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Pennsylvania

Clinician license renewal in Pennsylvania

Renewal cycles, fees, CE requirements, and compact membership for nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and physicians in Pennsylvania. 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)

Full member

Source: nursecompact.com, as of 05/05/2026

Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC)

Member

Source: imlcc.com, as of 05/05/2026

APRN / nurse practitioner license

Renewal cycle
Biennial. CRNP certification and prescriptive authority both renew every two years on the same cycle.
pa.gov, as of 05/08/2026
Renewal fee
$81 CRNP biennial renewal + $41 biennial prescriptive authority renewal (as of 2026-05-08; PA Department of State CRNP Snapshot). A prescribing CRNP pays $81 + $41 = $122 per biennium for the CRNP-side fees; the underlying RN license renewal is separate.
pa.gov, as of 05/08/2026
Continuing education
30 hours of continuing education applicable to the licensee's CRNP specialty per biennium, including 2 hours of approved training in how to recognize and report child abuse. CRNPs with prescriptive authority must take a minimum of 16 of the 30 hours in pharmacology. Beginning May 1, 2026, all RNs (and therefore CRNPs) must complete a one-time 2-hour organ donation and tissue recovery education within 5 years.
pa.gov, as of 05/08/2026
Online renewal available
Confirm with Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing

Track this credential automatically with Larch’s License tracking.

Physician assistant license

Renewal cycle
Biennial. Per 49 Pa. Code §18.145, PAs licensed by the State Board of Medicine register biennially per the procedure in §16.15.
pacodeandbulletin.gov, as of 05/08/2026
Renewal fee
$40 biennial PA license renewal fee per 49 Pa. Code §16.13(c) for PAs licensed by the State Board of Medicine. (PAs licensed by the State Board of Osteopathic Medicine renew under §25.231 with an $80 fee.)
pacodeandbulletin.gov, as of 05/08/2026
Continuing education
PA delegates PA continuing competence to NCCPA — 49 Pa. Code §18.145 requires PAs to maintain National certification by completing current NCCPA recertification mechanisms AND complete at least 2 hours of approved training in child abuse recognition and reporting (per §16.108(b)) for biennial renewal. NCCPA's 2-year standard is 100 CME credits including at least 50 Category 1 credits.
pacodeandbulletin.gov, as of 05/08/2026
Online renewal available
Confirm with Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine

Track this credential automatically with Larch’s License tracking.

MD / DO license

Renewal cycle
Confirm with Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine
Renewal fee
Confirm with Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine
Continuing education
Confirm with Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine
Online renewal available
Confirm with Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine

We’re still verifying Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine’s MD/DO- specific renewal details. The most accurate source is the board itself — visit Pennsylvania State Board of 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 Pennsylvaniarequires one, it carries its own number, fee, and renewal clock — independent of the DEA cycle.

Required in this state
Confirm with Pennsylvania controlled-substances regulator

We’re still verifying Pennsylvania’s state CSR rules. Confirm with the Pennsylvaniacontrolled-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 Pennsylvania renewals

Is Pennsylvania a Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) state?
Yes — Pennsylvania is a full NLC member. Nurses who hold an active multistate license issued by another compact state may practice in Pennsylvania without applying separately, and Pennsylvania residents may apply for a multistate license through the Pennsylvania Board of Nursing if they meet the NCSBN's Uniform Licensure Requirements. Note that nurses changing their primary state of residence to or from a compact state generally must apply in the new home state within 60 days. Source: NCSBN compact map.
Does the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC) work for physicians in Pennsylvania?
Yes — Pennsylvania participates in the IMLC. Eligible physicians can use the compact's expedited pathway to obtain medical licenses in additional member states. Whether Pennsylvania serves as a physician's State of Principal License or only as a license-issuing state varies; check the IMLCC for current specifics. Source: IMLCC.
Does the federal DEA renewal cycle differ in Pennsylvania?
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. Pennsylvania's state-level controlled-substance registration, if it requires one, is separate from the federal DEA.
How does Larch keep Pennsylvania'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 PA 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.

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Sources for Pennsylvania

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