This renewal process is for:
- Current Kentucky medical cannabis cardholders whose card is approaching its expiration date
- Applicants who want to renew their existing card (not apply for a first-time card)
First time applying in Kentucky? Start here—account, identity, and portal steps.
Renew in the right window, avoid mistakes, and submit your renewal correctly.
Applying for a minor or as a caregiver? Forms, notarization, and portal steps.
Visiting Kentucky with an out-of-state medical cannabis card? See what you need to purchase legally.
This guide walks you through everything you need to become an In-State Qualified Patient under the Kentucky Medical Cannabis Program—from your first practitioner visit to receiving your digital registry ID card.
A practitioner must diagnose you—or confirm a diagnosis—with one of Kentucky’s official qualifying conditions, including:
Cancer
Chronic or severe pain
Epilepsy or seizure disorders
Multiple sclerosis or spasticity
Chronic nausea or cyclical vomiting syndrome
PTSD
During the in-person visit, the practitioner must:
Establish a bona fide practitioner–patient relationship
Confirm a qualifying condition
Review your KASPER prescription history
Discuss risks, side effects, and drug interactions
Obtain parent/guardian consent for minor patients
Practitioner has 24 hours to upload it into the state system
You must apply within 60 days or get extensions
All applications go through the Patient & Caregiver Registration Portal at kymedcan.ky.gov.
Get started by visiting the Kentucky Office of Medical Cannabis website at kymedcan.ky.gov. From the Home Page, select the Patients & Caregivers tab from the header menu and click on the How to Apply tab on the left-hand panel of the Patients & Caregivers Overview page.
In addition to the Qualified Patient & Designated Caregivers Guide, applicants will find more resources and materials available for assistance on the Office website under the Patients & Caregivers menu tab.
To create an account and access the Patient & Caregiver Registration Portal at any time, visit the “How to Apply” tab on the “Patients & Caregivers” page available at kymedcan.ky.gov.
From the How to Apply tab on the Patients & Caregivers page, select the Patient & Caregiver Registration Portal button. This will redirect you to the portal landing page.
The user will receive an email in the inbox for the email address provided requesting verification.
Click the Verify button to complete the account registration.
Note: Be sure to check the junk or spam folder. If a verification email cannot not be found, please email nlssupport-ky-chfs@tylertech.com or call 502-875-3733.
Clicking Sign In will take the user to the registration portal. Before entering, the user will see a box titled “Getting Started” with general information on navigating the application portal.
Review the information provided.
Click Continue to proceed to the portal.
The Patient & Caregiver Registration Portal provides users with a personal dashboard. All
information and documentation required for a medical cannabis registry ID card application and
registration is submitted through the Patient & Caregiver Registration portal.
The user will automatically enter the License Dashboard when opening the registration portal. From
the License Dashboard, the user can navigate to Applications, Invoices, and Account using the menu
panel on the left side of the screen. The Applications tab will provide a list of open New Patient
Registration applications for the account.
At the top of the portal, you will see the first name provided for the account. Selecting this will open a
drop-down menu with the options to Change Password, turn on Dark Mode, or Logout of the account.
The Help icon will provide you with links and contact information for assistance.
The Account tab opens a Settings tab with General Information tab for the account and a Security
tab to manage or add new users. The General Information tab includes the information provided
when registering and creating the account. Here you can update the account phone number by
changing it in the fields and selecting Save or Save & Next.
Please read the warning before proceeding.
If you create multiple accounts, or are added to manage multiple accounts, you can toggle between them using the gray box in the left-hand panel under Selected Account. Note: Only “Individual” accounts created with the required credentials will have the ability to access the patient and caregiver applications.For Kentucky Medical Cannabis Cardholders Renewing Their Registry ID Card
Kentucky medical cannabis cardholders must renew their card before it expires. This guide explains the required timing, documents, and steps to submit a complete renewal application.
This renewal process is for:
You must submit your renewal application:
Tip: Don’t wait until the last minute—submit as soon as you enter the 30–60 day window so you have time to correct any missing items.
