Skip to content 
As one of the biggest and most changing healthcare markets in the US, Texas is home to the world’s biggest medical center in Houston, as well as world-class universities like UT Southwestern in Dallas, and a telehealth sector that is growing quickly to serve rural areas across the state’s huge land area. Texas is always one of the states that need the most experienced registered providers. It has over 30 million people living in cities like Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, and El Paso, as well as thousands of people living in rural areas.
One important thing that all providers must do before they can treat their first patient in Texas is get a current medical license from the Texas Medical Board. Texas medical licensing companies help providers, nurse practitioners, foreign medical grads, and healthcare groups get through this long process quickly and easily. With professional help, the process can be completed in 90 to 120 days, compared to 4 to 6 months or more for self-managed applications.
Texas Board of Medicine Requirements
As the state’s main licensing body for providers and physician assistants, the Texas Medical Board (TMB) operates under the Texas Occupations Code to protect public health by making sure that only qualified workers obtain medical licenses in Texas. Texas is one of the strictest states when it comes to licensing because the TMB keeps strict verification standards and application review processes.
Core Texas Medical Board Licensing Requirements
- A medical degree (MD or DO) from a medical school approved by the TMB
- Completion of postgraduate residency training that is approved by the ACGME or the AOA, with minimum training standards set by the specialty
- Getting enough scores on the USMLE (Steps 1, 2, CK, 2 CS, and 3) or COMLEX (Levels 1, 2, CE, 2 PE, and 3) tests within the time limits set by TMB
- Verification of all past state medical licenses showing they are still valid and not being restricted or disciplined
- Background checks that are specific to Texas, including fingerprinting by DPS-approved vendors
- All malpractice claims, settlements, judicial orders, criminal background checks, and controlled substance abuse histories must be made public.
- All candidates must pass the Texas Jurisprudence Examination, which measures their understanding of Texas medical laws and rules.
- Professional liability insurance that meets the basic coverage standards of the TMB
- Full application through the TMB’s online system, along with all necessary supporting documents
- International medical graduates must additionally provide ECFMG certification, foreign medical school documentation, and an evaluation of foreign training equivalency that meets TMB standards.
Texas Medical License Application Process
Education & Training Requirements
Texas requires detailed documentation of complete medical education and postgraduate training. Medical school diplomas and official transcripts must be verified through primary sources. Residency completion certificates must be issued directly by program directors or the ACGME, confirming successful program completion. Fellowship certifications are required for providers seeking specialty practices.
Texas maintains specific postgraduate training requirements by specialty; some specialties require more than the minimum residency completion before TMB considers applications complete. Physicians with training gaps between programs must document and clearly explain those periods. Physicians licensed in Texas who completed training internationally must ensure ECFMG certification remains current and valid when applications are submitted.
FCVS & Uniform Application
The Federation Credentials Verification Service (FCVS), which is run by the Federation of State Medical Boards, accepts applications from the Texas Medical Board. This makes FCVS a useful tool for providers who want to work in more than one state or who have trained at more than one institution and need to conduct extensive primary-source verification.
Without FCVS, providers must arrange direct verifications from each medical school, training program, internship, and examination board. This takes 4-8 weeks per institution and a lot longer when multiple programs must be called one after the other.
IMLC for Texas Physicians
Texas is a member of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC), which helps providers get licensed faster if their primary license is in another IMLC partner state. According to the agreement, providers can use current verifications from their home state instead of going through full independent verification.
This cuts the time it takes to get licensed in Texas from 90 to 120 days to 60 to 90 days. IMLC is especially helpful for telehealth providers who treat patients in Texas from other states, providers with busy offices in more than one state, and medical groups expanding into Texas areas and needing quick, easy ways to get licenses in all 50 states.
Medical Licensing Companies in Texas
Credex Healthcare
Credex Healthcare is the best company in Texas for medical licensing and credentialing. They work with providers, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, mental health professionals, and healthcare organizations across the Lone Star State. Credex Healthcare maintains extensive Texas operations with specialists who deeply understand TMB documentation standards and the Texas Jurisprudence Examination process. Their experts are well-versed in the complicated rules of Texas licensing across urban and rural Texas communities facing provider shortages.
