West Virginia

At a Glance

Category	Details
IMLC Member	Yes
FCVS	Accepted
NP Independent Practice	Yes (the board shall, upon application, authorize an advanced practice registered nurse to prescribe prescription drugs...without the further requirement of a collaborative agreement if the applicant has satisfied the following prerequisites: (1) Has practiced at least three years in a duly-documented collaborative relationship with granted prescriptive authority)
PA Independent Practice	No
Physician-Owned PC Allowed	No
Max NPs per Physician	No Limit
Max PAs per Physician	5

Licensure

Item	Cost
Initial License	$400
Renewal Fee	$400
Renewal Cycle	Biennial
Annualized Cost	$200
Controlled Substance Registration	No

Endorsement & Reciprocity

• Available: Yes
• Fees: See Page 9 of the Physician Application Instructions for additional detail on the Universal Professional and Occupational Licensing Act of 2025 (W. Va. Code §30-1-27); a specific endorsement fee was not located separate from the $400 initial application fee.
• West Virginia's endorsement/universal-licensure route derives from the 2025 Universal Professional and Occupational Licensing Act rather than a medicine-specific endorsement statute; same discipline/same practice level in the applicant's other-state license is required.

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APC Supervision

In-state requirement for supervising physicians: MD must be licensed in WV.

Nurse Practitioners

NPs require physician supervision in West Virginia.

• Maximum NPs per physician: No Limit

Physician Assistants

PAs require physician supervision in West Virginia.

• Maximum PAs per physician: 5

CME & Training Requirements

Requirement	Details
Total CME	50 hours
Category 1 Minimum	50 hours
Cycle	Biennial
DEA MATE Act	8 hrs one-time (federal)
Jurisprudence Exam	Not required

Fingerprint Requirements

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

Malpractice Insurance

• Required for licensure/practice: Yes
• Applies to: Applies specifically to physicians/podiatrists who organize their practice as a professional limited liability company (PLLC) -- not a general condition of individual medical licensure. Every PLLC must file, at formation and annually by July 1, documentation that it carries at least $1,000,000 of professional liability insurance (or an equivalent $1,000,000 segregated fund via escrow, bank letter of credit, or insurance company bond).
• Requirement is imposed by WV Board of Medicine legislative rule (Title 11, Series 7) implementing W. Va. Code 31B-13-1305, and applies at the PLLC-entity level, not to physicians practicing as sole proprietors or employees.

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Giving Up a License

• Status after lapse: automatically expired
• Lapse consequences: Upon automatic expiration for CME non-compliance, the license is expired until certification is submitted and approved; reinstatement fees escalate the longer the license stays expired.
• Voluntary surrender: Available — West Virginia Code expressly allows retired or retiring physicians/podiatrists to voluntarily surrender their license without being required to return the physical license certificate -- a non-disciplinary process distinct from surrender used as a disciplinary sanction (also addressed in the same article).
• Reinstatement: Reinstatement within 1 year of automatic expiration: submit CME certification with supporting documentation, pay the renewal fee, and pay a reinstatement fee equal to 50% of the renewal fee. Reinstatement more than 1 year after expiration: apply for a new license, provide CME documentation, and pay fees as determined by the board.

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Quirks & Gotchas

Application Requirements

• Three routes exist: Traditional, UPOLA (Uniform Physician Open License Act), and IMLC (Interstate Medical Licensure Compact). Each has its own application and process.
• UPOLA requires current licensure in good standing in another state, completed ACGME/AOA training, passing USMLE/COMLEX scores, and no disqualifying criminal history. WV is an early adopter of this pathway.
• Applications expire after 6 months** if not completed (effective July 1, 2025). After expiration, a full reapplication is required — no extensions.
• Specific fee amounts for initial applications are not posted publicly. The Board sends payment instructions only after receiving your application. Do not pay until notified.

Fees

• Active license renewal: $400
• Inactive license renewal: $150
• Reinstatement (after expiration, within the 1-year window): $600
• IMLC pathway renewal adds a $25 IMLC service fee ($425 total)
• License verification to another US state board (VeriDoc): $42
• In-house written verification (international/other credentials): $25; processing takes 3–6 weeks
• Initial application fees are not published — must be requested from the Board

Fingerprints & Background Check

• No fingerprint requirement is explicitly described on the public-facing web pages. This is notably absent from all pages reviewed. It is possible fingerprint requirements are embedded in the downloadable application PDF, or WV relies on FSMB background checks for IMLC applicants. Verify directly with the Board at (304) 558-2921.

