Overview
A Medical Examiner's Certificate is a document you get from your doctor after a physical checkup. It says that you're fit to drive a commercial vehicle. Your doctor fills out the form, gives you one copy, and keeps another for at least 3 years.
Most commercial drivers need to submit their Medical Examiner’s Certificate to PennDOT. Some drivers, like school bus drivers or government employees, don't need to send this certificate as long as they self-certify to PennDOT. But your medical check is part of getting or renewing your license, and your driving type and medical condition will be in your record.
Additional resources:
Resources for Medical Providers
How to Submit Your Documents
You will need:
- Your Medical Examiner's Certificate
- Your Self-Certification Form
Send them to PennDOT by email at CDLmedscert@pa.gov, by fax to (717) 783-5429 or by mailing it to:
PennDOT
Bureau of Driver Licensing
P.O. Box 69008
Harrisburg, PA 17106 -9008
Sample Medical Examiner's Certificate
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes. PennDOT will take the Medical Examiner’s Certificate from an out-of-state doctor on the National Registry.
PennDOT will send you a receipt after processing your Medical Examiner’s Certification and/or Self-Certification Form. Keep this receipt safe.
The type of driving you're certified for and your Medical Examiner's Certificate info will be on your driver abstract. You can also give your employer a copy of the receipt showing when PennDOT processed the info.
If you don't send in your medical certification within 45 days, your commercial license will be not-certified. If you restore your driving privilege before sending in the certification and your license is still valid, it'll go back to being commercial.
If your medical certification is cancelled, your commercial driving status will be taken away right away, and you'll get a regular driver's license by mail. You'll also get a letter explaining this. To get your commercial driving status back, you might need to apply for a commercial learner's permit and pass the necessary tests again.
Yes, you'll get a reminder letter from PennDOT about 90 and 30 days before your Medical Examiner's Certificate expires.
When your Medical Examiner's Certificate expires, PennDOT will send you a notice saying your medical certification status has changed. You'll have 45 days to give them a new certificate to avoid losing your commercial license. You can get a new certificate at a PennDOT Driver License Center up to the day your current one expires.
Yes. To avoid losing your commercial driving status and having to get a new permit, you need to switch your driving type to “Excepted Interstate” or “Excepted Intrastate” using the Self-Certification Form (DL-11CD). Remember, once you switch, you won't be able to do any Non-excepted driving. When you renew your Medical Examiner’s Certificate later, you'll need to send it in with a new Self-Certification Form.
It depends on how you've classified your driving. If you're a Non-excepted interstate driver, your Medical Examiner’s Certificate info will be stored in the CDLIS. When you switch your license to a new state, CDLIS will give them this info. If you're a Non-excepted Intrastate driver and will still be driving that way in your new state, you'll need to show your Medical Examiner’s Certificate when you transfer your license.
1. Non-excepted drivers include:
- All commercial drivers moving goods or services across state lines.
- Those with federal vision or diabetes exemptions or an SPE completion.
- School bus drivers transporting students out of state for activities other than home-to-school trips.
2. Excepted drivers include:
- Drivers who work for the government and those who drive school buses on trips out of state.
- Drivers of medium-sized vehicles in interstate trips (need a health certificate).
- People who drive their own stuff to other states.
- Drivers taking sick or injured people across state lines.
- Firefighters driving emergency vehicles in interstate emergencies.
- People driving small buses on interstate trips. Beekeepers who move bees across state lines.
- People who harvest crops and move them to other states.
- Farmers driving their trucks within 150 miles of home.
- People driving friends or family across state lines.
- People delivering emergency propane or responding to pipeline issues across state lines.
This is a sample medical examiner's certificate