Does an NPI Expire? NPI Changes, Deactivation and Reactivation
September 06, 2026
A National Provider Identifier (NPI) is intended to be a lasting identifier for a health care provider. Unlike some licenses, certifications and enrollment records, an NPI does not have an expiration date that requires the provider to periodically obtain a new number.
An NPI can, however, be deactivated and, when appropriate, reactivated. Providers are also responsible for keeping information associated with their NPI current in the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES).
This distinction is important because a change to a provider's name, address, specialty or practice location generally does not mean that the provider needs a new NPI.
Does an NPI Number Expire?
No. An NPI does not expire.
CMS describes the NPI as a lasting identifier. Once assigned, an NPI generally remains associated with the health care provider even when information about that provider changes.
For an individual provider, this means the provider does not periodically renew the NPI or obtain a replacement NPI simply because time has passed.
What Changes Do Not Normally Require a New NPI?
CMS states that an NPI is expected to remain unchanged when a provider changes information that was reported as part of the NPI application.
Examples can include changes to:
- Provider name
- Business or practice address
- Provider taxonomy or specialty information
- Other information maintained as part of the NPPES record
Rather than obtaining a different NPI simply because this information changes, the appropriate information associated with the existing NPI is generally updated in NPPES.
For a general introduction to how NPIs identify health care providers, see What Is an NPI Number? Complete Guide to National Provider Identifiers.
Does an NPI Change When a Provider Changes Their Name?
No. A name change does not normally require an individual provider to obtain a new NPI.
The provider's NPI remains the same and the identifying information associated with the NPI can be updated to reflect the provider's current name.
This is one reason an NPI should not be interpreted as containing information about the provider. The NPI is an intelligence-free identifier; the 10 digits themselves do not encode the provider's name, location or specialty.
Does an NPI Change When a Provider Moves?
No. Moving to a different practice location or changing an address does not normally require an individual provider to obtain a new NPI.
The provider's NPPES information should instead reflect the appropriate current address information.
An individual provider may also have more than one business practice location without receiving a separate Type 1 NPI for each location.
Does an NPI Change When a Provider Changes Employers?
An individual provider does not normally obtain a new Type 1 NPI simply because the provider changes employers, joins another practice or begins working at a different health care organization.
The Type 1 NPI identifies the individual provider, not the provider's employer.
A physician leaves one medical group and begins practicing with another group. The physician generally continues using the same Type 1 NPI. The old and new medical groups may have their own Type 2 organization NPIs, but changing employers does not give the physician a new individual NPI.
See NPI Type 1 vs. Type 2: What's the Difference? for more information about individual and organization NPIs.
Does Changing Specialties Require a New NPI?
No. An individual provider does not receive a new NPI simply because the provider's specialty or taxonomy information changes.
CMS allows an individual to have only one NPI regardless of the number of taxonomies, licenses or business practice locations associated with that individual.
A provider's taxonomy information can be updated in NPPES as the provider's classification or specialization information changes.
For more information about taxonomy information associated with an NPI, see NPI Taxonomy Codes Explained.
Can an NPI Be Deactivated?
Yes. Although an NPI does not expire, it can be deactivated.
Deactivation changes the status of the NPI rather than causing the number to expire because a certain amount of time has passed.
The current CMS NPI Application/Update Form provides separate options for deactivating and reactivating an NPI. When requesting deactivation, information identifying the NPI and the reason for the deactivation is provided.
CMS also maintains deactivation information within NPPES, including NPI deactivation dates.
When Might an NPI Be Deactivated?
The reason for deactivation depends on the circumstances involving the provider or organization.
Examples can include situations in which:
- An organization health care provider is disbanded.
- An NPI has been used fraudulently and circumstances support obtaining a different NPI.
- Another circumstance makes continued use of the existing NPI inappropriate.
Deactivation should not be confused with simply updating information associated with an active NPI. A provider who changes a name, address or taxonomy generally updates the existing NPPES record rather than deactivating the NPI and obtaining another one.
What Happens When an NPI Is Deactivated?
A deactivated NPI should no longer be used in HIPAA standard transactions.
