South Carolina

At a Glance

Category	Details
IMLC Member	No
FCVS	Required
NP Independent Practice	No
PA Independent Practice	No
Physician-Owned PC Allowed	No
Max NPs per Physician	6
Max PAs per Physician	6

Licensure

Item	Cost
Initial License	$580
Renewal Fee	$155
Renewal Cycle	Biennial
Annualized Cost	$78
Controlled Substance Registration	Yes ($200 per biennial cycle)

Endorsement & Reciprocity

• Available: Yes
• Years licensed required: 5
• Fees: Discrepancy found: the MD-DO Electronic Application Package (rev. 04/2026 v1) states 'Payment in the amount of $500 is due at the end of the application,' while the live llr.sc.gov/med/fees.aspx fee table lists 'Permanent License -Application - $580.' Both are cited verbatim; the $580 figure is used above as the live fee-schedule page's value, but this conflict should be verified directly with the Board before relying on either number.
• IMLC membership status could not be confirmed from an SC primary source (llr.sc.gov/med/mddo.aspx made no mention of IMLC in the fetched content); left null rather than relying on conflicting secondary-source claims.

Verified 2026-08-14 Report an error

APC Supervision

In-state requirement for supervising physicians: Strict: MD must reside/practice in SC.

Nurse Practitioners

NPs require physician supervision in South Carolina.

• Maximum NPs per physician: 6

Physician Assistants

PAs require physician supervision in South Carolina.

• Maximum PAs per physician: 6

CME & Training Requirements

Requirement	Details
Total CME	40 hours
Category 1 Minimum	40 hours
Cycle	Biennial
Opioid / SUD	2 hrs/cycle
Human Trafficking	1 hr one-time
Jurisprudence Exam	Not required

Fingerprint Requirements

Detail	Info
Required	Yes
FBI Check	Yes
Method	Contact board
Out-of-State Options	Contact board

Malpractice Insurance

• Compensation fund: The South Carolina Patients' Compensation Fund merged into the Joint Underwriting Association (SC Medical Malpractice Association) effective Jan. 1, 2020; statute mandates that malpractice insurers (not individual physicians) remain members of the association as a condition of selling coverage in the state.

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Giving Up a License

• Status after lapse: lapsed (license deemed lapsed at close of the renewal period if not timely renewed; may not practice until reinstated)
• Lapse consequences: Reinstatement requires a reinstatement fee, the current renewal fee, and demonstration of continued competency to the board's satisfaction; the board may deny reinstatement based on evidence of misconduct. Reactivating an inactive license carries a $100/month-or-part-of-month late fee for time lapsed.
• Voluntary surrender: Not available — South Carolina's statutory 'voluntary surrender' is explicitly a disciplinary-context mechanism — only available to a licensee already under investigation/complaint, pending further board action; it is not a general non-disciplinary exit option.
• Reinstatement: For lapsed/inactive status under 4 years: documented evidence of at least one specified competency option within the preceding two years is required. For lapsed/inactive status of 4+ years: documented evidence of at least one (stricter) option within the preceding two years is required. Licensees active in another state during the lapse have lighter requirements.
• Exit in good standing: Available — Board procedure allows a license holder to proactively request that the license be declared 'inactive' (non-disciplinary), with a path back to active status once conditions are met — distinct from lapse (nonpayment) and from disciplinary surrender.

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Quirks & Gotchas

Application Requirements

• New portal as of April 30, 2026.** The board migrated to apply.llr.sc.gov. Anyone who started an application before that date had until May 30, 2026 to finish in the old system; after that, all applicants must use the new system. Plan for potential teething issues with the new platform.
• Electronic application is first-time applicants only.** Reactivations, limited licenses, and some other types still require paper forms downloaded from the site.
• Supplemental forms are numerous and easy to miss.** In addition to the main application, you must also submit:
• Certification of Medical or Osteopathic Education
• State License Verification List (every state where ever licensed)
• Malpractice Claim Information form
• Explanation of Yes Answer form (triggered by any disclosure question answered “yes”)
• Supervising Physician Form (for limited/residency licenses only)
• Primary source credential verification is required through a board-approved independent credentials verification organization** (e.g., FSMB’s FCVS or equivalent) — not a self-reported checklist. This adds cost and lead time.

