Minnesota

At a Glance

Category	Details
IMLC Member	Yes
FCVS	Accepted
NP Independent Practice	Yes
PA Independent Practice	Yes (A physician assistant who qualifies for licensure must practice for at least 2,080 hours, within the context of a collaborative agreement, within a hospital or integrated clinical setting where physician assistants and physicians work together to provide patient care.)
Physician-Owned PC Allowed	No
Max NPs per Physician	No Limit
Max PAs per Physician	No Limit

Licensure

Item	Cost
Initial License	$425
Renewal Fee	$384
Renewal Cycle	Annual
Annualized Cost	$384
Controlled Substance Registration	No

Endorsement & Reciprocity

• Available: Yes
• MN Stat. 147.03 endorsement: base requirement is passing FSMB/NBME/USMLE exam plus a current out-of-state or Canadian license; if that exam was passed MORE THAN 10 years before application, the applicant must additionally either pass SPEX within 3 attempts OR hold current specialty board certification (ABMS/AOA/Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada/College of Family Physicians of Canada) — quote: 'have a current certification by a specialty board of the American Board of Medical Specialties, the American Osteopathic Association, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, or the College of Family Physicians of Canada.' So board_certification_required is conditional (only as an alternative to retaking SPEX for the >10-year-since-exam group), not recorded as a flat true/false.

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APC Supervision

In-state requirement for supervising physicians: None.

Nurse Practitioners

NPs can practice independently in Minnesota.

• Maximum NPs per physician: No Limit (FPA)

Physician Assistants

PAs can practice independently after 2,080h of supervised practice in Minnesota.

• Maximum PAs per physician: No Limit

CME & Training Requirements

Requirement	Details
Total CME	Contact board
Category 1 Minimum	75 hours
Cycle	Triennial
Opioid / SUD	1 hr/cycle
Human Trafficking	Required per cycle
Implicit Bias	Required per cycle
Suicide Prevention	Required per cycle
DEA MATE Act	8 hrs one-time (federal)
Jurisprudence Exam	Not required

Fingerprint Requirements

Fingerprint requirements for Minnesota are being compiled; the structured data reflects current verified values.

Malpractice Insurance

• Applies to: No general malpractice-insurance mandate for Minnesota physicians was found in MN Statutes Chapter 147. The only affirmative insurance mandate located is narrow: for limited licenses issued to certain foreign medical graduates, the employer (not the physician) must carry coverage for the limited-license holder during the employment.
• Minnesota requires insurers/self-insured entities providing coverage to physicians to report malpractice settlements/awards to the Board within 30 days, and applicants must disclose prior malpractice settlement/award history -- but neither is a mandate to carry insurance in the first place, and no general coverage requirement or patient compensation fund was found for Minnesota physicians generally.

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Giving Up a License

• Status after lapse: removed from the authorized-practitioner list after 30 days of nonrenewal; license is fully canceled for nonrenewal if not renewed within two annual license renewal cycles (unless it is subject to a pending review, investigation, or disciplinary action)
• Lapse consequences: A license canceled for nonrenewal (lapsed beyond two annual renewal cycles, not under pending review/investigation/discipline) cannot simply be reinstated -- the person must apply as if for an initial license and meet all requirements then in effect. This is the 'point of no return': after two missed annual cycles, it is a new-application track, not a reinstatement track.
• Voluntary surrender: Available — Minnesota Statutes 147.038, 'Cancellation of License in Good Standing,' lets a physician request board-approved cancellation, but only if there is no active board investigation of a complaint/information and no disciplinary proceeding has begun -- i.e., surrender/cancellation while under discipline is categorically excluded from this good-standing route. The board must report the action specifically as 'a cancellation of a license in good standing.' No refund of the current year's license fee is given.
• Reinstatement: There is no lighter reinstatement path after a 147.038 good-standing cancellation: the person must obtain a new license by applying for licensure and fulfilling all requirements then in existence for an initial license -- the same rule as for a license canceled for nonrenewal.
• Exit in good standing: Available — Minnesota has a named, board-attestable 'good standing' exit (147.038) distinct from ordinary nonrenewal/cancellation, explicitly conditioned on the absence of any pending investigation or disciplinary proceeding.

