Common Reasons for a Delay in the Issuance of a Physician Assistant License or Renewal of Licensure

To better assist applicants and licensees and streamline the processing of their applications the Physician Assistant Board (Board) has compiled a list of common reasons the issuance of an initial license or approval of renewal application is delayed. Please review the information below prior to submitting your application to prevent any unnecessary delays:

Initial Applications: Common Delays

  • The application submitted is outdated (i.e. did not use the current version on the Board’s website).
  • The application is incomplete (i.e. required information is missing or the application is not signed).
  • The verification of a license/certificate/registration has not been received. Regardless of the status of a license/certificate/registration, a verification must be provided to the Board for every state, country, or federal agency in which a health care license/certificate/registration was issued.
  • Receipt of the Training Program Certification.
  • Receipt of the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) score.
  • The fee amount paid is incorrect.
  • DOJ and/or FBI rejecting the fingerprints due to poor quality. Fingerprint rejections require the applicant to resubmit fingerprints.
  • Delays in DOJ and FBI fingerprint responses. The Board has no control over the time it takes the DOJ and FBI to provide their responses to the Board.
  • Criminal history information received on an applicant from DOJ and/or FBI requires Board staff to review it in its entirety to determine the applicant’s fitness for licensure.

Approval of a Renewal Application: Common Delays

  • A “No” response to the Board’s continuing medical education question. Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations, Section 1399.615 mandated by the Business and Professions Code Section 3524.5 requires a physician assistant to complete continuing medical education as a condition of license renewal.
  • Payment of the correct renewal fee amount. Paper application renewals postmarked after the license expiration date are delinquent and may be subject to a delinquency fee ($25). A renewal application submitted with insufficient fees is delinquent and will require the Board to request and obtain the additional fee amount before the renewal can be processed.
  • The application is incomplete (i.e. required information is missing or the application is not signed). Renewal application forms received without the required attestation signature are treated as a deficient application, which will delay the process of your renewal.

Do not wait until the time of renewal to update your address of record (mailing address). Pursuant to Title 16, California Code of Regulations, section 1399.511, licensees are required to report in writing to the Board, any and all changes of their mailing address within 30 days from the date the change occurred. Failure to update the mailing address may result in the licensing system to mail correspondence to an inaccurate mailing address and cause a delay in renewal.