Virginia licenses MDs and DOs through a single board: the Virginia Board of Medicine, housed under the Department of Health Professions (DHP). DHP runs a unified online licensing system at license.dhp.virginia.gov that handles every health profession in the state, so the application flow looks the same whether you are an MD, DO, podiatrist, or chiropractor — but the medicine-specific requirements still apply. Virginia is a fully participating Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC) state, including SPL eligibility, so an IMLC pathway is available if Virginia is your second or later state.
Virginia Medical License Requirements
Degree from an LCME-accredited (MD) or AOA-accredited (DO) medical school. International medical graduates must provide ECFMG certification and graduation from a school listed in the WHO World Directory or IMED.
Postgraduate training: at least 12 months (1 year) of ACGME, RCPSC, or AOA-approved postgraduate training. International medical graduates may require additional training depending on pathway.
Pass USMLE, COMLEX-USA, or a Board-approved equivalent (FLEX, NBME, LMCC). All steps must meet the Board's currency and attempt rules.
Initial applications are accepted exclusively through the DHP online licensing system at license.dhp.virginia.gov — paper applications are not accepted for initial license.
Endorsement pathway available for physicians with at least 5 years of unrestricted licensure and 5 years of active practice (avg. 20 hours/week or 640 hours/year) in another US or Canadian jurisdiction.
FCVS (Federation Credentials Verification Service) credentialing accepted.
Background check, NPDB report (for endorsement applicants), and disclosure of any malpractice, discipline, or criminal history.
DEA-registered practitioners must complete the federal one-time 8-hour MATE Act training on substance use disorders.
How Much Does an Virginia Medical License Cost?
| Fee | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Application Fee (MD/DO) | $302 | Per 18VAC85-20-22; nonrefundable |
| Endorsement Application Fee (MD/DO/DPM) | $302 | Same fee as initial — applied for licensees with 5+ years of practice elsewhere |
| Biennial Renewal | $337 | Due in licensee's birth month in even-numbered years |
| Late Renewal Penalty | $115 | Added if renewing within 1 year past expiration; reinstatement required after that |
Fees above are paid to Virginia and the FSMB. Our service fee is separate — see pricing.
We handle the Virginia application end-to-end.
Eligibility screening, document prep, board follow-ups, and tracking — so you don't lose a Board meeting cycle to a missing form.
View full pricingHow Long Does It Take to Get an Virginia Medical License?
Typical Processing
6-12 weeks from a complete application to license issuance — board target is 30 business days for complete files
Recommended Lead Time
Submit at least 3-4 months before intended start of practice
The Board targets 30 business days (6 weeks) to process applications that are complete and fully documented from receipt of fee. Most applicants land in the 8-12 week window because primary-source verifications drive the back half of the timeline. IMLC-pathway applicants typically see issuance in 4-6 weeks if SPL documentation is in order.
Where Virginia Applications Get Delayed
Initial applications must be submitted online through the DHP unified licensing portal (license.dhp.virginia.gov). Paper applications are not accepted for initial license — applicants who try to use a printed form lose weeks.
Endorsement requires 5 years of unrestricted licensure AND 5 years of active practice (averaging 20 hours/week) immediately preceding application. Physicians with less than 5 years post-training cannot use endorsement and must apply as initial.
CME of 60 hours per biennial cycle is more than many states; at least 30 hours must be Category 1 and 2 of those must be controlled substance prescribing / pain management / addiction.
The DHP online portal is shared across every health profession in Virginia — selecting the wrong profession in the application wizard creates a record under the wrong board and means restarting.
Renewal is tied to birth month, not calendar year — physicians who don't notice this miss their renewal date. Renewal opens 60 days before expiration.
IMLC pathway is faster than the state-only application but only available if Virginia is not your first state and you have an eligible State of Principal Licensure.
A separate Training License (intern/resident/fellow) is required for postgraduate trainees not yet eligible for full licensure — applying for the wrong license type delays training start.
Renewing Your Virginia Medical License
Renewal Cycle
Biennial; expires last day of licensee's birth month in even-numbered years
Renewal Fee
$337
CME Requirement
60 CME credits per biennial cycle, of which at least 30 hours must be AMA PRA Category 1 Credit. 2 of the Category 1 hours must address controlled substance prescribing, pain management, or addiction diagnosis/treatment. DEA registrants must additionally complete the federal one-time 8-hour MATE Act training.
Late Grace Period
License is renewable for up to 1 year past expiration with a $115 late penalty; after that, reinstatement is required.