Comprehensive Texas Medical Licensing Services:
Credex Healthcare handles the Texas licensing process from the initial meeting through the issuance of the TMB license. Their process starts with a thorough eligibility check to see which application path is best for qualifying providers. Next, they prepare the entire application through TMB’s online system and coordinate primary-source verification by calling medical schools, residency programs, fellowship programs, examination boards, and previous licensing states simultaneously rather than sequentially to compress verification timelines.
Beyond Initial Licensing:
Credex Healthcare’s combined approach goes far beyond just issuing your first Texas license. Once a provider is licensed by the TMB, Credex instantly enrolls them with major Texas payers like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Humana, Cigna, and Texas Medicaid managed care organizations to get their insurance credentials and start receiving payments. Credex Healthcare’s approach extends beyond issuing the initial Texas license.
Once a provider gets licensed by the TMB, Credex Healthcare instantly enrolls them with major Texas payers like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Humana, Cigna, and Texas Medicaid managed care organizations to obtain their insurance credentials and start receiving payments.
Ideal For:
- Residency graduates in Texas academic medical centers
- Providers from other states moving to Houston, Dallas, Austin, or San Antonio
- Telehealth companies entering the Texas market
- Medical graduates from other countries who want to get their TMB license, and
- Medical groups that need coordinated multi-provider licensing solutions
Blueshift Licensing
Blueshift Licensing is an expert at coordinating licenses across multiple states and has extensive experience with IMLC forms. This makes them a fantastic choice for Texas telehealth companies and providers who have licenses in more than one state. Their organized method effectively handles both Texas Medical Board and compact state applications, utilizing FCVS profiles to meet the verification needs of multiple states at the same time.
If you are a provider from outside Texas who wants to join the Texas market through telemedicine or set up a multistate Texas-based practice, Blueshift can help you quickly and easily get your Texas license. Often, you can get your license in as little as 60 to 90 days.
Circa Behavioral Healthcare Solutions
As its name suggests, Circa Behavioral Healthcare Solutions only helps mental health professionals get licenses and credentials. This includes psychiatrists, psychologists, licensed professional counselors, licensed clinical social workers, and marriage and family therapists. Their specific knowledge is very helpful for Texas-based mental health workers who need to get licensed by the Texas Medical Board, the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors, or the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners, as well as insurance credentials.
To help Texas’s behavioral health practices deal with the state’s big mental health provider gaps, especially in rural and impoverished areas, Circa offers focused licensing and licensure support that speeds up the delivery of mental health services.
Strategique Partners
Strategique Partners helps people get medical licenses in Texas and offers full healthcare planning services that include setting up a practice, choosing a payer strategy, and entering new markets. Their consultation model helps providers open new practices in Texas with both formal licensing requirements and strategic consultation on how to grow their practices in Texas’s competitive markets.
Strategique helps healthcare entrepreneurs and medical group investors get started in Texas’s fast-paced healthcare market by giving them strategic advice and managing their licenses. They help providers think about positioning, partnership opportunities, and payer prioritization while meeting the requirements of the Texas Medical Board.
Ace Med Assist
Ace Med Assist has ten years of experience with medical licensing and credentialing in more than 30 specialties, and they can help you with all your Texas licensing needs. Their team handles full TMB applications, coordinating thorough verification and regular progress reports to keep providers updated during the entire license process in Texas.
Ace Med Assist’s tried-and-true methods and joint client contact model make them especially useful for busy Texas providers who want regular information and hands-on support during the 90–120-day TMB review period.
Armored MBS
Armored MBS offers a full range of medical billing and certification services, as well as help with healthcare workers’ Texas licenses. Their all-in-one method handles licensing with the Texas Medical Board, as well as patient registration and billing setup. This approach makes sure that operations run smoothly, so providers can start charging Texas payers as soon as they get their license.
