New Jersey physicians renewing June 30, 2027 — checklist

Every New Jersey physician license, MD and DO alike, expires on June 30 of odd-numbered years, "regardless of the initial date of issue," in the Board of Medical Examiners' words. The next date is June 30, 2027. The CME window for it is the biennial period that began July 1, 2025.

This renewal is different from the last one. A rule amendment effective May 5, 2025 added a 2-credit sexual misconduct prevention requirement for every physician and a 1-credit explicit and implicit bias requirement for physicians who provide perinatal care, both starting with the period that began July 1, 2025. June 30, 2027 is the first renewal at which you must show them.

This is the short, dated version. The full rules, with citations, are in our New Jersey CME requirements guide, and the New Jersey MD deadline page shows the date.

What this renewal needs

Under N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(b), you need 100 credits in Category I or Category II, and at least 40 must be Category I: AMA PRA Category 1 or AOA Category 1. The topic credits come out of those 40; they are not added on top. The other 60 can be Category II.

If you carried credits forward from the period that ended June 30, 2025, up to 25 excess credits can apply to this period only (N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(h)). Up to 10 credits per period can come from unpaid care for low-income patients, at one credit for every two hours, but they do not count toward the 40 Category I credits.

AOA Category 1-B and AAFP Prescribed credit are not named in the CME rule. They should count as Category I, but if many of your 40 Category I credits are either kind, confirm with the Board.

The new sexual misconduct course: check all seven topics

N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(e) requires two Category I credit hours, from one course or a series, that together cover all of these:

1. understanding sexual misconduct, including its forms and types;
2. informed consent for sensitive procedures, including breast, pelvic, genital and rectal procedures;
3. interacting with patients who have been sexually abused or harassed;
4. the power dynamics that contribute to sexual misconduct in health care;
5. what to do if you experience unwelcome sexual contact;
6. bystander intervention and the duty to report under P.L.2005, c.83; and
7. identifying human trafficking and how and where to report it.

A general boundaries or ethics course will often miss one or two of these, especially human trafficking and the New Jersey reporting law. Before you count a course, compare its stated objectives against the list. Keep a copy of the course description with the certificate, so an auditor can see the match.

The perinatal bias credit: does it apply to you?

N.J.S.A. 45:9-7.9 and N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(r) require one Category I credit in "evidence-based training in explicit and implicit bias" for physicians who provide perinatal treatment and care to pregnant persons. The rule lists ten required elements, including a review of the New Jersey Maternal Mortality Review Committee's annual report, so a general implicit bias course may not qualify. Family physicians who see pregnant patients, obstetricians, and others who provide prenatal, delivery or postpartum care should plan on it. If you are unsure whether your practice counts as perinatal care, confirm with the Board.

The other topics, every renewal

• End-of-life care, 2 credits (N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(c)).
• Prescription opioid drugs, 1 credit (N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(d)) on responsible prescribing, alternatives to opioids for pain, and the risks and signs of abuse, addiction and diversion. It applies to every physician, not only prescribers.
• Cultural competency, 6 hours, one time (N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.25), if you did not receive cultural competency instruction in medical school. If you finished it years ago, make sure you still have the record.

If this is your first New Jersey renewal

If you finished an accredited residency or fellowship within 12 months before you were licensed, N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(f) exempts you from CME for your initial biennial period. You still owe a Board-presented or Board-approved orientation course within 24 months of licensure. Everyone else owes the full 100 credits, even if the license was issued partway through the period. If you were licensed during the current period and are unsure which applies, confirm with the Board.

What to do, month by month

October to December 2026

• Total what you have earned since July 1, 2025. Sort it into Category I and Category II.
• Find a sexual misconduct prevention course that covers all seven topics, and the perinatal bias course if it applies to you.

January to March 2027

• Fill the gaps: Category I first, then the rest of the 100.
• Check that each certificate shows your name, the date, the hours and the credit designation.

April to May 2027

• Watch for the Board's renewal notice and confirm your address and email with the Board are current.
• Gather everything in one folder. New Jersey has no CE tracking system: you certify on the renewal application that you met the requirements, and the Board audits at random.

By June 30, 2027

• Renew and pay before the license expires. Keep proof of every credit for six years after you completed it (N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(k)).

If you miss June 30

Under N.J.A.C. 13:35-3.14, you can still renew within 30 days after expiration by paying a late fee with the application, and the license stays valid during those 30 days. After that, the license is suspended without a hearing, and practicing on it counts as unlicensed practice. Getting it back means reinstatement, which the Board handles as a separate application.

If severe illness, disability, military service or another hardship kept you from finishing CME, the Board may grant a waiver or extension on a written request (N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(l)). The rule says to file within 60 days after the renewal period expires; confirm the current process with the Board before you rely on it.

Plan it once

The renewal planner shows the credits and topics still open for this period. If you hold licenses in other states too, see CME for multiple state licenses. For everything else that renews, including your DEA registration and the one-time MATE Act training, use the medical license renewal checklist.

Requirements change. This checklist was checked against the sources below in October 2026; confirm with the Board before you rely on it.