A Provisional License is a limited license available only to applicants for a full medical license and allows the applicant to practice for a maximum of 270 days in a medically underserved or health professionals shortage area.  The provisional license, by law, cannot be extended.

Before You Apply

Individuals considering applying for a provisional license must first submit their application for a full medical license and pay the required fees by check or money order.  For more information on applying for a Texas Medical License, use the link to the left.

Individuals should not delay work on their physician licensure application while applying for or practicing under a provisional license.  If the physician licensure application has not been completed before the provisional license expires, the physician will have to stop practicing until it is complete.  A physician licensure application will not be processed until all supplemental information is received.  Although the TMB is legislatively mandated to process all physician licensure applications in an average of 51 days, individual application processing time will vary based on the complexity of the application. The processing time clock begins when the applicant has submitted all the supplemental information. 

Eligibility

To qualify, an applicant:

• Must have filed an application for physician licensure in Texas;
  
  
• Must be licensed in good standing as a physician in another state (Training licenses not accepted);
  
  
• Must have passed an examination recognized by the board within the number of attempts allowed*;
  
  
• Must have submitted information to enable the board to conduct a criminal background check, including fingerprints;
  
  
• May not have an unacceptable criminal history;
  
  
• Must be sponsored by a Texas licensed physician with whom the provisional license holder may practice; or been granted a waiver of this requirement due to hardship;
  
  
• Cannot have had a medical license suspended or revoked by another state or a Canadian province;
  
  
• Cannot hold a medical license issued by another state or a Canadian province that is subject to a restriction, disciplinary order, or probationary order; and,
  
  
• Must practice in a HPSA or an MUA.

*To determine if this requirement is met, review the Exam Attempts information using the link to the left.  

Apply

To apply use the link to the left to download Form G – Provisional License Application and Sponsorship Form.

Confirm that your practice area qualifies as a MUA or HPSA. To find out if your intended practice area qualifies, email the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) a request to research the address at TexasPCO@dshs.state.tx.us.  If your practice area qualifies, DSHS will email verification to you and TMB.   When confirmation of all the requirements listed above is received and evaluated by TMB, your provisional license will be issued. 

If you have not already submitted fingerprints for a criminal background check, use the link to the left for the forms to complete that process.

Fees

The provisional license fee is $107.