Armored MBS offers unified solutions that eliminate the need to handle licensing, authorization, and billing providers separately for Texas companies seeking full revenue cycle management that starts with a proper TMB license.
Southworth Associates
Southworth Associates has been a healthcare planning firm for decades and can help Texas providers get their licenses. Because they know a lot about the business, they are excellent partners for Texas hospital systems, larger medical groups, and well-known credentialing companies that handle licensing providers on a large scale across the state’s many markets.
Their organized training models and systematic licensing processes help Texas health systems know when licenses will be issued, so they can plan for hiring providers and pooling across multiple sites.
nCred
nCred combines proprietary technology with expert licensing support to give Texas providers and practice managers real-time online tools for tracking applications. Their site allows you to monitor the progress of your TMB application, any pending verifications, and future credentialing goals without having to contact the Texas Medical Board at all times.
Larger medical groups in Texas seeking professional licensing support, digital reporting, and workflow openness can get both from nCred. They offer both technological efficiency and personalized assistance with Texas Medical Board processes.
License Renewal & Temporary Licenses in Texas
Texas Medical License Renewal
The Texas Medical Board must renew Texas medical licenses every two years. Every two years, providers must renew their licenses and do 48 hours of continuing medical education. Some of the necessary subjects include medical ethics, changes to the legislation, and guidelines for giving out regulated drugs.
Professional licensing firms that provide renewal management keep an eye on CME progress, keep track of TMB expiration dates, and send in renewal applications ahead of time to prevent expensive license gaps.
Temporary Texas Medical Licenses
In certain cases, Texas gives out temporary medical licenses. For example, doctors who are waiting for their full TMB license approval but have employment offers that need them to start practicing right away might get one. Temporary licenses are available for professionals who must go to areas that experience calamities to provide relief quickly and for those who must work as locum tenens while their permanent applications are being reviewed.
Conclusion
The Texas Medical Board offers a thorough but doable milestone for providers who want to work in the Lone Star State’s thriving healthcare market: getting a medical license. Texas has strict licensing rules, like the required Jurisprudence Examination, detailed background checks, thorough verification of qualifications, and specific Texas paperwork, which makes hiring professional Texas medical licensing services a smart choice that leads to quicker approvals, fewer mistakes, and faster income.
Professional companies offer proven expertise in meeting the Texas Medical Board standards promptly. Working with experienced professionals in Texas who specialize in physician licensing can turn what could take 6+ months of self-management into a streamlined 90-120-day professional process.
Ready to begin your Texas medical license application?
Contact Credex Healthcare today for a free consultation. Our Texas-specific expertise, dedicated specialists, and integrated licensing-to-credentialing approach accelerate your path to practicing medicine in Texas while ensuring full compliance.
FAQs
How long does Texas medical licensing take?
Most providers can get their Texas Medical Board license in 90 to 120 days with professional licensing services. Through the swift, compact route, providers who are qualified for the IMLC can get their Texas licenses in 60 to 90 days.
Is the Texas Jurisprudence Exam required for all applicants?
Yes. Everyone who wants to get a medical license in Texas must pass the Texas Medical Jurisprudence Examination and demonstrate competence in the laws and regulations that apply to providers in Texas before the TMB will give them a license.
Does Texas participate in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact?
Yes, Texas is a member of the IMLC. This means that suitable providers who are already licensed in other IMLC member states can get their licenses quickly. This reduces wait times and unnecessary checks for qualified applications.
What CME is required for Texas medical license renewal?
Texas needs providers to complete 48 hours of continuing medical education every two years, and certain topics must be covered. CME must come from places approved by the TMB and must be done before the extension is sent in.
Can international medical graduates apply for a Texas medical license?
Yes. IMGs can get medical licenses in Texas if they have a current ECFMG certificate, completed residency training in the U.S., and have all the paperwork required by the Texas Medical Board. Professional services help IMGs quickly and easily meet new paperwork standards.
