In short
If you are a nurse, therapist, psychologist, counsellor, pharmacist, medical technologist, dentist or physician, this is where the licence is renewed. The Office for the Regulation and Certification of Health Professionals (ORCPS) maintains the registry of all licences issued and registered by each profession’s examining board, and receives and processes renewal applications every three years. It is done online, on its portal. To be recertified you must submit the application and complete it in full before the expiry date, together with evidence of continuing education, the criminal record certificate from Puerto Rico — and from where you live, if you live elsewhere — and the ASUME Negative Child Support Certificate. Documents are uploaded as PDF, JPG or JPEG, no larger than 10 MB each, and payment is by VISA or MasterCard.
What is it?
ORCPS is the Department of Health office that maintains the registry of all licences issued and registered by each health profession’s examining board. That registry collects data on licensed professionals, which allows demographic profiles to be developed. On its online portal it offers three services: registration and recertification of a permanent licence, the licence verification request — known as Good Standing — and an area to validate registration certifications issued by ORCPS itself and by the Medical Licensing and Discipline Board. ORCPS states it continues working to expand and improve its online system.
Who can do it?
It applies to health professionals holding a licence issued or registered by an examining board in Puerto Rico. The specific recertification requirements — in particular how many continuing education hours are needed — are set by each examining board, not by ORCPS, and vary by profession. ORCPS expressly refers you to the Department of Health’s examining boards section to find them, and this guide does the same rather than publishing an hours figure that would be wrong for most professions.
Requirements
- Submitting the application and completing it in full before the licence’s expiry date.Verified against the official source
- Accompanying it with evidence of continuing education activities.Verified against the official source
- The criminal record (good conduct) certificate from Puerto Rico, and also from where you reside if that is outside Puerto Rico.Verified against the official source
- The Negative Child Support Certificate issued by ASUME.Verified against the official source
- Any other documentation your application requires, plus payment.Verified against the official source
Documents you need
Cost
Step by step
Step 1: Count backwards from the expiry date
ORCPS is explicit: to be recertified you must submit your application and complete the required information in full before the expiry date. Not submit it and complete it later. Since two of the documents come from other agencies and take time, the real work starts weeks earlier.
Step 2: Request the ASUME certificate now
The ASUME Negative Child Support Certificate is the one most people discover late, because it has nothing to do with the profession. It is a separate errand at a separate agency. Get it out of the way first.
Step 3: Get the criminal record certificates that apply to you
The Puerto Rico one always. And if you reside outside Puerto Rico, also the one from where you live. They are two different documents from two different jurisdictions, and someone licensed here but living elsewhere needs both.
Step 4: Confirm your hours with your examining board
Continuing education is required, but how much is yours is set by your examining board and varies by profession. ORCPS refers you to the Department of Health’s examining boards section for the recertification requirements. Look it up for your profession, not by what a colleague in another discipline had to do.
Step 5: Digitise properly before uploading
The portal only accepts PDF, JPG and JPEG, and no document may exceed 10 MB. A maximum-resolution scan of a multi-page certificate goes over that easily; lower the resolution beforehand, not at the last minute.
Step 6: Pay by VISA or MasterCard
Those are the only ones the portal states it accepts. If your card is on another network, sort it out before you reach the end of the process.
Where to do it
Online, on the ORCPS services portal, orcps.salud.pr.gov, which hosts permanent licence registration and recertification, the licence verification (Good Standing) request, licence verification, and the area for validating registration certifications issued by ORCPS and by the Medical Licensing and Discipline Board. The Department of Health can be reached at 787-765-2929.
How long it takes
What to do if something goes wrong
If what you are asked for is a “Good Standing”, that is the licence verification request and it is a service distinct from recertification, on the same portal. If you need to check another professional’s licence, ORCPS publishes a licence verification and a health professional search engine. If you live outside Puerto Rico, remember that two criminal record certificates are needed, not one. If your document will not upload, check the format and size before blaming the portal: only PDF, JPG and JPEG, and 10 MB maximum per document. This guide states no cost, continuing education hours, processing time, whether a grace period exists after expiry, or what happens if the licence lapses, because ORCPS publishes none of that on its portal and the hours depend on each examining board; check with yours. PRFácil does not process recertifications and does not act as an intermediary with ORCPS.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the ASUME Negative Child Support Certificate to the end: it is a different agency and a different errand.
- Submitting an incomplete application before expiry, thinking it can be completed afterwards.
- Living outside Puerto Rico and bringing only the Puerto Rico criminal record certificate.
- Looking for continuing education hours at ORCPS rather than at your examining board.
- Uploading scans over 10 MB or in formats the portal does not accept.
- Confusing recertification with licence verification (Good Standing): they are two distinct services.
Frequently asked questions
How often is recertification?
ORCPS receives and processes licence renewal applications every three years.
Which documents are needed?
Evidence of continuing education activities, the Puerto Rico criminal record certificate — and one from where you reside if you live elsewhere — the ASUME Negative Child Support Certificate, any other documentation your application requires, and payment. All digitised as PDF, JPG or JPEG, 10 MB maximum per document.
How many continuing education hours do I need?
It depends on your profession. ORCPS refers you to the Department of Health’s examining boards section for the recertification requirements, and this guide does not publish a figure that would be wrong for most professions.
Official sources
These are the government pages this guide is based on.
- Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico
Salud
orcps.salud.pr.gov
- Department of Health — official site
Departamento de Salud
www.salud.pr.gov
Last verified
August 13, 2026
MiPRFácil is an independent informational website and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Government of Puerto Rico or any government agency.
MiPRFácil does not submit applications on your behalf.
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