Midwives

All licensees/registrants are required to professionally use the name they are licensed/registered with the Medical Board of California (Board). Using any other name may confuse or mislead the public and may be considered, by the Board, unprofessional conduct.

Any licensee/registrant who wishes to change the professional name under which they practice must complete and submit a Notification of Name Change form to the Board along with required supporting legal documentation.

California law requires each licensee/registrant to report name changes to the Board within 30 days of the name change.

Note: You cannot practice under your middle name when your license is issued with your first, middle, and last name.

No fee is required to process a name change; however, there is a fee to request a duplicate wall certificate with the new name. A new wallet license may be generated by utilizing the Wallet License Generator; there is no fee for this service.

Note: If a licensee/registrant also holds a professional license/registration issued by any of the California Boards and Bureaus listed below, you only need to submit one Notification of Name Change Form to any of the Boards or Bureaus listed. One form will create a name change at each of the Boards and Bureaus listed in which you hold a license/registration.

• Board of Podiatric Medicine
• Board of Registered Nursing
• California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology
• California Board of Behavioral Science
• California Board of Psychology
• Naturopathic Medicine Committee
• Osteopathic Medical Board of California
• Physician Assistant Board
• Respiratory Care Board
• Dental Board of California
• Dental Hygiene Board of California
• Veterinary Medical Board
• Physical Therapy Board
• Board of Optometry
• Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians
• Board of Occupational Therapy
• Bureau of Security and Investigative Services

If you hold a license/registration with any other California Board or Bureau not listed above, you will need to submit a separate name change form directly to that Board or Bureau.

A wall certificate reflecting the name change will NOT automatically be issued. If you desire a duplicate wall certificate with your new name, you must complete an Application for Duplicate Certificate and submit the appropriate fees. A new wallet license may be generated by utilizing the Wallet License Generator; there is no fee for this service.

At your next renewal, your renewal notice will automatically print with your new name.

Required Documentation:

A current government-issued photographic identification card (e.g., driver license, alien registration, passport, etc.) AND one of the following legal documents as proof of name change:

• Certified Court Order;
• Marriage Certificate, or
• Dissolution of Marriage (Divorce)

Original documents are not required, photocopies will be accepted. If original documents are mailed, they will be returned by certified mail.

Name and Gender Change Notification and Request for Confidentiality (SB 372, 2023)

Effective January 1, 2024, under Business and Professions Code section 27.5, licensees may notify the licensing board or bureau within the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) of a name and/or gender change and request confidentiality of the previous name or gender information, when meeting certain specified requirements. For more information and to make a request, click here.

California law requires all licensees/registrants to report each and every change of address/email within 30 days after each change.

You may submit a change of address/email through the Breeze system.

If the new address is a post office box, the licensee/registrant is required by law to provide the Board with a separate street address which will be kept confidential and not publicly disclosed. The street address of a private mailbox service may not be used as a confidential street address. Even if a licensee/registrant provides a street address as their address of record, they may provide a second street address that will remain confidential.

Note: California law requires the Board to provide, upon written or verbal request, the address of record of any licensee or registrant. The address of record will be released to any individual or entity who inquires and is also available to the public on the Board's website. Each licensee/registrant should carefully consider the address of record provided to the Board, and may wish to use an office, employer's address, or a post office box as the address of record.

The Board uses the address of record to mail all licenses, renewal notices, and all other official correspondence, therefore, the licensee/registrant is responsible for all communications sent to their address of record.

Business and Professions Code 2021

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• Frequently Asked Questions - Change of Address / Address of Record / Email Address

Any licensee/registrant can request a duplicate wall certificate to replace one that has been lost, stolen, destroyed, or where there has been a name change.

If the request is for a name change, or the wall certificate has been destroyed, the original wall certificate issued must be surrendered to the Board.

The fees for a duplicate wall certificate are as follows:

Physician & Surgeon	$50
Midwife	$25
Research Psychoanalyst or Research Psychoanalyst Student	$25

Please allow 4-6 weeks for receipt of the new wall certificate.

 Download Application for Duplicate Wall Certificate

Any licensee/registrant with a Current license status may generate a Wallet License at their convenience by accessing the Wallet License Generator.

The Wallet License includes a License Specific QR Code that allows interested parties to instantly view the DCA Search License Profile page with real-time license status information from any QR Code capable device and is generated as an electronic PDF file that can be sent to others as needed.

