Previously Licensed in California
If you previously held a California Physician’s and Surgeon’s (P&S) License, which expired five or more years ago or voluntarily cancelled your license, regardless of when it was cancelled, you must reapply for licensure. You must meet all of the licensing requirements pursuant to Business and Professions Code (BPC) section 2428.
Upon receipt of your application and required fees, the Board will retrieve your previous licensing record, if available, and determine if you need to submit additional documents to verify compliance with the current requirements. In the event the Board’s records do not contain all required documents, the Board may request that you submit additional documents. For more information on what is required to requalify for licensure, see BPC section 2428.
Expedited and Priority Review
The Board may give your application for a P&S License priority or expedited review if you:
- Have served as an active-duty member of the United States Armed Forces and were honorably discharged;
- Have received and accepted an offer of employment to work in an area of California formally designated as an underserved area or underserved population;
- Are going to provide abortions within the scope of practice of your medical license;
- Are a spouse of, domestic partner of, or in other legal union with, an active-duty member of the United States Armed Forces who is assigned to a duty station in California under official active-duty military orders; or
- Were admitted to the United States as a refugee, granted asylum, or have a Special Immigrant Visa Status.
You must submit the required documentation with your application to receive priority review. Please review required supporting documents on the Priority Review and Expedited Application Process.
How to Apply for a Physician’s and Surgeon’s License
To allow sufficient time for processing and remediating deficiencies, the Board strongly encourages you to submit your Application for a Physician’s and Surgeon’s License six months in advance.
Wallet Card and Wall Certificate: Once your P&S License is issued, you may generate and immediately print your own wallet license using the Board's Wallet License Generator. The Board will mail your wall certificate to your address of record within two to four weeks.