CMS specifically advises covered entities not to use deactivated NPIs in standard transactions and advises providers who have deactivated their NPIs not to use, or allow others to use, those NPIs in standard transactions.
NPPES also maintains deactivation information that can be included in publicly available NPI data.
Can a Deactivated NPI Be Reactivated?
Yes. An NPI can be reactivated when appropriate.
The current CMS NPI Application/Update Form includes reactivation as a specific transaction. The provider identifies the NPI to be reactivated and provides the reason for the reactivation along with the required identifying and certification information.
CMS also states that when an NPI is reactivated, the publicly disclosable NPPES information associated with that NPI can again be displayed through the NPI Registry and included in NPPES downloadable data.
Reactivation is another reason it is more accurate to say that an NPI can become inactive or deactivated rather than saying that the NPI has "expired."
Does Reactivating an NPI Give the Provider a New Number?
Reactivation refers to returning the previously assigned NPI to active status. It does not mean that the provider receives a different NPI simply because the existing NPI had been deactivated.
There are separate circumstances in which a new NPI may be appropriate, but reactivation itself is associated with the previously assigned NPI.
Can an Individual Provider Get a New NPI?
An individual provider generally has only one Type 1 NPI.
Changes to an individual's employer, address, taxonomy, licenses or other routine provider information do not provide a reason to obtain additional Type 1 NPIs.
There can be unusual circumstances in which a new NPI is appropriate. CMS has identified fraudulent use of an existing NPI as an example of a situation that can justify assigning a new NPI and deactivating the previous one.
This is different from an individual provider being associated with an organization that has its own Type 2 NPI. The individual and organization are separate health care providers for NPI enumeration purposes.
When Might an Organization Need a New NPI?
Organization NPIs can involve additional considerations.
CMS states that an organization may determine that a new NPI is appropriate in certain circumstances involving matters such as:
- Certain changes of ownership
- The conditions associated with a purchase
- A new owner's organization subpart strategy
- Fraudulent use of an existing NPI
However, an organizational change should not automatically be interpreted as requiring a new NPI. The circumstances of the organization and applicable NPI enumeration rules must be considered.
For a closer look at situations involving multiple individual and organization NPIs, see Can a Provider Have More Than One NPI?.
Is NPI Deactivation the Same as Medicare Enrollment Deactivation?
No. NPI status and Medicare enrollment status are separate concepts.
An NPI is maintained through NPPES. Medicare provider and supplier enrollment is a separate process.
For example, Medicare may deactivate a provider or supplier's Medicare billing privileges for certain enrollment-related reasons. That does not mean that the provider's NPI itself has expired.
Similarly, having an active NPI does not by itself establish that a provider is actively enrolled in Medicare or eligible for Medicare payment.
For more information about the distinction between an NPI and a Medicare enrollment identifier, see NPI vs. PTAN: What's the Difference?
How Can I Check Whether an NPI Is Active?
You can use the Eclaims NPI Lookup to search publicly available NPPES information associated with an NPI.
An NPI search can also help review other publicly available information associated with the provider, such as:
- Provider or organization name
- Entity type
- Practice location information
- Taxonomy information
- Enumeration and update information
If provider information has changed, remember that the NPI itself may remain the same even though the information associated with the NPI has been updated.
For additional guidance, see How to Look Up an NPI Number.
Does an Active NPI Prove a Provider Is Licensed or Credentialed?
No. NPI status should not be treated as proof that a provider is licensed, credentialed, enrolled with a particular payer, participating in a network or eligible for payment.
The NPI identifies the health care provider. Licensing, credentialing, payer enrollment and other provider qualifications are separate matters.
Quick Recap
- An NPI does not expire.
- An NPI is intended to be a lasting provider identifier.
- A change of name, address or taxonomy generally does not require a new NPI.
- An individual provider does not normally receive a new NPI after changing employers or practice locations.
- An individual may have only one Type 1 NPI.
- An NPI can be deactivated.
- A deactivated NPI should not be used in HIPAA standard transactions.
- An NPI can be reactivated when appropriate.
- Certain organizational changes or unusual circumstances may result in the need for a new NPI.
- NPI deactivation is not the same as deactivation of Medicare billing privileges.
Supporting NPI Resources
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