There is no fee for this service.

Certification letters provide written verification of licensure to any requesting party with the exception of other state licensing agencies. If a letter is being requested for the purpose of licensure in another state please see the following:

• Frequently Asked Questions - License Verification (formerly known as Letters of Good Standing)

Each certification letter includes the license number, license issue and expiration date, and current license status.

To request a certification letter, submit a written request, including the name and license number of the licensee to be certified, along with a check for $10 payable to the Medical Board of California. Mail the request to:

Medical Board of California
2005 Evergreen Street, Suite 1200
Sacramento, CA 95815

Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for processing.

License/Registration Verifications are letters sent to other state and/or country medical boards to verify the status of a license/registration. These letters are required by other boards to assist them in determining if there is any reason to prohibit or delay licensure by alerting boards of past or pending disciplinary action.

Please note the process takes approximately 4 to 6 weeks from receipt of the required information and fee:

1. Written communication requesting the Medical Board of California produce a license verification letter(s);
2. Contact information (phone number, email address) of the individual requesting the license verification letter(s);
3. Complete name and California license/registration number of each individual for whom the license verification letter is being requested;
4. Complete name and address of the other state and/or country licensing board(s) where each letter will be sent via U.S. Mail; and
5. A check made out to the Medical Board of California for each license verification letter requested at the rate of $10.00 per license verification letter. Currently, no credit card payments are accepted for this service.

The required information and fee listed above must be sent to:

Licensing Program

Medical Board of California
2005 Evergreen Street, Suite 1200
Sacramento, CA 95815

Contact the Board's Consumer Information Unit with questions at:

• Toll-Free: 800-633-2322
• Phone: 916-263-2382

A midwife who wishes to retain a license while not actively practicing midwifery in the State of California may apply for an inactive license.

A midwife requesting inactive status need not comply with Continuing Education (CE) requirements.

A midwife who holds an inactive license may not practice midwifery in California.

Inactivating a license does not change the expiration date, and the renewal fee is the same as the fee for an active license. There are no fee exemptions or reductions available for an inactive license.

To restore an inactive license to active status, the midwife must complete the required CE for a single renewal period and submit the "Midwife Application to Restore License to Full, Active Status from Inactive or Retired Status".

You must document completion of 36 hours of continuing education (CE) within the past two years. The documentation of these hours must be submitted with the application. Acceptable documents are letters or certificates of attendance that show completion of CE courses, with the name of the provider, the name and date of the course, the number of approved CE hours completed, and your name as the participant. If you do not have the documentation, you must contact the provider of the CE courses you have participated in and request verification.

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• Midwife Application for Inactive License
• Midwife Application to Restore License to Full, Active Status from Inactive or Retired Status

A licensee who applies for a retired license will be exempt from payment of the renewal fees and the continuing education (CE) requirements.

The holder of a retired license may not engage in the practice of midwifery.

To receive a fee exemption, a licensee must apply for the status change before the expiration date of the license. If the license is current, no fee is required.

If the license is in a delinquent status, a payment of all accrued renewal and delinquent fees must be submitted with the application.

To return to active status, the retired midwife must first complete the "Midwife Application to Restore License to Full, Active Status from Inactive or Retired Status", and pay the full renewal fee. The midwife must also document completion of 36 hours of continuing education (CE) within the past two years. The documentation of these hours must be submitted with the application. Acceptable documents are letters or certificates of attendance that show completion of CE courses, with the name of the provider, the name and date of the course, the number of approved CE hours completed, and your name as the participant. If you do not have the documentation, you must contact the provider of the CE courses you have participated in and request verification.

Please note all licenses expire at midnight on the last day of the birth month of the licensee during the second year of a two-year term. A midwife who chooses to restore a license to active status in the middle of a renewal cycle (depending upon date of birth), may have a renewal period of fewer than 24 months. There are no provisions in California law for prorating licensing fees.

For further information, please contact the Consumer Information Unit at (800) 633-2322 or (916) 263-2382.

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• Retired Midwife Application for Exemption from Payment of Renewal Fee - No Practice Allowed
• Midwife Application to Restore License to Full, Active Status from Inactive or Retired Status

When informing the Medical Board of the death of a midwife, you must provide a copy of the Certificate of Death or a notarized statement attesting to the midwife's death. When possible, please include the midwife's license number.