Medical Doctor Applications

There are three primary pathways for physician licensure in West Virginia: (1) the traditional licensure pathway; (2) the Universal Professional and Occupational Licensing Act of 2025 ("UPOLA”) pathway; and (3) the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (“IMLC”) expedited licensure pathway.

Traditional Pathway Licensure. The Board utilizes the Uniform Application for initial applicants applying for licensure directly with the West Virginia Board of Medicine. Additional application components are identified in the West Virginia Board of Medicine's state-specific application instructions. The Uniform Application is one component of the initial application process. Please read all instructions carefully before applying.

Traditional Pathway Application Instructions

Uniform Application

UPOLA Pathway Licensure. To utilize the UPOLA pathway, physicians must either: (1) establish residency in the state of West Virginia; or (2) be married to an active-duty member of the armed forces of the United States and have accompanied the member to an official permanent change of station to a military installation located in West Virginia and meet the statutory requirements for UPOLA licensure, including:

1. The applicant must be currently licensed, registered, or certified in at least one other state in the discipline applied for and at the same practice level as determined by the WVBOM;
2. The applicant’s license, registration, or certification is in good standing in all states in which the applicant holds a license, registration, or certification;
3. The applicant must have successfully completed a graduate medical education program approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education;
4. The applicant is licensed, registered, or certified by another state with minimum education requirements and, if applicable, work experience and clinical supervision requirements in effect, and the other state verifies that the person met those requirements in order to be licensed, registered, or certified in that state;
5. The applicant previously passed any examinations, written or clinical, required for the license, registration, or certification if required by the other state;
6. The applicant has not had a license, registration, or certificate revoked or has not voluntarily surrendered a license, registration, or certificate in any other state or country while under investigation for unprofessional conduct;
7. The applicant has not had any other form of discipline imposed by any other regulating entity: Provided, that if another state’s regulating entity has taken disciplinary action against the applicant, the Board may issue the license, registration, or certificate if it determines the cause of action in the other state was corrected and the matter fully resolved;
8. The applicant pays all applicable fees in this state; and
9. The applicant does not have a disqualifying criminal history.

Physicians who do not meet these criteria are ineligible to use the UPOLA pathway and are invited to apply through the traditional or IMLC pathways

UPOLA Application Eligibility Requirements and Instructions

Uniform Application

IMLC Compact Licensure. West Virginia is a member of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, and issues compact licenses to qualified applicants who receive a Letter of Qualification from another compact member state and apply through the IMLC licensure process.

Apply through the IMLC

Reinstatement of licensure is available through June 30, 2026 to qualified physicians whose West Virginia medical license expired on June 30, 2025. Reinstatement applications must be accompanied by documentation of successful completion of all required Continuing Medical Education for the period of July 1, 2023 through application submission. CME submitted with a reinstatement application may not be utilized to satisfy CME obligations for the July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 CME reporting period.

Traditional Pathway Licensees. Please submit the following application:

Reinstatement Application for Physicians Not Licensed Pursuant to the IMLC (Traditional Pathway Licensees M-Z)

IMLC Compact Licensees. IMLC Licensees may apply to reinstate, or they may opt out of the IMLC process and submit an initial application for a traditional pathway license. Please contact the Board at Carmella.L.Walker@wv.gov for more information regarding re-licensure options.

For IMLC Compact Licensees seeking reinstatement of IMLC licensure, please submit the following application:

Reinstatement Application for Physicians Licensed Pursuant to the IMLC (IMLC Compact Licensees M-Z)

Traditional Pathway Licensees. Physicians who were initially granted a West Virginia license by applying directly with the West Virginia Board of Medicine may apply with the Board to reactivate a license which has been expired for more than one year. The Board utilizes the Uniform Application for reactivation of licensure.

Additional application components for reactivation are identified in the West Virginia Board of Medicine's state-specific application instructions. The Uniform Application is one component of the reactivation process. Please read all instructions carefully before applying.

Application Instructions

Uniform Application

IMLC Compact Licensees. Physicians who obtained West Virginia Licensure through the IMLC licensure process and whose West Virginia medical licenses expired prior to June 30, 2023 may apply anew through the IMLC process or directly with the Board. Please contact the Board at Sara.J.Fields@wv.gov for more information regarding re-licensure options.

Traditional Pathway Licensees. An inactive status license permits a physician to retain licensure for reduced renewal fees during periods of time when the physician is not practicing medicine and surgery in West Virginia. Inactive status physicians are subject to the same CME obligations as active status physicians. An inactive status licensee may apply to change licensure status back to active by submitting an application along with evidence of appropriate CME completion and a satisfactory narrative accounting the physician's period of inactivity.

Physicians With Last Names Beginning with the Letters M-Z Inactive status physicians whose last names begin with the letters M through Z may apply to convert to active status by submitting the following application:

Application to Change Licensure Status from Inactive to Active for Physicians with a current license expiration date of June 30, 2027 (M-Z Physicians)

Physicians With Last Names Beginning with the Letters A-L Inactive status physicians whose last names begin with the letters A through L may apply to convert to active status by submitting the following application:

Application to Change Licensure Status from Inactive to Active for Physicians with a current license expiration date of June 30, 2026 (A-L Physicians)

IMLC Compact Licensees. Inactive status licenses are not available to physicians licensed through the IMLC process.

Administrative Medicine, Medical School Faculty and Extraordinary Circumstances applicants utilize the Uniform Application. Please read all instructions carefully before applying.

Application Instructions

Uniform Application

Please contact the Board for information regarding special license types, including: