Transfer Your Electrician License to Massachusetts: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Division of Occupational Licensure) ↗
Massachusetts grants journeyman reciprocity to electricians licensed by examination in 1 named partner state (New Hampshire). Come from one of them and the Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Division of Occupational Licensure) waives its journeyman exam once you show a license held at least a year and can document 8000 hours of experience; come from anywhere else and you apply and sit the exam. Massachusetts licenses WITHOUT examination (waives its journeyman/master exam) only for a New Hampshire licensee whose NH license was earned by passing the New Hampshire exam; applicants from every other state must pass the Massachusetts journeyman or master examination. Fee: $208–$310 (Journeyman reciprocity application fee is $208; master reciprocity application fee is $310 (non-refundable, per 237 CMR 15.02)).
Moving to Massachusetts from a specific state?
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Verdict
Reciprocity with 1 states
Massachusetts's reciprocity is a bilateral list, and the list governs — not your years on the tools. If your license comes from a state Massachusetts names below and you earned it by exam, the journeyman exam is waived; if it does not, no amount of experience substitutes for sitting the test. Two cautions specific to electrical reciprocity: the list is directional (it names who Massachusetts accepts, which says nothing about the reverse), and a license you were grandfathered into rather than examined for is generally not eligible.
Massachusetts is NOT a NERA member. Its only reciprocity is a single bilateral agreement with New Hampshire under 237 CMR 15.00 ('Licensure without examination'), and only for NH licenses earned by examination. Because the pathway is licensure WITHOUT examination, a qualifying NH applicant does not sit the MA exam. Journeyman eligibility (for exam applicants) is 8,000 hours of work over at least four years plus 600 hours of Board-approved education; master requires additional journeyman experience plus 150 education hours. Systems technician and systems contractor licenses have no reciprocity with any state. mass.gov blocked direct page fetch (HTTP 403); values were confirmed from mass.gov-sourced search results for the cited pages.
Massachusetts requirements at a glance
| Exam | Massachusetts licenses WITHOUT examination (waives its journeyman/master exam) only for a New Hampshire licensee whose NH license was earned by passing the New Hampshire exam; applicants from every other state must pass the Massachusetts journeyman or master examination |
|---|---|
| Training hours | 8,000 hours |
| Additional requirements |
|
| Fees | $208–$310 (Journeyman reciprocity application fee is $208; master reciprocity application fee is $310 (non-refundable, per 237 CMR 15.02)) |
| Processing time | The Board of State Examiners of Electricians does not publish a processing-time range for reciprocity applications |
Step by step
- Confirm Massachusetts's current requirements on the Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Division of Occupational Licensure) website — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity/endorsement application to the Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Division of Occupational Licensure) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a New Hampshire journeyman or master license that was obtained by PASSING the New Hampshire examination (not by reciprocity).
- Submit a certified license-verification letter from the New Hampshire electrical board.
- Submit a CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) authorization form and a passport-quality photo.
- Apply online through the Division of Occupational Licensure ePLACE portal; reciprocity is limited to New Hampshire under 237 CMR 15.00.
- Pay the fees ($208–$310 (Journeyman reciprocity application fee is $208; master reciprocity application fee is $310 (non-refundable, per 237 CMR 15.02))) and allow The Board of State Examiners of Electricians does not publish a processing-time range for reciprocity applications.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Massachusetts:
Frequently asked questions
Does my electrician license transfer to Massachusetts?
Massachusetts grants journeyman reciprocity to electricians licensed by examination in 1 named partner state (New Hampshire). Come from one of them and the Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Division of Occupational Licensure) waives its journeyman exam once you show a license held at least a year and can document 8000 hours of experience; come from anywhere else and you apply and sit the exam. Massachusetts licenses WITHOUT examination (waives its journeyman/master exam) only for a New Hampshire licensee whose NH license was earned by passing the New Hampshire exam; applicants from every other state must pass the Massachusetts journeyman or master examination. Fee: $208–$310 (Journeyman reciprocity application fee is $208; master reciprocity application fee is $310 (non-refundable, per 237 CMR 15.02)).
Will I have to retake the journeyman exam in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts licenses WITHOUT examination (waives its journeyman/master exam) only for a New Hampshire licensee whose NH license was earned by passing the New Hampshire exam; applicants from every other state must pass the Massachusetts journeyman or master examination.
What does licensing in Massachusetts cost an out-of-state electrician?
$208–$310 (Journeyman reciprocity application fee is $208; master reciprocity application fee is $310 (non-refundable, per 237 CMR 15.02)) (Journeyman reciprocity application fee is $208; master reciprocity application fee is $310 (non-refundable, per 237 CMR 15.02)).
How long does Massachusetts take to process the application?
The Board of State Examiners of Electricians does not publish a processing-time range for reciprocity applications — The Board of State Examiners of Electricians does not publish a processing-time range for reciprocity applications.
Which states does Massachusetts have electrician reciprocity with?
New Hampshire (1 states, verified 2026-07-21 against the Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Division of Occupational Licensure)). The list is bilateral, so a state Massachusetts recognizes does not necessarily recognize Massachusetts in return.
How many experience hours does Massachusetts require?
8000 hours of documented on-the-job experience for the journeyman license; out-of-state hours generally count toward this minimum.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Mass.gov — 237 CMR 15.00: Licensure without examination ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Mass.gov — Apply for reciprocity for an out-of-state electrician's license ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]