Considerations on Closing or Leaving a Practice
Medical Records and Patient Notification
The Medical Records page contains information about retaining medical records and notifying patients.
Notification to the Board and Commission
When licensees retire or stop practicing medicine in Alabama but choose to continue to renew their license, they may notify us by choosing "Retired" on the renewal application. This does not confer the exemption from CME. See below for information about the Retirement Waiver from CME. A change of practice address must be submitted within 15 days of the change. (Ala. Code § 34-24-338). This can be accomplished on the Licensee Portal.
Licensees can make address or other demographic changes using the Licensee Portal.
License Status Options
The following license status options are available:
Active
Earn the required continuing medical education and renew license.
Inactive
Do not renew the license and allow it to go inactive.
Reinstatement
- To reinstate an inactive license, download and return a reinstatement application.
- The cost to reinstate is up to $850, depending on when you were last active.
- Requirements:
- Criminal background check with fingerprinting ($65 fee).
- Twenty-five Category 1 or equivalent CME credits earned in the previous 12 months.
- Applicants out of clinical practice for two years or more may have to enter a reentry agreement. See Board Rules, Chapter 540-X-23 for more information.
Active with Restriction Due to Retirement
Some retired physicians want to keep an active license but do not practice medicine or prescribe any drugs. These physicians may request a waiver from the CME requirement for license renewal.
To request a retirement exemption, complete and return a Request for Retirement Waiver.
This is not a disciplinary status and is not reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank.