Indiana EMT Recertification: CE Hours, Acadis Portal, and Deadlines

Indiana EMT recertification runs on a two-year cycle: finish your continuing education, get your skills signed off, and submit the renewal application through the Acadis Portal before the expiration date printed on your state card. The Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) handles renewals for all four levels — Emergency Medical Responder, Emergency Medical Technician, Advanced EMT, and Paramedic.¹ Miss the date and you have a short grace window; miss that too and the path back gets considerably harder.

Continuing Education Hours You Need

Indiana uses the National Continued Competency Program (NCCP) framework, which divides required hours into a national component, a state and local component set by your agency or training institution, and an individual component you choose. Totals differ by level, and courses only count if they fall inside your current two-year cycle. CAPCE-accredited courses are accepted at every level.²

EMR and EMT

EMRs and EMTs each need roughly 40 hours per cycle. For EMTs, that breaks into 20 national-component hours, 10 state/local hours, and 10 individual hours. The national component covers airway management, cardiovascular emergencies, trauma, and medical topics, with some flexibility to allocate hours around your own practice.

AEMT

AEMTs complete 50 hours over the two-year cycle: 25 national-component hours covering the same core areas in greater depth, plus 12.5 state/local and 12.5 individual hours.

Paramedic

Indiana sets a higher bar for Paramedics than the NREMT baseline. The requirement is 72 hours split into two sections:

Section I (48 hours): a paramedic refresher course or equivalent approved CE, including 16 hours of airway, breathing, and cardiology; 16 hours of obstetrics and pediatrics; 8 hours of medical emergencies; 6 hours of trauma; and 2 hours of operations.
Section II (24 hours): EMS-related CE, with at least 12 hours of audit and review activities.

Save every completion certificate. If IDHS audits your renewal, those records are what you’ll use to prove the hours.

Skills Competency Verification

Classroom and online hours aren’t enough on their own. You also need a skills competency sign-off confirming you can still perform the hands-on procedures your level requires. The specific skills are set locally by your agency or provider organization, not by a statewide checklist.³

For EMRs and EMTs, your agency’s designated Training Officer signs off. For AEMTs and Paramedics, the Medical Director handles verification.³ Don’t leave this to the final week. Training Officers and Medical Directors have their own schedules, and a missed verification window can stall your whole application.

What to Have Ready Before You Open the Portal

Your Public Safety Identification Number (PSID). This is how IDHS tracks your training record. If you don’t know yours, use the PSID lookup on the IDHS site before you start.⁴⁵
CE completion certificates showing dates, CEUs, and successful completion.
Written skills verification from your Training Officer or Medical Director.
Current mailing address and email in Acadis so your confirmation reaches you.

Filing Through the Acadis Portal

The Acadis Portal is the primary way to recertify:²

Log into indiana.acadisonline.com.
Select Academy Resources on the left side of the screen.
Select WebForms.
Find the EMS recertification application for your certification level.
Fill in your PSID, CE hours by category, and training dates, then submit.

Enter exact dates for every session. Acadis checks whether each course falls inside your current cycle, and dates that don’t line up can push your application into manual review or get it rejected. Confirm your CE totals match the requirements for your level before you submit.

Submitting by Mail

If you can’t use the portal, mail your materials to the IDHS EMS Division:

Indiana Department of Homeland Security
302 W. Washington, Room E208 IGCS
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2258⁶

Send it certified so you have proof of delivery. Paper takes longer to process than an electronic filing, so give yourself extra time if your expiration date is close.

Confirming the Renewal Posted

Watch your email for the IDHS confirmation that your application was received. Once review is complete, log back into Acadis to check your new expiration date and download your updated digital certification card. Confirm all of this before your old card expires so you don’t lose any working time.

One thing to know: holding only a National Registry card doesn’t allow you to practice in Indiana. You cannot function as EMS personnel in the state until your Indiana certification is posted to your Acadis record.²

If You Miss the Deadline

Indiana gives you 120 days after expiration to submit the continuing education renewal form along with a $50 reapplication fee. Accepted payment methods are check, money order, or credit card; no cash. A credit card payment form is available on the IDHS individual certifications page.² If you finished your in-service training before the expiration date and only the paperwork slipped, this window keeps you from starting over.

After 120 days, the route back is longer. You still work through the Acadis Portal, but reapplication may involve retesting or additional coursework depending on how long you’ve been lapsed and your certification level. The further out you get, the more requirements stack up, so if your card expired recently, deal with it now.

Keeping Credentials Alive Through Inactive Status

If you’re not currently affiliated with an Indiana-certified provider organization but want to keep your certification from fully lapsing, you can hold inactive status. Inactive personnel aren’t cleared to respond to calls, but the status preserves your record and smooths the return to active duty. To move back to active, you’ll need skills competency verification from a Training Officer or Medical Director before you return to the field.³

1
Indiana Department of Homeland Security. Emergency Medical Services
2
Indiana Department of Homeland Security. Individual EMS Certification/Licensure
3
National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. EMS Recertification Guide – Active and Inactive Status
4
Indiana Department of Homeland Security. Public Safety Identification (PSID) Information
5
Indiana Department of Homeland Security. Public Safety Identification (PSID) Application
6
National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. Indiana Department of Homeland Security – Office of EMS