CRIMINAL HISTORY BACKGROUND CHECKS:

• The fingerprint background check will be required prior to the completion of your 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.  Please note that if you were issued a license through the IMLCC, you will need to be printed for the TMB at your first renewal.  We are not able to access fingerprint results that were submitted to another state. IMLCC Renewal Information

• Applicants or licensees who were fingerprinted prior to 1/15/2018 are not part of the current FBI civil rap back system. At this time, the only way to ensure that individuals who were printed prior to this date have a full criminal history background check, is to submit fingerprints for evaluation. 

REQUIRED FINGERPRINTS DURING RENEWAL PERIOD:

Fingerprint results will not be REQUIRED until your renewal. 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.

SUBMITTING FINGERPRINTS BEFORE RENEWAL PERIOD:

If you wish to submit your fingerprints early, please contact us at Registrations@tmb.state.tx.us and request instructions for your fingerprint submission. You can complete the fingerprint requirement at any point prior to your license expiration date.

*Please note that completing your fingerprints prior to your renewal period will NOT enable you to renew your license early. Your registration window will only open within 60-90 days of your expiration date.

 REMINDER: 

Additional fingerprint results are not required for subsequent renewals or if you were fingerprinted for your Physician licensure application after 1/15/2018.  

• Please note that the criminal history results can take a few weeks for processing. Detailed Instructions for getting your fingerprints done will be provided in your email renewal reminder, or upon request.

• Email renewal reminders are sent 60-90 days before the expiration date, from no.reply@tmb.state.tx.us. We recommend that you add this email address to your contacts list so they will not be lost.  Please check your junk and spam mail for these notices if you are not receiving them.  If you have any questions about the fingerprint requirements or the renewal process, please contact us at Registrations@tmb.state.tx.us.

• As results can take weeks to receive, we encourage you to begin this process as soon as possible.

• Please note that the fingerprint background check results will be required before you can access the online registration. 

• 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 contact us at Registrations@tmb.state.tx.us and request your 6 digit ID number and instructions for your fingerprint submission.

• 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.

Several types of licensees are required to submit their fingerprints for state and national criminal history background checks prior to renewal, per statutory requirements.

Fingerprinting services are provided through IdentoGo by IDEMIA (formerly known as MorphoTrust USA, LLC) for a fee (see the Fingerprinting FAQs below for the current fees), payable directly to IdentoGo. Results of the fingerprinting will be sent directly to TMB from both the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Records and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Please be advised that taking a photo is part of the fingerprinting process and a requirement.  The Department of Public Safety has requested that IdentoGo maintain a 6’ distance when possible and prior to starting the appointment and that they inform the applicant it will be necessary to remove their mask for a photo.  If you choose not to remove your mask, the appointment may not proceed and you will be asked to reschedule your appointment for a later date.

Please note – Specific instructions for fingerprinting will be provided as part of your email renewal reminder notice.

If you have any questions, please contact the Registration Department at Registrations@tmb.state.tx.us .

Fingerprinting FAQs

Once the Board has issued you an official license number, you will have 90 days to register and activate your license. Failure to register will result in penalty fees, and after one year, license cancellation.

Please note: If you have not registered your license within 90 days of your license issue date, a $75 penalty fee will be assessed.  If you have not registered your license within 120 days of your license issue date, the penalty fee will increase to $150.  If you do not register within 12 months of the date of issuance of your license, your license will be considered canceled.

The Board assigns the first registration period. These initial permits will be either 12 or 24 months in length. First time registration fees are prorated accordingly. Subsequent registrations will be two years in length and will be due on the same day each time. Even number licenses expire in even number years and odd number licenses expire in odd number years.

Initial Registration Fee as of 9/1/2023

The initial registration fee includes an $80 Senate Bill 104 (2003) fee per registration,  the $13.48 Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) fee, and a $5 Office of Patient Protection fee for the first year, with an additional $1 charged for any subsequent year. These fees are required by statute and cannot be pro-rated. The remaining amount is required by the TMB and prorated for each permit length.

These fees are explained in more detail in the chart below.

