Cross State Licensing
Physicians need not reside in California, as long as they have a valid, current California license.
Physicians using telehealth technologies to provide care to patients located in California must be licensed in California. Physicians are held to the same standard of care, and retain the same responsibilities of providing informed consent, ensuring the privacy of medical information, and any other duties associated with practicing medicine regardless of whether they are practicing via telehealth or face-to-face, in-person visits.
SOURCE: Medical Board of California. Telehealth Resources. (Accessed Feb. 2025).
Licensure exceptions may apply to a practitioner located outside this state, when in actual consultation, whether within this state or across state lines, with a licensed practitioner of this state, or when an invited guest of the California Medical Association or the California Podiatric Medical Association, or one of their component county societies, or of an approved medical or podiatric medical school or college for the sole purpose of engaging in professional education through lectures, clinics, or demonstrations, if he or she is, at the time of the consultation, lecture, or demonstration a licensed physician and surgeon or a licensed doctor of podiatric medicine in the state or country in which he or she resides. This practitioner shall not open an office, appoint a place to meet patients, receive calls from patients within the limits of this state, give orders, or have ultimate authority over the care or primary diagnosis of a patient who is located within this state.
SOURCE: CA Business and Professions Code Section 2060. (Accessed Feb. 2025).
Notwithstanding any other law, an eligible out-of-state physician and surgeon may practice medicine in the state if the practice is limited to delivering health care via telehealth to an eligible patient, which is a person that has an immediately life-threatening disease or condition as defined in Section 111548.1 of the Health and Safety Code, and has given written informed consent for, or, if the person lacks the capacity to consent, their legally authorized representative has given written informed consent on their behalf for, both of the following:
- The use of an eligible out-of-state physician and surgeon’s telehealth health care services.
- The release of certified medical records to their primary physician and surgeon by the out-of-state physician.
The eligible patient also must not have been accepted to participate in the clinical trial nearest to their home for the immediately life-threatening disease or condition within one week of completion of the clinical trial application process, or, in the medical judgment of a physician and surgeon it is unreasonable for the patient to participate in that clinical trial due to the patient’s current condition and stage of disease. The eligible patient must also have documentation from their primary physician and surgeon attesting that they meet all requirements.
An eligible out-of-state physician and surgeon means a person who is licensed as a physician and surgeon in another state in good standing with no history of prior discipline, and whose medical expertise is that of the eligible patient’s illness.
SOURCE: CA Business and Professions Code Section 2052.5. (Accessed Feb. 2025).
All persons engaging in the practice of marriage and family therapy, educational psychology, clinical social work, or professional clinical counseling via telehealth, as defined in Section 2290.5 of the Code, with a client who is physically located in this State must have a valid and current license or registration issued by the Board.
SOURCE: CA Code of Regulations, Title 16, Div. 18, Art. 1, Sec. 1815.5(a). (Accessed Feb. 2025).
In order to provide occupational therapy services via telehealth as defined in Section 2290.5 of the Code, an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant providing services to a patient or client in this State must have a valid and current license issued by the Board.
SOURCE: CA Code of Regulations, Title 16, Div. 39, Art. 8, Sec. 4172(a). (Accessed Feb. 2025).
A licensee is permitted to provide psychological health care services via telehealth subject to the laws and regulations of the other jurisdiction where either the licensee and/or the client is located, including, but not limited to, the following circumstances:
- To a client at an originating site in this State, as defined in section 2290.5 of the Code, when a licensee is located at a distant site within this State.
- To a client who has received services in this State, and who is temporarily located outside of this State.
- To a client who is located in this State when a licensee is temporarily located outside of this State.
SOURCE: CA Code of Regulations, Title 16, Div. 13.1, Art. 8, Sec. 1396.8(a). (Accessed Feb. 2025).
Marriage and Family Therapists, Clinical Social Workers, and Professional Clinical Counselors
A person who holds a license in another jurisdiction of the United States as a marriage and family therapist/clinical social worker/professional clinical counselor may provide marriage and family therapy/clinical social work/professional clinical counseling services in this state for a period not to exceed 30 consecutive days in any calendar year, if all of the following conditions are met:
- The license from another jurisdiction is at the highest level for independent clinical practice in the jurisdiction in which the license was granted.
- The license from another jurisdiction is current, active, and unrestricted.
- The client is located in California during the time the person seeks to provide care in California.
- The client is a current client of the person and has an established, ongoing client-provider relationship with the person at the time the client became located in California.
- The person informs the client of the limited timeframe of the services and that the person is not licensed in California.
- The person provides the client with the Board of Behavioral Sciences’ internet website address.
- The person informs the client of the jurisdiction in which the person is licensed and the type of license held and provides the client with the person’s license number.
A person who intends to provide marriage and family therapy/clinical social work/professional clinical counseling services pursuant to this section shall provide the board with all of the following information before providing services:
- The name under which the person is licensed in another jurisdiction, the person’s mailing address, the person’s phone number, the person’s social security number or individual taxpayer identification number, and the person’s electronic mailing address, if the person has an electronic mailing address.
- The jurisdiction in which the person is licensed, the type of license held, and the license number.
- The date on which the person will begin providing marriage and family therapy/clinical social work/professional clinical counseling services to the person’s client in California.
A person who provides services pursuant to this section is deemed to have agreed to practicing under the jurisdiction of the board and to be bound by the laws of this state.
This section does not apply to any person licensed by the board whose license has been suspended or revoked.
This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2026, and as of that date is repealed.
SOURCE: Business and Professions Code Section 4980.11, 4996.16.1, and 4999.23. (Accessed Feb. 2025).
Expired December 1, 2024; Statute Repealed as of January 1, 2025
A physician who meets certain requirements shall register and may practice medicine in California through November 30, 2024, solely for the purpose of providing abortions, as defined in Section 123464 of the Health and Safety Code, and abortion-related care to patients who are Arizona residents traveling from Arizona seeking abortions or abortion-related care in California.
The physician shall not provide care or consultation to any patient that is not related to either performing an abortion or abortion-related care, and shall not provide care or consultation for an abortion or abortion-related care to any patient unless they are Arizona residents who have traveled from Arizona to California for that care or consultation.
A physician registered pursuant to this section shall not practice medicine in California until they submit to the applicable board the street address of a location in this state at which the physician will practice medicine. The registered physician shall submit to the applicable board the street address of each location in this state at which the physician will practice medicine.
SOURCE: CA Business and Professions Code Section 2076.6 as added by SB 233 (2024 Legislative Session). (Accessed Feb. 2025).