Virginia Podiatry Licensing

In Virginia, podiatrists are licensed by the Board of Medicine under the same regulations as physicians and chiropractors, 18VAC85-20. That shared rulebook explains the state's most distinctive feature for podiatrists moving there: licensure by endorsement is tied to specialty board certification. A board-certified podiatrist with recent practice has a short path. Everyone else has a longer one.

Who qualifies for Virginia endorsement?

Under 18VAC85-20-141, an applicant for licensure by endorsement must:

1. hold at least one current, active license in a US jurisdiction or Canada;
2. have been in active practice two of the last five years immediately before applying, which need not be consecutive;
3. verify that the most recent license held elsewhere is in good standing, meaning current and unrestricted, or if lapsed, eligible for renewal or reinstatement;
4. hold current certification from a listed specialty board, which for podiatrists means the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery (ABFAS) or the American Board of Podiatric Medicine (ABPM);
5. submit a current report from the National Practitioner Data Bank; and
6. have no grounds for denial under Virginia law and no disciplinary restrictions on a current license.

The certification requirement is the dividing line. A podiatrist who is board qualified but not yet certified, or whose certification has lapsed, does not meet it and applies through the standard route. The NPDB report is a self-query you request yourself from the Data Bank. Our endorsement overview shows how unusual a certification requirement is among states.

Which route applies without board certification?

Virginia Code 54.1-2930 lets the board license a podiatrist who submits "satisfactory evidence verified by affidavits" of being at least 18, of good moral character, educated at an acceptable institution, and having completed at least 12 months of satisfactory postgraduate training in one program or institution approved by a recognized accrediting agency. You sign those affidavits yourself. The board's rule, 18VAC85-20-121, says the podiatry school must be approved by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education, and the 12 months must be in one program.

There is one waiver. At the board's discretion, the postgraduate training can be waived for a podiatry applicant who has been in active practice for four continuous years while serving in the military and is a diplomate of the American Board of Podiatric Surgery, the board the statute names.

For the exam, 18VAC85-20-140(C) accepts a podiatrist who has passed the NBPME examination and "a clinical competence examination acceptable to the board," which today is APMLE Part III. The Executive Director or a designee reviews each application and refers any file that does not clearly meet every requirement to the board's Credentials Committee. Since April 1, 2026, APMLE scores go to boards from your own Meazure Learning Connect account; see where APMLE scores come from now.

Does a Virginia license limit amputation and ulcer care?

Virginia Code 54.1-2900 defines the practice of podiatry as treating the human foot and ankle, including medical, mechanical and surgical treatment. It sets three limits that matter in surgery and wound care:

• No amputation of the foot "proximal to the transmetatarsal level through the metatarsal shafts."
• Amputations proximal to the metatarsophalangeal joints only in a hospital or ambulatory surgery facility accredited by an organization the Code lists.
• Lower extremity ulcers are within scope, but "severe lower extremity ulcers proximal to the foot and ankle" may be treated only by appropriately trained, credentialed podiatrists in an approved hospital or ambulatory surgery center where they have privileges.

The statute also gives the Board of Medicine the final word on whether a specific foot or ankle treatment is within podiatric scope. For wound-care companies, the severe-ulcer rule ties leg wound work to facility privileges; see how far up the leg a podiatrist can treat wounds and the scope by state page.

How much are Virginia's fees, and how often do you renew?

18VAC85-20-22 sets a $302 application fee for podiatry. Licenses renew every two years, in your birth month in even-numbered years, for $337, with a $115 late fee within one renewal cycle. Residents and interns use a limited license, $55 to apply and $35 a year to renew.

Under 18VAC85-20-235, renewal requires an attestation of at least 30 hours of continuing learning in the two years before renewal, in Type 1 activities. For podiatry, Type 1 hours are accredited by the American Podiatric Medical Association, the American Council of Certified Podiatric Physicians and Surgeons, or another board-approved organization. The first biennial renewal after initial Virginia licensure is exempt, and records must be kept for six years.

How can we help with Virginia?

If you hold current ABFAS or ABPM certification and two of the last five years in practice, Virginia is our Podiatrist License by Endorsement service, $799: we prepare the application for your signature, request license verifications and your certification verification, walk you through ordering your NPDB self-query, and track the file to the board. Without certification, it is a Full State Podiatry License Application, $899, built around the affidavits, the 12-month training verification and your Part III scores. You sign every affidavit and pay the board directly. See the Virginia state page for current requirements.