How to confirm your doctor is licensed in Puerto Rico

Disclaimer: Informational directory only. Puerto Rico Experts does not give medical advice, and a listing is not a referral, recommendation or endorsement of any physician. Confirm credentials and whether the physician accepts your health plan directly with the office. In an emergency, call 911.

In Puerto Rico, the license to practice medicine is granted by the Board of Licensing and Medical Discipline (Junta de Licenciamiento y Disciplina Médica) of the Department of Health. You can check it free of charge, in a few minutes, in the official registry. It is general information: it is not medical advice or a recommendation of any physician.

Step 1. Go to the official search tool

The tool is called “Verificación de licencias” (license verification) and lives on the portal of the Office for the Regulation and Certification of Health Professionals (ORCPS, in Spanish “Oficina de Reglamentación y Certificación de los Profesionales de la Salud”): orcps.salud.pr.gov/mbps/verificacion. You can also reach it from the ORCPS home page (“Verificación de licencias” button). The page states that it is a secure, primary source for license verification provided by the Department of Health, Division of the Board of Licensing and Medical Discipline.

Step 2. Run the search

The form has these fields: Nombre (first name), Primer apellido (first last name), Segundo apellido (second last name), Número de licencia (license number), Profesión, Municipio de trabajo (work municipality) and Estatus de licencia (license status: Activo, Inactivo, Vencido, Cancelado or Suspendido, that is active, inactive, expired, cancelled or suspended). Type the name as it appears on the doctor's listing. Many people use two last names; if the first search returns nothing, try fewer fields, the second last name or the license number, which is the most precise piece of data.

Step 3. Read the result

Each record shows: full name, profession, specialty, license number, work municipality, issue date, expiration date, license status and “¿Tiene restricción?” (has a restriction?). Check that the status is Activo (active) and that the expiration date is current. The official notice on the page clarifies that having a restriction does not imply the professional is unable to practice; if you want more information, it asks you to email soportejuntasexaminadoras@salud.pr.gov.

Step 4. Understand the difference between a license and board certification

The license is the permission to practice medicine in Puerto Rico and is granted by the Board. Board certification is a separate specialty credential, granted by the 24 Member Boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). To verify it, use Certification Matters, free of charge, searching by the doctor's last name. A doctor may hold a current license without being certified by one of those boards.

Step 5. If the doctor does not appear or something does not match

Do not draw your own conclusion. Check the spelling, remove filters and try the license number. If the doubt remains, see the Board of Licensing and Medical Discipline page, email soportejuntasexaminadoras@salud.pr.gov (the address given in the tool's notice) or call the general line of the Department of Health, 787-765-2929 (listed as “Contáctanos” on salud.pr.gov).

What Puerto Rico Experts shows

In the Doctors directory, each listing shows the license number, the status, the expiration date, the specialty on the Junta record and the date we checked the public search (under “What was checked” and “Medical license”), next to the “✓ License checked with the regulator” badge. We only list doctors whose license showed as active when we checked it. Statuses can change after that date, and each listing states that we do not verify board certification, malpractice insurance or quality of care. Always confirm in the official registry.