Letting License Lapse vs. Inactive?

[psychologypancake]

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I have a Maryland psychologist license, but I've moved abroad with no immediate plans of returning. I'm licensed in my new country, though I don't currently practice. Even though I am not necessarily planning on moving back to the US anytime soon (and not even necessarily Maryland--that's just where I happened to live after graduation, and they didn't require postdoc hours), I'm debating whether to keep my license. I could either let it lapse or put it in "inactive" status, which costs $100/year. I worry that if I let it lapse, I'd have to do something complicated or re-take the EPPP if I were to seek licensure in the future.

Does anyone have experience with this type of situation or thoughts on my best option?

I'd prefer to save money (immigration is expensive 😭), but I'd be willing to spend it if it seems necessary.

 

[WisNeuro]

If you think returning to practice in the US at some point in the future, I'd keep a license going, personally. Much easier to then license with seniority expedited review at that point.

 

[PsyDr]

I would keep the license, and keep it active.

1) Most psychology license and malpractice insurance applications say something about “licensed practice”, and “describe any gaps in your license”. Fair or not, they’ll assume that any gaps are because you lost your license due to misbehavior.

2) There is a chance that MD changes their laws at some point between now, and when you want to come to the US to retire in 30 years. If that happened, and you had to do a post doc to get licensed, what would that cost? $10k in moving, $100k in opportunity costs, $20k in living expenses not covered by post doc salary. Alternatively, you pay $300/yr to keep your license active for 30 years, costing you $9k. That’s a cheap way to ensure that you can immediately come back to the states and work.

3) Weigh the costs of your entire education, relative to the annual costs of renewal, before you start getting too "economical".

 

[ClinicalABA]

I'm in a similar situation. I have chosen to keep my primary US license (Mass.) active, just in case. I have let my secondary license (Conn.) go inactive. Mass is like $250 every 2 years, so I can suck that up until I'm sure where I'll end up. Conn. Is $570 every year, so no thanks. I'd encourage you to get the CPQ to help with portability in the future, if needed.