As of 9/1/2023, the biennial registration fee includes an $80 Senate Bill 104 (2003) fee, the $13.48 Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) fee, $11.00 for the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB), $5.25 for the Physician Health Program (PHP), and a $2 Office of Patient Protection fee. These fees are required by statute. The remaining $370 is the fee required by the TMB.

These fees are explained in more detail in the chart below.

*Fees are not refundable.

Physician licenses expire at one of 4 times during the year, February 28th, May 31st, August 31st, or November 30th. These registration periods are assigned by the TMB at the time of licensure, and the fees are pro-rated appropriately for the initial registration. Even number licenses expire in even number years and odd number licenses expire in odd number years.

After the initial registration, we are not able to offer the option of a shorter or annual registration. In addition, there are no registration fee exemptions for physicians who are in training, or in military service.

Physicians can register online 60 days prior to expiration. Registration reminders will be sent out on postcards.

Online registration:

No financial information is seen, processed, or stored by the Texas Medical Board.

The payment portion of the online registration system is handled by Texas.gov, the official website of Texas.  The price of this service includes funds that support the ongoing operations and enhancements of Texas.gov, which is provided by a third party in partnership with the State. Texas.gov will remit the amount paid to the Texas Medical Board on your behalf.

Please note that as of 9/1/2015 Texas.gov will charge a different amount depending on the type of online payment service used.

Ex:     $481.73 – TMB Registration fee due
          $492.83 – Total amount charged on Credit Card

Ex:     $481.73 – TMB Registration fee due
          $481.73 – Total amount charged through electronic check

Non-online (paper) registration:

An additional processing fee of $50 will be charged to those licensees who choose to register through a paper form, when an online option is available. If an online option is not available (ex: license is delinquent or suspended at the time of registration) the additional processing fee will not be required.

To request a hard copy registration form, please contact the Registration Department at registrations@tmb.state.tx.us or (512) 305-7030.

Delinquency fees

Initial Registration - If you have not registered your license within 90 days of your license issue date, a $75 penalty fee will be assessed.  If you have not registered your license within 120 days of your license issue date, the penalty fee will increase to $150.  If you do not register within 12 months of the date of issuance of your license, your license will be considered canceled.

Subsequent Registrations - There is a 30 day grace period for the expiration date of a physician license. Once the 30 day grace period past the expiration date has occurred, penalty fee of $75 will be added.  After 90 days, the penalty fee will increase to $150. If a license has been expired for one year or longer it is automatically cancelled

Please note that the Board does not have a “zero balance receipt” that shows that a licensee has a zero balance or that licensee registration has been paid in full, nor can we provide an individualized billing statement of the amount due to complete license registration/renewal. 

Online Registration:

Please remember that the payment portion of the online registration system is handled by Texas.gov, the official website of Texas.  A printable receipt will be provided at the end of the online registration process. In addition, a confirmation of payment receipt will be emailed to the address given as part of the Texas.gov payment process.

Additional copies of the receipt will be provided by request only. Submit your request to Registrations@tmb.state.tx.us . Please include your full name, license number, date of payment, and amount paid.

Non-online (paper) registration:

A receipt will be provided by request only. Submit your request to Registrations@tmb.state.tx.us . Please include your full name, license number, date of payment, and amount paid.

NEW - TMB Transitions to electronic licenses

The Texas Medical Board is transitioning to electronic licenses for a more paperless experience and to allow for enhanced licensee control.   As of September 1, 2019 the Board will no longer issue paper licenses after a completed registration/renewal for the following license types:

• Physician (including telemedicine, administrative, conceded eminence and public health)
• Physician Assistant
• Acupuncturist
• Acudetox
• General Medical Radiologic Technologist
• Limited Medical Radiologic Technologist
• Non-Certified Radiologic Technician
• Respiratory Care Practitioner
• Medical Physicist
• Perfusionist

What does this mean for licensees renewing their licenses on or after September 1, 2019?

Once your registration/renewal is complete, please allow 2 business days for processing.  After that time, you will be able to log into your MyTMB account and view, save or print a copy of your active license.  In addition, after September 1, 2019, you will be able to use the same system to view, save or print a copy of your active license as needed.

Please note that primary source verification regarding licensure status is always available to anyone, including licensees’ employers, via the TMB website through Look up a License.