This outlines the appropriate requirements for obtaining a license using FCVS. The Board reserves the right to make whatever additional demands on the applicant for licensure the Board deems appropriate at the time. Below is a summary of what is listed in the rules of Chapter 32 of the North Carolina Administrative Code.

Submit all materials to:
North Carolina Medical Board, PO Box 20007, Raleigh, NC 27619 (919.326.1100), or
North Carolina Medical Board, 1203 Front Street, Raleigh, NC 27609 (Use this address for express/overnight deliveries)
Please do not submit photocopies or facsimilies unless specifically permitted.

1. Request your FCVS profile be forwarded to the NC Medical Board

2. Complete the online application. The online application will need to be completed and payment will need to be submitted by Visa/Mastercard within 30 days to avoid having your application deleted.  During the online application, you will be required to provide your chronological history from highschool to the present.  If you have problems downloading any forms while completing the online application, you may print them by clicking on download form in the list to the right.

3. Applicants must submit two completed fingerprint cards for the purpose of conducting a criminal background check. When possible, have different officials complete each card. It is recommended you have your local law enforcement office complete the fingerprinting. An application is not considered complete until results of the background check have been received. Expect a minimum of eight weeks for the report to be received. Since rejections are common, the SBI has suggested that applicants use lotion or witch hazel on their hands before being fingerprinted. Fingerprint cards are submitted for processing twice a week. The SBI has suggested that using live scan when available may be a more reliable choice. When using live scan, prints must be printed on fingerprint cards and be submitted to the NC Medical Board. They cannot be submitted electronically. See detailed instructions for completing cards. E-mail fpc@ncmedboard.org to request a set of fingerprint cards. A set contains two fingerprint cards.

4. Examination scores will be provided by FCVS. The following examinations are accepted by the Board.

• Federation Licensing Examination (FLEX)
• United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE): The Board shall not issue a license to practice medicine to any applicant who has failed to receive a passing score of any Step, or component thereof, of the USMLE within three (3) attempts. However, the Board shall waive this requirement if the applicant has been certified or recertified by an ABMS, CCFP, FRCP, FRCS or AOA approved specialty board within the past 10 years.
• National Board of Medical Examination (NBME)
• National Board of Osteopathic Medicine Examination (NBOME):
• Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX)
The Board shall not issue a license to practice medicine to any applicant who has failed to receive a passing score of any Step, or component thereof, of the COMLEX within three (3) attempts. However, the Board shall waive this requirement if the applicant has been certified or recertified by an ABMS, CCFP, FRCP, FRCS or AOA approved specialty board within the past 10 years.
• Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC)
• State Board Written Examination contact the state board in which you took the exam to request scores to be sent directly to our office. The North Carolina Medical Board does not accept the Puerto Rico state board written examination.

5. You must secure a report from each state, US territory, or Canadian province regarding status of licensure. All licenses, active and/or inactive, must be verified. Training licenses do not need to be verified. Most licensing agencies charge a fee for this service. The verification should be forwarded directly to the NC Medical Board from the verifying state. The NC Medical Board accepts license verifications through the VeriDoc service.

• If you have ever been licensed in Connecticut, you must download the release form and send with the NCMB’s license verification form to the Connecticut Department of Health. If you have never been licensed in Connecticut, disregard the form.

6. Two recommendations must be from physicians using the Physician Reference Forms. Recommendations cannot be from a relative. These forms must be sent from the reference source directly to the NC Medical Board. 

7. ECFMG: Graduates of International Medical Schools must have a current ECFMG. Verification of your ECFMG profile is provided in your FCVS profile.
Fifth Pathway: Graduates of a fifth pathway program who took a licensing examination other than the USMLE will need to contact contact ECFMG and have your examination history chart forwarded directly to the NC Medical Board.

8. Postgraduate Training verification will be provided in your FCVS profile.

**If you have left a training program prior to completion, please provide a detailed explanation regarding the circumstances of your departure.**

• U.S. graduates are required to have one year postgraduate training in a training program approved by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA).
• Foreign Medical Graduates are required to have three years postgraduate training in training programs approved by the ACGME or AOA.
• Foreign Medical Graduates who have less than three years ACGME or AOA postgraduate training may satisfy the postgraduate training requirement with at least one year of ACGME or AOA approved training in combination with certification by a specialty board recognized by the ABMS or AOA Specialty Boards.

9. If certified or recertified by an American Medical Specialty Board or American Osteopathic Board, send a photocopy of your certificate with your application.

10. You must submit proof of the following qualifications within the past 10 years:

• USMLE examination
MCCQE examination.
• National Osteopathic Board of Medical Examiners Examination or COMLEX.
• SPEX examination with a score of at least 75
• COMVEX examination — Osteopathic examination equivalent to SPEX.
• Certification or recertification of CAQ by a specialty board recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), American Osteopathic Association (AOA), Certificant of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CCFP), Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada (FRCP) and Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada (FRCS).
• Completion of graduate medical education approved by ACGME, AOA, CFPC or RCPSC.

If you have not met one of the seven qualifications above, you must submit CME documentation of 150 hours of practice relevant CME obtained in the past three (3) years.  At least 60 hours shall be in the educational provider-initiated category.  The remaining hours, if any, shall be in the physician-initiated category.  You will need to submit certificates of completion for all CME hours obtained for Category 1.  The NCMB CME log can be used for documenting CME hours for Category 2.

11.  The NC Medical Board staff will request the following documentation on behalf of the applicant.  If staff is unable to obtain this information, the applicant’s online status will be updated to reflect this and the applicant will be expected to have this information forwarded to the NC Medical Board.

AMA physician profile.
AOA physician profile (if applicable).
NPDB/HIPDB report.

If a physician has been away from clinical practice two years or longer, they may be required to develop a reentry plan as part of the license application. It is the responsibility of the applicant to be prepared to present a program of re-training or supervision that will establish proof of competency in their chosen area of medicine. Applicants in this category will be required to appear for a license interview.

RENEWAL - North Carolina law requires licensed physicians to renew with the Board within 30 days of their birth date, every year, no matter when the license is issued. A renewal fee is required.