To renew, you need a new written certification.
Key rules to know:
Before submitting your renewal application:
(If your application is missing the notarized signature form, it may be considered incomplete.)
When you’re ready to apply:
During the renewal application, you may be required to complete a payment step as part of submission.
Important note:
In 2026, the renewal payment requirement is waived for certain Kentucky cardholders who were issued an initial card in calendar year 2025 and whose card has not expired.
After the Office receives a completed renewal application, they will notify you of approval or denial within 30 days.
A Designated Caregiver is an adult who helps a qualified patient by purchasing and handling medical cannabis on the patient’s behalf. This guide explains how to qualify, apply, get your caregiver card, and follow the rules of the program.
If a caregiver user is entering the portal for the first time, they will need to apply to register for a medical cannabis registry ID card. To do this, click +Create New Application on the left-hand panel to create a new application then select Caregiver from the drop-down menu.
Note: A caregiver applicant must be designated by a registered In-State Qualified Patient applicant. The information provided by the caregiver applicant must match the information provided for the caregiver designated included in the application submitted by the In-State Qualified Patient.
Selecting Caregiver will provide options for a New Caregiver Registration, Caregiver Update, and Caregiver Renewal. To register, choose New Caregiver Registration and select Create Application.
A blank application will populate with header tabs indicating which section is currently in view. The header tabs can be used to navigate to each section of the application.
Each section requires information related to the title and can be viewed or completed at any time while preparing the application.
Once an application is created, it can be saved by clicking save or save & next before leaving each section and edited at any time. Note that some sections allow multiple entries, and each entry will need to be saved separately within the section.
The saved application will be accessible in the Applications tab from the License Dashboard. Once the application has been submitted it cannot be edited.
The New Caregiver Registration application form contains the following sections:
The first tab on the application requires Caregiver Information and Qualified Registered Patient Information. Here the caregiver applicant must provide their full name, phone number, email address, along with a Driver’s License Issuing State and ID number. The social security number provided for the account will automatically populate. The caregiver applicant must also indicate if they are the parent or legal guardian or conservator of the patient and provide their date of birth.
The caregiver applicant is also required to provide an address and the information for the Registered In-State Qualified Patient that has designated them to be a caregiver including full name and Patient Registry Identification Number. The applicant must also indicate if the patient is 18 years of age or older (selecting Yes or No does not change the information required here).
The Documents tab requires the applicant to upload a Notarized Signature Page signed by the caregiver. The Notarized Signature Page for Designated Caregivers is available in the Appendix of this guide or under the “Forms” tab on the “Patients & Caregivers” page at kymedcan.ky.gov.
To upload a document, select Upload next to the document and drop or select the correct file. Click Upload and the application will populate the file under the document section.
Note: Files must be under 10MB in size and portable document format (PDF) is preferred. Files can be deleted under the document section by selecting the red trash can under Actions next to the File Name.
All caregiver applicants are required to complete the Attestations tab with an electronic signature and date. Here caregivers must attest to the following:
The Payment tab requires the patient applicant to indicate how the $25 application fee will be paid. Options include Credit Card or ACH/echeck. Note: You will not be prompted to pay until after you have submitted your application.
An applicant can review the entire application in the Review tab to ensure it has been properly completed with the correct information required. The red X indicates missing information. Once the application has been reviewed and all fields are filled correctly, select Pay & Submit.
Note: The portal will not allow the submission of an application if the caregiver applicant has not submitted a valid Patient License Number (Patient Registry Identification Number) with the correct first and last name and date of birth provided for a designated caregiver on the associated patient registration application.
If the application is complete, the applicant will then be prompted to complete the payment for the registration application. The payment includes the cost of the $25 registration along with a service fee. The service fee will change based on the payment type selected.
Select the payment type and provide the information required for processing. Upon successful submission of payment, the applicant will be redirected back to payment status on the portal.
The payment status will provide a transaction token and indicate that the application is being processed. The applicant should also receive a confirmation email with an application ID number.