How Virginia Issues Medical Licenses: The Unified DHP System
Virginia is unusual in that it administers physician licensing through a unified Department of Health Professions (DHP) system that handles every regulated health profession — MDs, DOs, podiatrists, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, and more — through a single online portal at license.dhp.virginia.gov. The Virginia Board of Medicine is the substantive licensing authority for MDs and DOs, but the application flow you see is the standard DHP wizard. That has two consequences: (1) selecting the wrong profession in the wizard creates a record under the wrong board (a non-trivial fix), and (2) the application is genuinely online-only — paper applications are not accepted for an initial Medicine license.
Where Most Virginia Applications Get Stuck
From our experience with Virginia applications, three things drive most delays:
- Endorsement vs initial confusion. Virginia offers licensure by endorsement only to physicians with at least 5 years of unrestricted licensure in another US/Canadian jurisdiction and 5 years of active practice (averaging 20 hours per week, or 640 hours per year) immediately preceding the application. Physicians with less than 5 years post-training are ineligible for endorsement and must apply as initial — even if they assumed otherwise. Both pathways have a $302 fee.
- Online-only initial applications. Initial Medicine licenses must be filed through the DHP online licensing portal. Applicants who download a paper PDF and mail it in have it returned with no progress on processing. There are limited paper-application exceptions (e.g., applicants without a Social Security number applying for a training license), but full unrestricted licensure is not one of them.
- Primary-source verification timing. The Board targets 30 business days (6 weeks) to process a complete application from fee receipt. The "complete" qualifier matters: medical school transcripts, postgraduate training certifications, USMLE/COMLEX score reports, and any out-of-state license verifications all need to land before the clock starts moving meaningfully. FCVS is accepted and can compress this.
What You'll Pay
The initial application fee for an MD or DO license is $302, set by 18VAC85-20-22, nonrefundable. The endorsement application fee is the same $302. Biennial renewal is $337. A $115 late penalty applies if you renew within one year past expiration; after that, the license must be reinstated rather than renewed. Compared to other east-coast states, Virginia's fee structure is on the lower end.
Realistic Timeline
The Board's published target is 30 business days (about 6 weeks) to process a complete and fully documented application. Most applicants experience 8-12 weeks total because primary-source verifications take time to arrive. Plan to submit at least 3-4 months before your intended start of practice. The IMLC pathway is faster — typically 4-6 weeks if you have an eligible State of Principal Licensure (Virginia is fully SPL-eligible itself).
Renewal and CME
Virginia licenses are biennial, expiring on the last day of your birth month in even-numbered years — not the calendar year, which catches many physicians off guard. CME is 60 credits per biennial cycle, of which at least 30 hours must be AMA PRA Category 1 Credit. Of those Category 1 hours, 2 must address controlled substance prescribing, pain management, or addiction diagnosis and treatment. DEA registrants must additionally complete the federal one-time 8-hour MATE Act training on substance use disorders. There is no CME requirement at first renewal — only at all subsequent renewals.
Single State Versus IMLC
Virginia is a fully participating IMLC state with State of Principal Licensure eligibility. If Virginia is your second or later state and you hold an eligible SPL, the IMLC pathway is typically 4-6 weeks compared to 8-12 weeks for the state-only path. The IMLC application fee through Virginia is $700 (vs $302 for the state-only path), but you pay it once to enable adding additional states quickly. If Virginia is your first state, the standard DHP application is the right path — and it can later become the basis for IMLC SPL.
How White Glove Helps
We confirm initial-vs-endorsement eligibility before any fee is paid (the 5-year practice rule is the most common false assumption), navigate the DHP unified online wizard so your record lands under the Board of Medicine and not another profession, manage FCVS or primary-source verifications, and schedule the application around the 30-business-day Board target. We also track your specific birth-month renewal date so you don't miss the biennial cycle, and for DEA registrants we flag the 8-hour MATE Act training and the 2-hour controlled substance CME requirement.
Virginia Medical License FAQ
How much does a Virginia medical license cost?
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How long does it take to get a Virginia medical license?
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Does Virginia participate in the IMLC?
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What is the difference between initial and endorsement licensure in Virginia?
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What postgraduate training is required for a Virginia medical license?
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What CME is required for Virginia physician renewal?
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Why do most Virginia medical license applications get delayed?
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What Working with Us Costs
Transparent, a la carte service fees. The state and FSMB fees listed above are paid directly to those agencies. Our concierge service is separate.
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