texas requires physicians to professionally use the name under which they are licensed by the Texas Medical Board. Using any other name may confuse or mislead the public and could be considered by the Board to be unprofessional conduct. A physician who wishes to change his or her professional name must use the Application for Name Change.

A foreign education evaluation is one tool the board uses in evaluating the medical education of a physician applicant who attended a medical school located outside the United States. The board will accept evaluations from the Foreign Credentials Service of America (FCSA). The cost of the evaluation is borne by the applicant. Applicants can find the appropriate request form on our website at Supplemental Forms "Form N".

We are legislatively mandated to process all physician licensure applications within an average of 51 days. The processing time clock begins when the applicant has submitted all initial requirements and the application has passed from Pre-Licensure to Licensing. A licensing analyst is then assigned to process the application. Individual application processing time will vary according to the complexity of the application. Factors that increase complexity are "yes" answers to any of the Professionalism questions on the application, or graduation from a medical school not listed on the Substantial Equivalence list. Once the licensing analyst determines the application is complete, the applicant is scheduled for licensure. Currently staff issues licenses twice a month.

Applications are completed on-line.

Applicants who fall into one of the following categories may be eligible for expedited handling:

1. Physician applicants who agree to practice in a medically underserved area, a health professional shortage area, or a rural area;
2. Physician applicants qualifying under HB1504, who have been fully licensed and actively practicing in another state for at least 5 years, with no disciplinary history or open investigations;
3. Physician applicants who are in active military service, whose spouse is in active military service, or who are military veterans. (These individuals may also qualify for an application fee waiver)

Three, however, applicants who held a Texas Physician in Training permit on 9/1/05, or who have been licensed in good standing in another state for at least 5 years, and who have no restrictions, orders, or probation on any other state medical licenses, are eligible for exceptions to the three attempt exam limit.  Please see the eligibility checklist for details regarding exceptions.

Yes. All physician applicants are required to submit their fingerprints for a criminal background check.

Fees are typically required from other institutions that provide documents or services - such as the FSMB for the FCVS packet, or exam transcripts; the NPDB/HIPD for their reports, FCSA for a foreign education evaluation; the jurisprudence exam which is administered by PearsonVue; and the criminal history background check. Finally, the application fee does not cover any part of your initial registration.

The Board assigns the first registration period. These vary in length from 12 to 24 months. First time registration fees are prorated accordingly:

Initial Registration Fee prorated amounts, as of 9/1/2023:

Initial registration of 12 months - $283.48
Initial registration of 24 months - $469.48

The Federation Credentials Verification Service (FCVS) is a service created by the Federation of State Medical Boards to streamline the credentialing and licensing process. FCVS is not a requirement for Texas licensure and is in no way a guarantee of licensure or of an expedited application process in Texas. FCVS will be of the greatest benefit to an applicant who is applying from a school that will not issue multiple sets of documents or will be applying to several other states in addition to Texas. The Federation of State Medical Boards collects information regarding an applicant's identity, medical education, postgraduate training, licensure examination history, ECFMG certification, and board action history. This information is verified by the FCVS and maintained as a primary source record of a physician's credentials. FCVS will send a standard portfolio to state boards, hospitals, managed care plans, or professional societies at the applicant's request. Please note that the Texas Medical Board may require additional documentation in place of or in addition to the documentation provided within the FCVS packet. Please contact the Federation of State Medical Boards directly concerning service fees and processing times.