Massachusetts
Clinician license renewal in Massachusetts
Renewal cycles, fees, CE requirements, and compact membership for nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and physicians in Massachusetts. Sourced from state boards and the official compact registries; we surface the citation next to every claim and never invent a rule we can’t verify.
Last reviewed 05/08/2026.
Compact membership
Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC)
Enacted, not yet implementing
Source: nursecompact.com, as of 05/05/2026
Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC)
Not a member
Source: imlcc.com, as of 05/05/2026
APRN / nurse practitioner license
- Renewal cycle
- Biennial. The RN license and APRN authorization renew together on the licensee's birthday in even-numbered years. (LPN licenses renew in odd-numbered years.)
- mass.gov, as of 05/08/2026
- Renewal fee
- $180 RN-with-APRN renewal every two years (as of 2026-05-08; BORN renew page fee table). RN-only renewal is $120 per cycle. Late renewal adds $57 if submitted after the license expiration date.
- mass.gov, as of 05/08/2026
- Continuing education
- 15 contact hours of continuing education per biennial renewal cycle (244 CMR 5.00). Hours must be earned in the 2 years before the renewal date. APRNs additionally maintain national certification through a Board-approved certifying organization (carries CE through the certifying body), complete prescriber training under M.G.L. c. 94C §18(e), and complete a one-time Alzheimer's / dementia training at initial licensure (Chapter 220 of the Acts of 2018).
- mass.gov, as of 05/08/2026
- Online renewal available
- Confirm with Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing
Track this credential automatically with Larch’s License tracking.
Physician assistant license
- Renewal cycle
- Biennial. PA licenses renew on or before March 1 of every odd-numbered calendar year per 263 CMR 3.05.
- law.cornell.edu, as of 05/08/2026
- Renewal fee
- $150 biennial PA license renewal fee per the Massachusetts Division of Professional Licensure (as of 2026-05-08). Confirm at the time of renewal with the Board of Registration of Physician Assistants.
- mass.gov, as of 05/08/2026
- Continuing education
- 100 hours of continuing education per renewal period per 263 CMR 3.05(3), of which at least 40 hours must be Category I (AMA or AAPA-criteria) courses and at least 4 hours must be in pharmacology or pharmacokinetics. PAs authorized to operate fluoroscopic x-ray systems also complete at least 4 hours each renewal related to fluoroscopic imaging (263 CMR 5.07).
- law.cornell.edu, as of 05/08/2026
- Online renewal available
- Confirm with Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine
Track this credential automatically with Larch’s License tracking.
MD / DO license
- Renewal cycle
- Confirm with Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine
- Renewal fee
- Confirm with Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine
- Continuing education
- Confirm with Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine
- Online renewal available
- Confirm with Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine
We’re still verifying Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine’s MD/DO- specific renewal details. The most accurate source is the board itself — visit Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine.
Track this credential automatically with Larch’s License tracking.
State controlled-substance registration
Some states layer a state-level controlled-substance registration (CSR or CDS) on top of the federal DEA; others rely on the DEA alone. Where Massachusettsrequires one, it carries its own number, fee, and renewal clock — independent of the DEA cycle.
- Required in this state
- Confirm with Massachusetts controlled-substances regulator
We’re still verifying Massachusetts’s state CSR rules. Confirm with the Massachusettscontrolled-substances regulator (often the Board of Pharmacy or a Department of Health office) before assuming you do or don’t need a state CSR alongside your DEA.
Track DEA + state CSR together with Larch’s DEA + CSR tracker.
Federal DEA registration
DEA registration is federal, not state-issued. DEA practitioner registrations renew on a three-year cycle and are tied to a specific practice address — multi-site clinicians typically hold one DEA per practice location, each with its own number and clock. The first renewal on or after June 27, 2023 also required a one-time MATE Act 8-hour training attestation; once attested, the credit carries forward.
See Larch’s DEA tracking page for details on the federal cycle, multi-site rules, and the MATE Act attestation requirements.
Common questions about Massachusetts renewals
- Is Massachusetts a Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) state?
- Massachusetts has enacted the NLC but has not yet implemented it. The implementation date is to be determined. Until implementation is complete, Massachusetts nurses cannot apply for a multistate license, and out-of-state multistate licensees cannot rely on the compact in Massachusetts. Source: NCSBN compact map.
- Does the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC) work for physicians in Massachusetts?
- Massachusetts is not currently a participating IMLC member. Physicians who want to practice in Massachusetts must apply directly through the Massachusetts Board of Medicine; they cannot use the IMLC's expedited pathway. Source: IMLCC.
- Does the federal DEA renewal cycle differ in Massachusetts?
- No. DEA practitioner registrations are federal and renew on a three-year cycle regardless of state. Registrations are tied to a specific practice address — not to the holder personally — so multi-site clinicians typically hold one DEA per practice location. Massachusetts's state-level controlled-substance registration, if it requires one, is separate from the federal DEA.
- How does Larch keep Massachusetts's rules current?
- A drift-detection job re-fetches each cited source on a weekly cadence and flags pages where the source content has changed since our last review. Where we don't have a verified detail, we surface "Confirm with [Board]" with a link to the issuing board — never a guess.
Track every MA credential on one calendar.
Larch keeps a clean clock on every license, DEA, state CSR, board cert, and CE hour. Smart renewal alerts on the schedule you set. Encrypted document vault. License tracker is $5/month or $49/year — bundle with Collaboration + CE for $119/year.
Start trackingSources for Massachusetts
- mass.gov · retrieved 05/08/2026
- mass.gov · retrieved 05/08/2026
- law.cornell.edu · retrieved 05/08/2026
- mass.gov · retrieved 05/08/2026
- NCSBN Nurse Licensure Compact Map (PDF) · retrieved 05/05/2026
- Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission (IMLCC) · retrieved 05/05/2026
Other states