Jurisprudence Exam

• No jurisprudence exam is mentioned anywhere on the website. WV does not appear to require a standalone jurisprudence exam as part of initial licensure or renewal, unlike states such as Texas or California. Confirm with the Board, as this could be embedded in application instructions not visible online.

CME & Mandatory Training

• 50 hours of Category I CME** per 2-year cycle
• 30 of those hours must be in the physician’s specialty**
• Up to 20 hours may come from medical student teaching/preceptorship
• Mandatory 3-hour controlled substance course:** Required of every physician who prescribed, administered, or dispensed any controlled substance in WV during the reporting period. Counts toward the 50-hour total but cannot be waived via MOC or board exam pathways.
• Exemptions: licensed after July 1, 2025 (must complete within 1 year), or prescribed zero controlled substances in WV
• Note: 2026 is stated to be the final renewal cycle requiring this course — future requirements may change
• CME must be completed before submitting renewal; completing it afterward is not accepted
• Do not upload CME certificates with your renewal — retain them for random post-renewal audits (typically in January)
• Alternative to full 50-hour CME: pass an ABMS board cert/recert exam, active MOC participation, or complete one full year of ACGME training during the period. None of these waive the 3-hour controlled substance requirement.

Controlled Substance Monitoring Program (CSMP) — Separate Registration

• Any physician prescribing Schedule II–V controlled substances in WV must maintain CSMP registration — this is separate from DEA registration and is a distinct WV-specific requirement
• CSMP registration certificate date must be entered on the renewal application
• Failure to be CSMP-registered blocks license renewal

Controlled Substance Dispensing Registration

• Separate registration (beyond licensure) is required to dispense controlled substances. Has its own renewal cycle (expires June 30 in renewal years). Paper application required after medical license renewal is complete — not an online process.

Other Gotchas

• Must disclose all arrests, charges, or convictions in any jurisdiction — including dismissed, deferred, or expunged matters. The Board’s language is explicit: “even if the charge/conviction was bogus, dismissed, deferred or expunged”
• Malpractice settlements or judgments during the reporting period require full documentation upload
• If you renew early and a new malpractice settlement occurs before the renewal period ends, you must amend your application
• License expiration while under investigation is reportable to the National Practitioner Data Bank
• Only the physician may complete and submit the renewal. Allowing a delegate, staff member, or proxy to complete it constitutes potential fraud/misconduct
• No group payments — each physician pays individually
• Credit card only for online payments
• Must use a personal email address (not a delegated/shared account) — using a delegate email will delay processing
• Home address must be residential (no PO boxes or office addresses), though home addresses are kept confidential. Telemedicine-only physicians may substitute an employer corporate address
• Cannot change from inactive to active status during the renewal process; requires a separate application
• Inactive licensees must still renew every two years and still complete all CME — they simply cannot practice
• No grace period** for practicing on an expired license
• Osteopathic physicians (DOs) are regulated by a completely separate board** — the WV Board of Osteopathic Medicine. The WV BOM only covers MDs, PAs (collaborating with MDs/DPMs), and DPMs.
• Radiologist assistant certifications are issued separately by the Board
• Medical corporations and PLLCs require separate registration with the Board (and separate renewal)
• Voluntary enrollment in the WV Medical Professionals Health Program (WVMPHP) does not require disclosure on renewal if the physician is in good standing Researched from state board websites and regulatory sources. Verify with the board directly before applying.

IMLC-Specific

• Two-step process for IMLC renewees: (1) renew via IMLC portal, (2) separately complete and return a WV Addendum via DocuSign within 30 days of IMLC approval
• Missing the 30-day WV Addendum deadline results in referral to the Board’s Complaint Committee
• Reinstatement after expiration still requires an IMLC fee ($25) on top of the $600 reinstatement fee

Timeline

• New applications: 6-month window to complete before expiration (hard deadline, no extensions)
• License verification to another state board: 3–6 weeks for standard in-house processing; immediate via VeriDoc ($42)
• Reinstatement after expiration: processed in order received, not expedited. Earliest Licensure Committee review in 2026 is July 13. Cannot practice during processing.
• After June 30 of the reinstatement year (one year post-expiration), full re-licensure application is required — no reinstatement option

Resources

• West Virginia Board of Medicine
• 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.