Renewing a Georgia medical license happens every two years through the Georgia Composite Medical Board’s online Licensure Gateway. Your license expires on the last day of your birth month, the standard fee is $230, and you need 40 hours of approved continuing medical education completed before you certify your renewal.1Georgia Composite Medical Board. Fee Schedule Miss the date and the cost roughly doubles; miss it by three months and the Board revokes the license entirely.
When Your License Expires and What It Costs
Georgia uses a biennial cycle tied to your birth month. If you were born in October, your license expires on October 31 every other year. The on-time renewal fee is $230, paid through the Licensure Gateway. The Board opens a renewal window before your expiration date, so there is time to finish the process without a gap.1Georgia Composite Medical Board. Fee Schedule
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline
Once your birth month ends without a renewed license, a three-month late renewal window begins. You can still renew during that window, but the fee rises to $455, and you cannot legally practice medicine, prescribe medications, or treat patients while the license is expired.2Legal Information Institute. Georgia Comp. R. and Regs. R. 360-35-.03 – Renewal Requirements There is no grace period for practice itself. The license lapses the moment the month closes.
If the three months pass without action, the Board administratively revokes the license. Revocation is not a bigger late fee. You cannot pay your way back in; you must reapply as a new applicant and meet whatever requirements are in effect at the time.2Legal Information Institute. Georgia Comp. R. and Regs. R. 360-35-.03 – Renewal Requirements The reinstatement fee is $500, and the Board has discretion to deny reinstatement if it finds that reinstating would not serve the public interest.1Georgia Composite Medical Board. Fee Schedule Practicing on a revoked or expired license exposes you to disciplinary proceedings and potential criminal liability.
Continuing Medical Education You Must Have Done First
Georgia requires at least 40 hours of CME in each two-year renewal cycle. Credits must come from approved categories: AMA Category 1, AOA Category 1, AAFP Prescribed credit, ACOG Cognates Category 1, or ACEP Category 1. Confirming that a course qualifies before you enroll is your responsibility.3Georgia Secretary of State. Georgia Code 360-15 – Continuing Education
Several categories of physician are exempt or face a reduced requirement. Physicians in accredited residency or fellowship programs are fully exempt. First-time licensees who have not yet reached their first renewal are also exempt. Retired physicians who hold an active license solely to provide uncompensated care need only 10 hours biennially. Hardship, disability, military service, and service in Congress or the Georgia General Assembly can also qualify for an exemption, provided documentation reaches the Board before your license expires.3Georgia Secretary of State. Georgia Code 360-15 – Continuing Education
Keep CME attendance records and supporting documents for five years from the date each course was completed. The Board can audit at any time.4Georgia Composite Medical Board. Continuing Education and Other Required Training for Physicians
If You Prescribe Controlled Substances
Physicians who hold an active DEA certificate must complete a one-time requirement of at least three hours of AMA or AOA Category 1 CME covering controlled substance prescribing guidelines, recognizing signs of abuse or misuse, and chronic pain management. The training is required only once in your career, and those three hours count toward the 40-hour total.4Georgia Composite Medical Board. Continuing Education and Other Required Training for Physicians
If opioid pain management patients make up 50 percent or more of your patient population and you are not board certified in pain management or palliative medicine, you must earn 20 hours of CME in pain management or palliative care every renewal cycle. Those hours can overlap with the 40-hour total.3Georgia Secretary of State. Georgia Code 360-15 – Continuing Education
Documents to Have Ready Before You Log In
Georgia’s Secure and Verifiable Identity Document Act requires every license applicant to submit a completed, signed, and notarized Affidavit of Citizenship along with a secure and verifiable identity document proving U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency. A copy of your driver’s license or U.S. passport is the simplest option.5Georgia Secretary of State. Secure and Verifiable Documents The notarization is the step that trips people up. Visit a notary before you start the online form.
You will also need your license number, your current practice address, and a valid email for Board communications. The Board’s system matches your record using your last name, date of birth, and license number.6Georgia Composite Medical Board. Apply or Renew Online Have your CME records organized so you can answer the compliance questions accurately.
How to Renew Online
As of July 2025, every renewal goes through the GCMB’s Licensure Gateway, which replaced the Board’s previous system. The Board is entirely paperless. Do not mail forms or checks.7Georgia Composite Medical Board. Physician The Gateway handles initial applications, renewals, reinstatements, address changes, and printable license documents in one place.8Georgia Composite Medical Board. Licensure Gateway
Log in, open your renewal application, and work through the screens updating your professional information and answering the CME compliance questions. Upload the notarized citizenship affidavit and your identity document. Pay the fee. Certify everything with an electronic signature. After submitting, the system generates an electronic receipt. Save or print it. A confirmation email should follow. If it does not arrive within a reasonable time, log back in and verify the submission rather than assume it went through.
Your DEA Registration Is Separate
A Georgia medical license and a federal DEA registration run on different timelines and different rules. DEA registration renews every three years, and since 2017 the DEA has offered no grace period. If the renewal is not submitted by midnight Eastern on the expiration date, the DEA number is retired permanently and you must apply for a new registration.9Diversion Control Division. Registration The DEA sends electronic reminders starting about 60 days before expiration, but only to the email on file. Handling controlled substances under an expired DEA registration violates federal law regardless of whether your Georgia license is current. Set your own calendar reminder.