A brand that advertises nationwide availability and holds licences in fifty states has not covered Puerto Rico. The island is a United States jurisdiction with its own licensing board, its own statutes, and Spanish as its language of record.
Medical licensing runs through the Junta de Licenciamiento y Disciplina Médica (JLDM), created under Ley 139-2008. The Junta licenses physicians, hears disciplinary matters, issues subpoenas and administers oaths, and may seek injunctive relief in court against any person or public or private entity engaged in conduct that may violate the law.
What that means for a nationwide brand
- A Florida, Texas or California licence confers nothing on the island.
- The Junta is a real enforcement body, not a registry.
- Marketing that says “all 50 states and Puerto Rico” is a representation you need licensure to support.
- Spanish-language patient materials are a practical necessity, not an enhancement.
And the telemedicine layer
Until 2025 a physician also needed a separate telemedicine Certification under Ley 168-2018. Ley 8-2025 removed that for practitioners already authorized to practise in Puerto Rico — and left it in place for practitioners licensed only in a mainland jurisdiction. The route around licensure is precisely the route that still carries the extra requirement.
The general lesson
Territories get dropped. Most compliance content, most vendor charts and most internal state matrices stop at fifty. If your service accepts a patient with a Puerto Rico address, or a Guam or US Virgin Islands address, someone has to have decided in advance whether you are licensed to treat them.
This is the same discipline as North Dakota’s rule that practice occurs where the patient is: patient location drives licensure, and the map has to be complete.
If Puerto Rico is in scope
License through the Junta, staff physicians who hold that licence, and build the clinical and consent materials in Spanish. It is a real market with a real regulator, and it responds well to being treated as one.
Related reading
Frequently asked questions
Does a mainland medical licence cover Puerto Rico?
No. Puerto Rico licenses through its own Junta de Licenciamiento y Disciplina Médica under Ley 139-2008.
Is Puerto Rico part of the United States for licensing purposes?
It is a US jurisdiction, but a separate licensing jurisdiction with its own board and statutes.
What powers does the Junta have?
It licenses physicians, conducts administrative hearings, issues subpoenas and administers oaths, and may seek injunctive relief against conduct violating the law.
Do we need Spanish-language materials?
Spanish is the island’s language of record, and patient-facing materials should be available in it.
General information about Puerto Rico licensing, not legal advice. Confirm your obligations with the Junta de Licenciamiento y Disciplina Médica and counsel licensed in Puerto Rico.