A DEA number (DEA Registration Number) is a number assigned to a health care provider (such as a medical practitioner, optometrist, pharmacist, dentist, or veterinarian) by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration allowing them to write prescriptions for controlled substances.
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Though there is no legal basis for preventing use as a general prescriber identification number, for security reasons the DEA prefers that DEA registration numbers are only used for authenticating and tracking prescriptions for controlled substances. The agency prefers that the National Provider Identifier be used for general identification purposes.
Current format
A valid DEA number consists of:
Registrant type (first letter of DEA Number):
For example, for a registrant using a business address instead of a name, the DEA number might look like "F91234567".
Older format
Prior to October 1, 1985, DEA registration numbers for physicians, dentists, veterinarians, and other practitioners started with the letter A. New registration numbers issued to practitioners after that date begin with the letter B, F, or G.