Mesh
Verifying medical credentials shouldn't be complicated. This guide shows you how to perform a California Physician License Lookup using the authoritative DCA BreEZe system. Learn how to confirm license status, expiration dates, and disciplinary history for MDs and DOs via their respective boards. Please share whether this guide was helpful! success@meshverify.com.
Medical Board of California
Quick Links and Contact Information
Use for: Physician and Surgeon (MD) licenses, Postgraduate Training Authorization (PTA), faculty, limited, and special-purpose allopathic physician licenses.
Official license lookup portal URL: https://search.dca.ca.gov/
Board website: https://www.mbc.ca.gov/
Verification instructions page: https://www.mbc.ca.gov/License-Verification/
Phone number(s): (916) 263-2382
Email or web contact form: https://www.mbc.ca.gov/About/Contact/
Mailing address:
Medical Board of California
2005 Evergreen Street, Suite 1200
Sacramento, CA 95815
Osteopathic Medical Board of California
Quick Links and Contact Information
Use for: Osteopathic Physician and Surgeon (DO) licenses and related osteopathic physician authorizations.
Official license lookup portal URL: https://search.dca.ca.gov/
Board website: https://www.ombc.ca.gov/
Verification instructions page: https://www.ombc.ca.gov/licensees/verify-license.shtml
Phone number(s): (916) 263-3100
Email or web contact form: https://www.ombc.ca.gov/about/contact.shtml
Mailing address:
Osteopathic Medical Board of California
2005 Evergreen Street, Suite 1300
Sacramento, CA 95815
What This Lookup Verifies
The California Physician License Lookup confirms whether an individual holds a physician license issued by the California Department of Consumer Affairs and the applicable medical board. When accessed directly through the DCA License Search, this constitutes primary source verification.
Manual reviewers validate the following fields in the California Physician License Lookup:
Licensee name
License number
License type
License status
Issue date and Expiration date
Issuing board
License restrictions or conditions
Any posted disciplinary indicators or enforcement actions
Which Board Should Be Used?
Selecting the wrong board causes false negatives in the California Physician License Lookup. Always match the claimed role to the issuing board before searching.
|
License Category (Claimed Role) |
Issuing Board |
|
Physician and Surgeon (MD) |
Medical Board of California |
|
Postgraduate Training Authorization (PTA) |
Medical Board of California |
|
Faculty or limited MD licenses |
Medical Board of California |
|
Osteopathic Physician and Surgeon (DO) |
Osteopathic Medical Board of California |
Manual Verification Steps
1. Open the official California Physician License Lookup portal: https://search.dca.ca.gov/.2. Select Advanced Search to narrow results before searching.
3. Select the correct Board or Bureau based on the claimed role.
4. Select the correct License Type when available.
5. Search by license number first; if unavailable, search by name while keeping board and license type filters applied.
6. Open the full license record. Do not rely on summary search results.
7. Confirm the following required fields: licensee name, license number, license type, license status, issue date, expiration date, and issuing board.
8. Review the full record for license restrictions, conditions, or disciplinary indicators.
9. Open and review any linked enforcement or disciplinary documents when present.
10. If disciplinary information is unclear or incomplete, contact the issuing board using the information above and document the outreach.
License Status Interpretation
Active
Meaning: License is current and issued by the board.
Reviewer action: Confirm the license type authorizes the claimed role; record status and expiration date.
Active with Discipline or Restrictions
Meaning: License is active but includes public disciplinary history or conditions.
Reviewer action: Review all posted enforcement information and document what was reviewed; escalate per internal policy.
Expired / Inactive
Meaning: License is not in an active practice status or has passed its expiration date.
Reviewer action: Treat as not authorized for practice; request updated information and re-verify.
Suspended / Revoked
Meaning: License is not valid for practice and is subject to enforcement action.Reviewer action: Do not pass verification; document status and escalate immediately.
Example License Number Formats
Reference only. Fictional examples.
Physician and Surgeon (MD): A12XXX
Osteopathic Physician and Surgeon (DO): 20XXX
Postgraduate Training Authorization (PTA): PTAXXX
Unique License Types
Medical Board of California:
Physician and Surgeon (MD)
Postgraduate Training Authorization (PTA)
Faculty or special-purpose physician licenses
Limited or volunteer physician licenses
Osteopathic Medical Board of California:
Osteopathic Physician and Surgeon (DO)
If the license type does not authorize independent practice or does not match the claimed role, flag the record for review before passing the California Physician License Lookup.
Common Manual Review Mistakes
Searching the wrong board (MD vs. DO) and concluding the license does not exist.
Passing a training (PTA) or faculty license as independent practice authorization.
Relying on summary search results instead of opening the full record.
Assuming “Active” means unrestricted practice.
Missing posted disciplinary actions or license conditions.
Streamline manual review with Professional License Verify
Manual California Physician License Lookup works. It does not scale.
Mesh Professional License Verify automates this exact workflow as Primary License Verification (PLV) with consistent outputs, evidence capture, and monitoring.
LinkedIn
