Quick answer: you verify a professional license by going straight to the state board that issued it and searching their public license lookup tool. Not the PDF the candidate emailed you. Not the license number typed into an application form. The board's own record, checked by you, today.
That's called primary source verification. For a licensed role, it's not optional. I'm not going to bury the actual steps under three paragraphs of setup, so here they are.
Primary source just means the place the license really came from. Not a copy. Not a resume line. Not a background check summary written by someone who never looked at the board's own record. The state board itself, or whatever body actually issues that credential.
A candidate can hand you the nicest-looking certificate in the world. That tells you they had a valid license at some point. It tells you nothing about right now. Licenses lapse. They get suspended. Some get pulled entirely after a disciplinary case the candidate would rather not mention.
Most state licensing boards run a free public lookup anyone can use. You don't need special access or a paid service to do the basic check yourself.
Search for the board (the exact site changes by state and I'm not going to guess at one and risk sending you somewhere outdated). Search their license lookup by the candidate's name or, better, their license number if you have it. A name search can pull up the wrong person, especially with a common name. A license number won't.
Once you find the record, check three things. Is the status active, not expired or lapsed? Is there a suspension or revocation listed? And is there any disciplinary or complaint history posted against it? Most boards show all three right on the same page.
Not every role. If nothing about the job requires a license, skip this entirely and don't waste the time. But for regulated roles, it's the whole point of the hire.
| Role | Who licenses them | What you're confirming |
|---|---|---|
| Registered nurse | State board of nursing | Active status, no discipline, correct state |
| General contractor | State contractor licensing board | Active license, bond/insurance status where tracked |
| Real estate agent | State real estate commission | Active status, no suspension |
| CPA | State board of accountancy | Good standing with the board |
| Commercial driver | State DMV / FMCSA | Valid CDL, correct endorsements |
| Attorney | State bar association | Active bar membership, good standing |
Notice a pattern. Every one of these is a job where a fake or lapsed credential doesn't just embarrass you. It's a liability problem. A nurse working on an expired license, a contractor working unlicensed, that's on your company, not just on them.
It's rarely a dramatic "REVOKED" stamp. More often it's quieter than that. An expired date nobody noticed. A license that's active in the state the candidate used to work in, but not the one you're hiring them for. A complaint listed as "pending" with no resolution yet.
Any of those is worth a direct conversation before you write it off. Some are genuinely nothing, a renewal that's a few weeks behind schedule. Some are a real problem. You won't know which until you ask.
One more thing. Search by license number when you can, not just a name. I've seen name searches pull up someone else entirely who happens to share a name with your candidate. That's not a small mix-up. That's the wrong person's disciplinary record attached to the wrong file.
Most candidates aren't lying to you. A license lapsing is usually just someone forgetting to renew, not a scheme. But "usually not lying" isn't the same as "verified," and for a regulated role, verified is the bar.
And it does happen. Not often, but it happens: a certificate that's outdated, altered, or for a license that was never actually active in your state. That's exactly why the check has to happen against the board's own record, not against whatever the candidate hands you.
Do background check companies do this for me? A lot of them offer license verification as a specific report type, separate from criminal or employment checks. Ask directly if it's included in your package or billed separately. Don't assume.
How often should this get re-checked? At hire, at minimum. Some regulated industries re-verify annually or whenever a license is up for renewal. That part depends on your industry, so I won't guess at a universal rule here.
What if I can't find the board's lookup tool? Search "[state] [profession] license verification" and you'll usually land on it fast. If the board's site is genuinely down or confusing, most boards also verify by phone.
What if the candidate's license is active but in a different state? That matters. A lot of professions require a license specific to the state where the work happens, not just any active license anywhere. Don't assume reciprocity. Check.