TLC Medical Form: Who Signs It and How Long It Lasts

Every new TLC Driver License applicant must upload TLC's "Medical Certification Form – New Driver Applicant," completed by a licensed physician after a medical exam. The exam can be no more than 90 days before the day you file your application, and the form must reach TLC within 90 days after you file. The doctor must be licensed in New York or in the state where you live, and must sign and stamp the form. TLC accepts no other form.

The medical form is one of the most common things holding applications up. In TLC's application tracker on 2026-10-12, 2,405 of 2,967 incomplete applications (81.1%) still needed it:

What the rule requires

TLC rule 80-04(e), "Physical and Mental Fitness for the Job," has four parts:

1. You must be "of sound mental and physical condition and fit to safely operate a vehicle and fulfill the duties of a licensee."
2. Your fitness must be certified by a physician licensed by New York State or by your state of residence, on forms TLC provides.
3. TLC can, for good cause, require you to be examined by a licensed physician chosen by TLC.
4. An existing license can be suspended or revoked if the driver fails to be examined for a physical or mental condition.

What is on the form

The form (version dated 6.30.17) is one page. The physician certifies that they examined you on a given date and ticks one box: you are or are not "medically fit to safely operate a TLC licensed vehicle." The form defines medically fit as being "of sound physical condition with good eyesight and no epilepsy, vertigo, heart trouble or any other infirmity of body or mind" that would make you unfit to drive safely "at all times of the day."

The physician fills in:

• their last and first name, and signature;
• mailing address and phone number;
• physician's license number and the state where they are licensed;
• an official stamp — the form says in capital letters that it "must be validated with an official stamp by physician."

TLC's Road to Licensure flyer describes the signer as a Medical Doctor (MD) or Osteopathic Doctor (DO).

The 90-day rule, in both directions

The 90 days work on both sides of your application date:

The simplest plan: see the doctor after you file, or within a few weeks before. If you had a physical months ago for another job, it is probably too old.

Why TLC rejects a form, and the fix

TLC's Licensing Requirements Checklist names two medical problems in its texts:

Before you leave the doctor's office, check that every box is filled, the "fit" box is ticked, the date is right, and the stamp is clear on your copy. Use the form version from TLC's own site, since TLC says "no other form will be accepted." For where to upload, see our TLC UP portal guide, and for other TLC paperwork see the TLC forms directory.

Common situations

• You live in New Jersey and see a New Jersey doctor. Fine — the rule accepts a physician licensed by your state of residence. Make sure the form says "New Jersey" in the "state in which physician is licensed" box.
• You live in Queens and your family doctor is licensed only in another state. The rule's two options are a New York license or your state of residence, so that doctor doesn't fit. See a New York-licensed physician.
• The doctor was licensed only in another country. Not on the rule's list. Use a physician licensed in New York or your state of residence.
• You reapply after a denial. Treat it as a new application: the exam date must again be within 90 days before the new filing date.
• You have a health condition. TLC doesn't publish a list of conditions beyond the form's definition. The decision on the form is the physician's medical opinion — talk to your doctor honestly.

Form languages

TLC's license page posts the form in English and in Arabic, Bengali, Simplified Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish and Urdu. A translated version helps you read what the doctor is certifying. If you are unsure which version your doctor should sign, ask TLC at LicensingInquiries@tlc.nyc.gov. If you need an interpreter to talk to TLC about it, see TLC in your language.

When TLC wants its own doctor

Rule 80-04(e)(3) lets TLC require an exam by a physician TLC chooses, "for good cause." The rule doesn't list the causes. If TLC directs you to an exam, keep the appointment and keep proof that you went: for a licensed driver, failing to be examined can lead to suspension or revocation (80-04(e)(4)). If your license is suspended for this or any other reason, see TLC license reinstatement.

Where this fits in your timeline

The medical form is one of about a dozen items — drug test, fingerprints, courses, exam, DMV papers — that all share the same 90 days. See how they fit together in how long it takes to get a TLC license and how to get a TLC license. If you hold an out-of-state driver license, you also have the separate DMV step in ID-5 and FS-6T for out-of-state drivers. For written questions, email LicensingInquiries@tlc.nyc.gov; for the licensing office address and what you can book there, see the Long Island City office guide.