Alabama Medical License Renewal, 2026

i Deadlines, fees, and what happens if you are late

1 Step-by-Step: Renewing Your Alabama Medical License

Follow these steps to renew your medical license with the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners & Medical Licensure Commission:

1. Complete your CME for the cycle (25 hours) (see details below)
2. Log in to the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners & Medical Licensure Commission renewal portal
3. Complete the renewal application and answer the attestation questions
4. Pay the renewal fee ($300 (full MD/DO license, annual renewal))
5. Submit and save your confirmation

2 Alabama CME Requirements

25 hours per year.

• At least 25 hours in Category 1
• 2 hours of controlled substances
• Required topics: Ethics

Tracking your CME across multiple states is one of the most time-consuming parts of credential management. CredentialDOMD automatically monitors your CME progress and alerts you when you're falling behind, so you never miss a requirement.

3 Common Pitfalls to Avoid

These are the mistakes Alabama physicians most commonly make during renewal:

• The ACSC (state controlled substances certificate) has no grace period: it expires December 31 and you may not prescribe controlled substances after that date even though the medical license itself stays Active through January 31. Lapsed ACSCs go through a separate reissue process.
• Licenses obtained through the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact must be renewed on the IMLC renewal website, not through Alabama's Licensee Gateway; an ACSC held alongside an IMLC license still renews with the Alabama board.
• Miss January 31 and the license automatically becomes Inactive by rule; reinstatement is a paper application with FBI fingerprint cards, a $65 background check, 25 Category 1 CME credits from the prior 12 months, and a prorated fee the board quotes at $550-$850 depending on when the license expired. Two or more years inactive adds a mandatory reentry agreement with the Board.
• The 25 Category 1 CME credits must be earned during the calendar year of renewal, and the board requires licensees to complete the renewal application personally and attest to its accuracy; delegating it to office staff violates the attestation.
• Foreign-national licensees must submit a Declaration of Lawful Presence with documentation and have it approved before the renewal application becomes available in the Gateway, so starting in late December leaves no processing margin.

4 Frequently Asked Questions

✓ Where this comes from

Double-checked against a second official source, August 2026. These are the primary sources we read:

• Board renewals page: Dec 31 expiration, Oct 1 window, Jan 1-31 grace period with late fee, Active until midnight Jan 31, fee table ($300 full license, $150 ACSC, $100 pain management), Licensee Gateway link
• Full license page: renewal window, grace period with additional fee, reinstatement overview (up to $850, $65 background check, 25 CME, reentry agreement if 2+ years inactive)
• MLC reinstatement letter + application: prorated reinstatement fee ($550 current-cycle / $850 older), $65 FBI background check, 25 Cat 1 CME in prior 12 months, 6-month application expiry; includes text of Ala. Admin. Code 545-X-2-.03(6)-(9) (automatic inactive, past-due fees up to 2 years + $250)
• Medical Digest Fall 2025: confirms $300 renewal fee, Oct 1-Dec 31 window, Jan grace period with additional charge, dashboard.albme.gov portal, IMLC renewal via IMLC website, lawful-presence requirement
• CME requirement: Ala. Admin. Code r. 540-X-14-.02; r. 540-X-4-.09(8) (controlled substance CME)

Boards change fees and rules; always confirm on the board page before you pay. Report anything out of date to [email protected].