CTH® Renewal FAQs
Beginning with renewals submitted in 2026, ISTM is introducing a new five-year CTH® renewal cycle. These frequently asked questions clarify the requirements and help you prepare your renewal application.
Very important: Review the CTH® Renewal page and Qualification and Audit Guide before applying. The guide explains eligible activities, point values, limits and the documentation required if you are audited.
No. Existing CTH® holders retain their current expiration date and renew when their existing 10-year cycle ends. After renewal, they transition to a five-year cycle.
Both pathways require an active health professional license and 50 travel medicine CE points. Pathway A adds at least 1,500 eligible travel medicine clinical practice hours. Pathway B adds 50 professional activity points. Choose one pathway; the pathways cannot be combined.
Yes, if they meet all requirements. Count eligible travel medicine clinical practice hours rather than all general practice hours. Use the guide to assess eligible duties.
The published requirements specify the applicable five-year period for qualifying education, practice and professional activities. Having a certificate valid for 10 years does not automatically make all activities from those 10 years eligible. Contact ISTM if you need help identifying your reporting period.
Eligible learning must relate to travel medicine and the ISTM Body of Knowledge. The guide includes accredited programs, webinars, courses and journal activities, plus other specified activities. One CE point equals one AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ or 60 minutes of eligible education.
Yes. Earned session CE credits may be claimed in addition to 5 live attendance points for attending a CISTM in person. The attendance allowance recognizes learning through poster discussions, questions and answers, and educational exchanges outside the classroom. Claim 5 live attendance points per meeting, up to two meetings and 10 points within the five-year cycle. These are CE points, not Pathway B professional activity points.
Add the eligible session credits you actually earned at each meeting and 5 live attendance points for each in-person meeting. For example, if your certificates document 18 earned credits for CISTM18 and 23.75 for CISTM19, and both meetings fall within your five-year reporting period, your total is 18 + 23.75 + 5 + 5 = 51.75 CE points. Use actual earned credits, not the total maximum credits offered by the meeting.
Yes, when the on-demand program awards CE and you complete sessions you did not attend in person. Do not claim repeat sessions. Your combined earned session CE from the live and on-demand versions of a CISTM cannot exceed that meeting’s accredited credit total. The 5 live attendance points for each eligible in-person meeting are additional to the earned session credits.
Retain CE certificates identifying you, the activity, provider, completion date and credits, plus clinical practice-hour or professional-activity evidence for your pathway. Review the audit documentation descriptions under the CE requirement, Pathway A and each Pathway B category in the Qualification and Audit Guide. Keep records of claimed CISTM sessions to avoid duplication.
No. Send no supporting documents with your application. Applicants self-report requirements and retain evidence. 10% are randomly audited; selected applicants must document their active professional license, and all claimed requirements. Records may be uploaded and stored in the ISTM portal.
Contact ISTM to request review of your exam registration and discuss renewal. A cancellation request does not automatically guarantee a refund or approve renewal. The published exam policy permits refunds minus a $75 application fee for cancellations at least 45 days before the exam begins. Any later request needs individual review; a refund exception should not be assumed.
No. You may earn the 50 professional activity points from any combination of the four categories: Teaching and Professional Presentations, Publications, Professional Participation and Leadership, and Research. No category has a minimum. Check the guide for eligible activities and limits.
Self-employed applicants need a notarized statement confirming at least 1,500 eligible hours during the five-year cycle. Applicants who changed employers may submit multiple supervisor letters or emails. Volunteer work requires evidence from the sponsoring organization. See the guide for complete documentation requirements.
ISTM will notify you and give you an opportunity to submit additional materials before rejecting the application. Follow the instructions and deadline in your audit notice.
The renewal fee is USD $150, payable when you submit your CTH® renewal application.