By selecting Return to Application, the applicant will open the submitted application in the portal. The banner above the application information will include the application reference code, the application submission date, a transaction ID and the transaction token. The submitted application will remain in the Applications tab on the left-hand panel of the portal until it has been approved or denied.
Note: The application reference code, application submission date, transaction ID and transaction token do not indicate an active registry ID and are only applicable to patient applications that have been successfully submitted and are pending approval or denial from the Cabinet.
All applications are subject to review and acceptance by the Cabinet. The application and review process will follow the following timeline:
Application submission
Application review
Application acceptance
Hearings for denials
If your application was denied due to an incomplete or incorrect notary page, please note that you may reapply for a medical cannabis card at your convenience. If you reapply, you must submit the correct signed and notarized signature page with your application. The required signature page for an in-state qualified patient (adult or minor), out-of-state visiting patient, or designated caregiver are available at the end of this Guide and on the Office’s website, kymedcan.ky.gov, on the Patients and Caregivers page under the Forms tab.
Thinking about medical cannabis for your child in Kentucky?
This step-by-step guide walks parents and legal guardians through exactly how to get a Kentucky medical cannabis card for a minor, from checking eligibility to purchasing products at a licensed dispensary.
This process is for:
Minor patient must:
Parent/guardian (caregiver) must:
You’ll need this caregiver to complete their own application after the minor’s application is submitted and approved.
Kentucky requires two separate practitioners to be involved for a minor.
You’ll use both the diagnosis documentation and the written certification when you apply.
When you’re ready to apply online for the minor, have these items ready:
$25 initial application fee for the minor’s registry ID card.
Next, the minor qualified patient’s application is submitted online through the patient and caregiver registry portal.
What happens here:
Processing time:
The Cabinet (state) will approve or deny the minor’s application within 30 days of receiving a completed application.
Once the minor’s application is approved, the designated caregiver (parent/guardian) must also apply through the registry portal.
The caregiver will need:
The Cabinet will again approve or deny the caregiver’s application within 30 days of receiving a completed application.
If everything is approved:
You can then download/print these cards to use at licensed dispensaries in Kentucky.
Only the designated caregiver can purchase and manage medical cannabis for the minor.
Caregiver responsibilities:
Important restriction:
Caregivers of minors may NOT purchase or administer products intended for consumption by vaporization (no vape products for minors).
Kentucky allows out-of-state medical cannabis patients to purchase products during their visit — with or without applying for a Kentucky-issued registry ID card.
This guide explains the steps, requirements, and purchase limits for Visiting Qualified Patients.
To be considered a Visiting Qualified Patient, you MUST already have:
You cannot apply in Kentucky unless your home-state medical cannabis card is active.
You may still purchase cannabis in Kentucky even without getting a Kentucky card
As long as you bring:
If you want a Kentucky registry ID card (not required), you must apply through the Patient & Caregiver Registry Portal and upload:
A copy of your valid out-of-state registry ID card
Documentation of diagnosis of a qualifying medical condition
Signed & notarized signature form
$25 application fee
Who Can Apply
You must meet ALL criteria:
Non-resident OR new resident (less than 30 days in Kentucky)
At least 21 years old
Diagnosed with a qualifying medical condition
Hold a valid out-of-state medical cannabis card
No disqualifying felony convictions
Kentucky’s Recognized Qualifying Medical Conditions
The guide lists the following approved conditions:
Any type or stage of cancer
Chronic, severe, intractable, or debilitating pain
Epilepsy or intractable seizures
Multiple sclerosis, muscle spasms, or spasticity
Chronic nausea or cyclical vomiting syndrome
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Once you submit your application:
The Cabinet will approve or deny it within 30 days
If approved, you will receive a digital registry ID card
You may print it or save it on your mobile device.
Whether you apply or not, you can still legally purchase medical cannabis in Kentucky as long as you have your home-state card and medical documentation.
Visiting Qualified Patients must purchase medical cannabis at a licensed Kentucky dispensary.
Purchase options that may be available include:
Delivery
Drive-thru window
Curbside pickup
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