Fees

| License Type | Fee | | Permanent license application | $580 | | Biennial renewal | $155 (renewal only — note the low renewal vs. high application cost) | | Reactivation (lapsed license) | $460 | | Limited license (6 months) | $75 | | Limited license (1 year) | $150 | | 14-day limited license | $75 (can be obtained up to 4x per year) | | Academic license | $150 initial / $150 renewal | | Special Volunteer license | No fee | | Duplicate wall certificate | $50 |

Fingerprints & Background Check

• Required under §40-47-36(A): applicants “may be required to furnish a full set of fingerprints” for a criminal history background check run through both the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and the FBI.
• Cost is borne entirely by the applicant (on top of the application fee) — budget an additional ~$50–75 for SLED/FBI fingerprint processing.
• The word “may” in the statute gives the board discretion, but in practice fingerprints are routinely required for new applicants.

Other Gotchas

• No jurisprudence exam** appears to be required by South Carolina statute or regulation (unlike many other states). Nothing in the Medical Practice Act Chapter 47, the Chapter 81 regulations, or the board website references a mandatory jurisprudence exam for initial licensure.
• SPEX/COMVEX may be required (§40-47-32(D)): If your qualifying exam (USMLE/COMLEX) was passed more than 10 years ago** AND you do not hold current specialty board certification, you must also pass the Special Purpose Examination (SPEX) or Composite Osteopathic Variable-Purpose Examination (COMVEX). This is a significant gotcha for physicians who have been out of the exam cycle for a decade or more.
• For IMGs (International Medical Graduates): a permanent Standard ECFMG Certificate is required, plus 3 years of postgraduate training (reduced to 1 year only if you’ve been licensed elsewhere for 5+ years with no discipline).
• No license issued if any other state license is currently restricted or under investigation.** An active disciplinary matter anywhere — even a minor probationary condition — is a hard stop. You must resolve it first.
• Telemedicine prescribing is restricted by statute: SC physicians cannot prescribe Schedule II-narcotic or Schedule III-narcotic controlled substances via telemedicine except in hospitals, MAT programs, or palliative care settings. Abortion-inducing drugs are explicitly prohibited** via telemedicine.
• Office-Based Surgery Registration** is a separate, additional registration requirement if you perform certain surgical procedures outside a hospital — easy to overlook when setting up a practice.
• NP/PA supervision:** If you supervise APRNs or PAs, you are required to have a written practice agreement on file covering the medical aspects of their care including prescribing. This is a Board-regulated obligation, not just an employment matter.
• Special Volunteer License** (fee-waived) is available for physicians providing uncompensated care to the needy and indigent — useful for retirees or locum-adjacent arrangements.
• Board contact:** Medboard@llr.sc.gov | (803) 896-4500. Given the new portal migration (April 2026), direct contact is especially advisable to confirm current supplemental form requirements before submitting. Researched from state board websites and regulatory sources. Verify with the board directly before applying.

CME & Mandatory Training

• Biennial renewal cycle. CME must be completed within the renewal period immediately preceding the deadline**.
• The standard per-cycle Category I CME requirement is shown in the table above.**
• Most of the required hours must be directly related to your practice area.
• A small allowance may address “approved procedures of prescribing and monitoring controlled substances.”
• Alternative to CME:** Current specialty board certification or recertification by ABMS, AOA, or board-approved equivalents satisfies the entire CME requirement.
• Opioid/controlled substance CME** is referenced on the board’s CE page as a separate statement document — the statutory controlled substance allowance may reflect this, but the board has a standalone opioid CME policy worth reviewing directly.
• First renewal cycle exemption: Physicians in their first biennial renewal period are not required to complete CME at all** — a helpful break for newly licensed physicians.
• Late renewers must submit CME proof.** On-time renewers do NOT have to submit certificates (board accepts attestation). If you miss the deadline, you lose that benefit.
• Volunteer service credit:** Up to 10 CME hours (max 25% of the required total) can come from documented volunteer service.
• Explicit statutory prohibition on MOC mandate: SC law states that no physician can be required to obtain Maintenance of Certification (MOC)** as a condition of licensure, reimbursement, employment, or hospital admitting privileges. This is a notable pro-physician provision.

Timeline

• No statutory processing timeline** is specified in the law or on the website — the board does not publish a target turnaround.
• Credential verification through a third-party organization (FCVS, etc.) typically adds 4–8 weeks independently of the board’s own review.
• Board meetings are held on a regular calendar (posted at /med/cal.aspx) — full licensure may require board approval at a scheduled meeting, meaning applications submitted near a meeting date could wait 4–6 weeks for the next cycle.
• Practical community expectation (based on board structure): 3–5 months total from complete application submission to license issuance is a reasonable estimate, though expedited review may be possible.

Resources

• South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners
• 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.