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Quirks & Gotchas

Application Requirements

• No jurisprudence exam.** Minnesota does not require a separate law/jurisprudence exam for physician licensure — this is actually one area where MN is less burdensome than many states (e.g., Texas, California).
• FCVS not required but optional.** Applicants can use the FSMB’s Federation Credentials Verification Service, but MN does not mandate it. Notably, FCVS fees are NOT reimbursable if you’re a resident/trainee.
• Heavy verification load — unusual scope.** Most state boards verify education, exam scores, training, and prior licenses. Minnesota also independently verifies: board certification, 2 physician references, the AMA physician profile, NPDB-HIPDB query, 5 years of employment history, and 5 years of hospital privilege history. This is a broader verification sweep than most states.
• Residency permit is a separate track.** PGY-1 trainees apply for a residency permit only; PGY-2 and above must hold a full license simultaneously with the permit.

Other Gotchas

• 3-attempt cap per Step/Level** — stricter than some states. Exception: 4 attempts allowed if currently licensed in another state AND specialty board certified.
• Step/Level 3 must be passed within 5 years of Step/Level 2** OR before the end of residency training, whichever comes first.
• SPEX/COMVEX required** if any licensing or board certification exam was not passed within the past 10 years — this catches physicians returning to practice after a gap or after discipline.

Fingerprints & Background Check

• Mandatory fingerprint-based CBC for all new applicants** under Minn. Stat. § 214.075. Prints are cross-checked with both the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) and the FBI.
• After the application and fee are received, the board emails an instruction packet for fingerprinting — you cannot initiate fingerprinting independently ahead of time.
• If you’re a resident/trainee at Mayo or similar institutions, fingerprinting is required twice** — once for licensure, separately for institutional credentialing — these do not satisfy each other.
• Fee:** $33.25 (included in the $425.25 total initial cost).

Fees

• No hidden administrative surcharges beyond the above.
• FCVS, if used, is an additional out-of-pocket cost the board does not reimburse.

Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP)

• PMP enrollment is mandatory** as of July 1, 2017 for any prescriber holding a DEA registration who prescribes controlled substances to humans in Minnesota.
• Enrollment can be completed during online license renewal.
• The board noted a mandatory PMP check requirement effective January 1, 2021 — prescribers must actually query the PMP before prescribing controlled substances, not just be enrolled.

CME & Mandatory Training

• 75 Category 1 CME hours every 3 years** (renewal by June 30 of the renewal year).
• All 75 hours must be AMA PRA Category 1** — no Category 2 credit accepted.
• One mandatory topic: at least 1 hour in pain and symptom management CME** per renewal cycle. This applies to physicians, PAs, and APRNs alike.
• Alternative to CME:** Current ABMS, RCPSC, or AOA board certification/maintenance of certification fully satisfies the CME requirement — the board waives all 75 hours.
• Minnesota does not mandate CME hours in implicit bias, suicide prevention, domestic violence, or opioid prescribing beyond the federal DEA 8-hour requirement for DEA registrants (effective June 2023, required once at DEA initial registration or first renewal after that date — not a state board mandate).
• Opioids and controlled substances awareness training** must be completed before initial licensure.
• Human trafficking identification training** must be completed before initial licensure.
• Both are one-time requirements at initial application, not recurring CME mandates.

Timeline

• Standard processing: 4–5 months** from complete submission (some sources cite 8–12 weeks for initial intake; the difference reflects time for external sources to return primary source verifications).
• No official expedited process** — the board does not offer rush processing.
• Mail loss is a documented problem** given the board’s high application volume. Primary source verifications sent by mail can be lost at the board, requiring re-requests. Using trackable mail or certified mail for direct-source documents is advisable.
• Application must be submitted after February 1** of the appointment year for residency/fellowship programs (e.g., Mayo).
• Verification bottleneck:** The breadth of sources the board verifies (see above) means any institution that is slow to respond — especially hospitals for privilege history — will stall the entire application.
• Telemedicine without a full MN license** is possible for out-of-state physicians if they do not physically see patients or receive calls while in Minnesota — a relatively permissive carve-out, requires annual registration.

Summary of What MN Does NOT Require (Notable Absences)

• No jurisprudence exam
• No implicit bias CME mandate (unlike Michigan, California)
• No suicide prevention CME mandate
• No domestic violence CME mandate
• No separate opioid prescribing CME mandate at the state level beyond the federal DEA 8-hour one-time requirement
• Apply for a License / Minnesota Board of Medical Practice
• Minnesota Board of Medical Practice – Main
• FSMB MN Application Instructions PDF
• MN Physician Application Packet June 2025 (PDF)
• Minnesota Medical Licensing: Requirements, Process, and Advice – medicallicensing.com

Researched from state board websites and regulatory sources. Verify with the board directly before applying.

Resources

• Minnesota Board of Medical Practice
• FSMB State Licensure Directory
• Interstate Medical Licensure Compact

Sources

Data compiled from state medical board websites, FSMB, and regulatory filings.

Have a correction or update? Let us know.