Puerto Rico

At a Glance

Licensure

Endorsement & Reciprocity

• Available: Yes
• Fees: Fee amounts throughout this regulation are not fixed dollar figures in the text; the Reglamento repeatedly states fees are 'el valor que determine la Junta mediante Resolución' (the amount the Board sets by separate Resolution), so no verified dollar figure could be captured from a primary source within available time.
• Verification scope: Reciprocity ('Licencia Especial por Reciprocidad') requires: (a) applicant older than 21; (b) submit certification of a medical license issued by the competent authority of a US jurisdiction WITH WHICH the Junta has a reciprocity or endorsement agreement; (c) certification from the PR Department of Health's Medical Education Division confirming completion of internship. Quote: "Someter Certificación de Licencia Médica expedida por la autoridad competente de cualquier jurisdicción de los Estados Unidos de América, con la cual la Junta tenga acuerdo de reciprocidad o endoso." (url: https://www.salud.pr.gov/CMS/DOWNLOAD/3602)
• Puerto Rico's standard 'Licencia Regular' (regular license) is stated to be PERMANENT rather than subject to periodic renewal: "La vigencia de la Licencia Regular será permanente y quedará sujeta al cumplimiento del proceso de Recertificación dispuesto en el Capítulo 7 de este Reglamento." (url: https://www.salud.pr.gov/CMS/DOWNLOAD/3602). This means the renewal_fee/cycle_months fields as framed (a recurring renewal fee/cycle) may not directly apply to PR's regular license; instead there is a Board-defined 'Recertificación' process whose fee/interval was not located in the sections reviewed.

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CME & Training Requirements

CME & training requirements for Puerto Rico are being compiled; the structured data reflects current verified values.

Fingerprint Requirements

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

Malpractice Insurance

• Required for licensure/practice: Yes
• Applies to: Applies to every health services professional (including physicians) and every health care institution in Puerto Rico. Exempt: health service professionals who do not practice privately and work exclusively as employees of a private health care institution covered by that institution's own policy, and government employees who do not practice privately.
• Requirement is proof of financial responsibility (insurance or equivalent) filed annually with the Insurance Commissioner, not board-administered directly, but referenced in the Medical Board's own regulation definitions (Art. 1, definition of 'Seguro de Responsabilidad Profesional Medico-Hospitalario,' citing Art. 41.050 of the Insurance Code).

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Giving Up a License

• Lapse consequences: Puerto Rico's permanent physician licenses are not subject to a periodic mandatory renewal/lapse cycle in the way most US states operate: permanent licenses are subject to recertification only upon the holder's own request, so the classic 'lapse for non-renewal' scenario found elsewhere does not directly apply. Provisional licenses, by contrast, are renewed periodically and expire on their stated term.
• Voluntary surrender: Available — A permanent license loses effect upon revocation by the Board, denial of renewal/recertification (unadministratively appealed), OR death or 'renuncia' (resignation/renunciation) of the holder -- i.e., voluntary renunciation is a distinct, non-disciplinary listed pathway alongside death, separate from Board-initiated revocation.
• Reinstatement: A physician who has renounced (surrendered) or had a permanent license revoked and wishes to be reinstated must file a Motion for Reinstatement with the Board; reinstatement is not automatic unless the Board expressly provides otherwise, and each motion is adjudicated case-by-case.
• Exit in good standing: Available — The Board issues a 'Certificacion de Licencia (good standing)' on request to a license holder (or a third party) after verifying the holder is registered and in compliance with all license requirements; if not, the Board issues a negative certification instead. This is a general verification mechanism usable at or around the time of exit, not a certificate issued automatically upon surrender itself.

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Sources

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

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