The New York State Education Department (“SED”) Office of the Professions (“OP”) is alerting everyone to a vishing scam that has been brought to our attention. Phishing—or “vishing”—scams impersonate SED employees or websites attempting to collect licensure and personal information from the licensee. If you receive an inquiry which you believe to be suspicious do not provide any information. To verify if the inquiry was from OP, contact OP directly using the following contact information. You may report any suspicious communication received to the Federal Trade Commission.
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Any use of the title "Physician" or practice of medicine within New York State requires licensure. (However, under specified limitations defined in Section 6526 of New York State Education Law, you may be exempt from licensure.)
To be licensed as a physician in New York State you must:
You must file an application for licensure and the other forms indicated, along with the appropriate fee, to the Office of the Professions at the address specified on each form. It is your responsibility to follow up with anyone you have asked to send us material.
The specific requirements for licensure are contained in Title 8, Article 131, Section 6524 of New York's Education Law and Part 60 of the Commissioner's Regulations.
You should also read the general licensing information applicable for all professions.
The fee for licensure is $735.
The fee for a limited permit is $105 (the limited permit fee is not refundable).
Fees are subject to change. The fee due is the one in law when your application is received (unless fees are increased retroactively). You will be billed for the difference if fees have been increased.
Please Note: Payment submitted from outside the United States should be made by check or draft on a United States bank and in United States currency; payments submitted in any other form will not be accepted and will be returned.
Individuals who withdraw their licensure application may be entitled to a partial refund.
If you withdraw your application, obtain a refund, and then decide to seek New York State licensure at a later date, you will be considered a new applicant, and you will be required to pay the licensure and registration fees and meet the licensure requirements in place at the time you reapply.
ECFMG certification is currently required for graduates of non-LCME or non-AOA accredited programs. Please note that starting in 2024, in accordance with ECFMG policy, ECFMG will begin a new “Recognized Accreditation Policy.” For more information, please see the ECFMG website: www.ecfmg.org/accreditation/.
To satisfy the education requirements for licensure as a physician, you must present evidence of both A and B below.
Your professional education must include supervised clinical clerkships (clinical rotations) as an integral part of the clinical component of your medical education program, that take place in a general hospital or another acceptable health care facility. Clinical clerkships must be performed in accordance with the laws and regulations of the jurisdiction in which they take place.
If you graduated from a non-LCME-accredited medical school located in one country but completed one or more clinical clerkships in a different country, those clerkships must be certified (Form 2CC). This information is not collected by the Federation Credentials Verification Service (FCVS). For each hospital in which you have completed such a clerkship, the Director of Medical Education or Department Chair must certify your completion of the clerkships.
The following schools have been approved by the New York State Education Department to allow students to complete more than 12 weeks of clinical clerkships in New York State. Form 2CC is not needed for those graduates who completed all clerkships after the approval date listed below. Note: Form 2CC is required for any clerkships completed prior to that approval date. The schools are:
In addition to the professional education requirement, every applicant for licensure as a physician or limited permit to practice medicine must complete coursework or training in the identification and reporting of child abuse in accordance with Section 6507(3)(a) of the Education Law. See additional information and a list of approved providers for this training.
Every applicant for licensure as a physician or limited permit to practice medicine must complete approved coursework or training appropriate to the professional's practice in infection control and barrier precautions, including engineering and work practice controls, to prevent the transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the hepatitis B virus (HBV) in the course of professional practice. See additional information and a list of approved providers for this training.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Effective December 1, 2002, all graduates of medical education programs that are not LCME, AOA or CACMS accredited or registered by New York State will be required to use the Federation Credentials Verification Service (FCVS).
To ensure authenticity of credentials, the New York State Education Department's Office of the Professions requires that your qualifications for licensure be verified independently.
In the profession of Medicine, the New York State Education Department recognizes the Federation Credentials Verification Service (FCVS) as an approved credentials verification organization.
The Federation Credentials Verification Services (FCVS) is operated by the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States, Inc. , a national nonprofit organization that provides services for state medical and osteopathic licensing authorities in the U.S., Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Its primary purpose is to provide a centralized, uniform process for state licensing authorities - as well as private, governmental and commercial entities - to obtain a verified, primary source record of a physician's "core" credentials.
By using FCVS to verify your credentials, you will establish a permanent repository of primary source-verified documents. Once your file is established, these documents will be available for your use at any time. The documents that FCVS verifies and stores for you fall into the following categories:
Based on the verification of the above, a concise, non-interpretive "Physician Information Profile" (Profile) is compiled and forwarded to the entity of your choice. Based upon your request, FCVS will forward your Profile to state licensing authorities, hospitals, employers and professional memberships. Once New York State receives your Profile, we will evaluate your education for compliance with New York licensure requirements.
You pay FCVS a fee for gathering and forwarding your initial Profile, and only a processing fee for forwarding additional Profiles (called "Subsequent Requests"). Average processing time to collect and forward your initial Profile is approximately 8 weeks (graduates from medical schools outside the U.S. generally take 2-3 weeks longer). Once your permanent file is established, Subsequent Requests are typically forwarded within 2-3 weeks.
The FCVS is designed to benefit physicians in documenting their qualifications for a career in medicine. The New York State Education Department encourages physicians to use the services of FCVS. Effective December 1, 2002 FCVS is required for certain medical school graduates (explained above).
Most physicians will benefit greatly throughout their career by having their credentials permanently stored and easily accessible. The direct verification procedures meet New York's standards and provide for transmission of credentials to other states for licensure purposes in future years. However, FCVS services may not serve the needs of all applicants. If you are not required to use FCVS and you are applying for a limited permit, we suggest you contact FCVS before deciding to use its services. With these two groups, establishing a Profile with FCVS may not meet short-term needs but may still be a long-term option for your impending career in medicine. Therefore, applicants who are not required to use FCVS should discuss with FCVS the appropriateness of using its services based upon their individual situation.
In addition, in certain circumstances where direct verification of credentials cannot be accomplished, despite diligent efforts by FCVS, it will be necessary for the applicant to work with the New York State Education Department's Office of the Professions to obtain satisfactory independent verification of education.
The Office of the Professions accepts Physician Information Profiles compiled by FCVS. Contact FCVS at 888-ASK-FCVS (or outside the U.S. at 1-817- 868-5000) for additional information regarding the service and its fees. If you choose to use FCVS, you must still apply for licensure in New York State by submitting the Application for Licensure (Form 1), licensure fee of $735, and certain other documentation.
If your credentials are already on file with FCVS, contact FCVS directly at the above number to have them forwarded to the New York State Education Department.