Licence notes / checking a name
Check the name behind the website.
A nice website is easy to make. A licence record is a better place to begin.
Read the notesKeep these questions close
- Get the full name.
- Open the state board’s record.
- Check the pharmacy separately.
Pause. Ask. Check the answer.
Match the person to the public record.
Get the full name and licence details.
Ask who would assess you. Use the full name, and ask for the licence number if the name is common.
Go through the board directory.
The Federation of State Medical Boards has links to medical boards in each state.
Choose the state you will be in for your visit. On the board’s site, open the licence search.
Read the status and any public action.
Boards publish licence information and actions taken against a doctor, though the detail available differs by state.
Even when no public action appears in a doctor’s record, the record does not establish the quality of their care.
If a detail does not match, ask the service to explain it before going further.
Run a separate pharmacy check.
Get the pharmacy’s name.
Ask which pharmacy will prepare or send the medicine. Check that the name you receive matches the label.
Open the pharmacy licence search.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) links to each state’s searchable pharmacy licence records.
The FDA advises against using an online pharmacy missing from your state’s licence records.
A licence record confirms the licence; it does not prove that every medicine is being dispensed properly.
Ask about shipping across state lines.
As of September 26, 2026, most states required their own licence or permit for pharmacies shipping medicine in from another state.
Ask the pharmacy what authorisation covers delivery to your state. Check the answer with that state’s pharmacy board.
A badge does not settle it.
As of September 26, 2026, a place listed as “FDA registered” was entered in the agency’s records.
That listing did not give the place or its medicines FDA approval.
The FDA does not approve doctors’ offices or other care providers.
When an advert says “FDA registered”, ask what was registered. Go back to the actual licence and product records.