How to Check If Your Doctor Is Licensed

Before your next appointment, take 5 minutes to verify your doctor's credentials. Here's how.

Why Verify Your Doctor's License?

Every year, patients unknowingly see physicians with expired, suspended, or revoked licenses. While rare, it happens — and it's entirely preventable. Checking your doctor's license takes minutes and is completely free.

Step 1: Find Your Doctor's NPI Number

Every licensed physician in the US has a National Provider Identifier (NPI) — a unique 10-digit number assigned by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). You can search by name on DoctorLicensePro or the CMS NPI Registry.

Step 2: Check Their License Status

Once you have the NPI or the doctor's name, search on DoctorLicensePro to see their Trust Score, which reflects license status, disciplinary history, board certification, and more. For official verification, you can also check directly with your state medical board.

Step 3: Review Disciplinary Actions

State medical boards publish disciplinary actions as public record. These can include reprimands, probation, license restrictions, suspensions, or revocations. DoctorLicensePro pulls this data from state board records where available.

Step 4: Verify Board Certification

Board certification means a physician has completed additional training and passed exams in their specialty. You can verify certification through the ABMS CertificationMatters website.

What to Do If Something Looks Wrong

If you find that your doctor has a suspended or revoked license, contact your state medical board immediately. If you believe information on DoctorLicensePro is incorrect, submit a correction.