Electrician License from New Hampshire to Massachusetts: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Massachusetts accept a New Hampshire electrician license?
Yes — Massachusetts has a reciprocity arrangement covering New Hampshire license holders. Apply to the Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Division of Occupational Licensure) under its reciprocity/endorsement track; it typically waives the journeyman exam and complete Massachusetts's remaining requirements.
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Verdict
Reciprocity agreement
New Hampshire is on Massachusetts's journeyman reciprocity list, which puts this move on the fast track: Massachusetts waives its journeyman exam for electricians who earned a qualifying New Hampshire license by examination, held it at least a year, and meet the experience hours. Two conditions decide whether you actually qualify — your New Hampshire license must have come from an exam, not a grandfather clause, and it must be current. The list is also revocable; the verification date on this page is when we last confirmed New Hampshire on it, and the Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Division of Occupational Licensure) is the live source.
What's different between New Hampshire and Massachusetts
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Massachusetts. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
New Hampshire to Massachusetts (this page): Reciprocity agreement.
Massachusetts to New Hampshire (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The two directions differ: New Hampshire and Massachusetts do not give each other's licensees the same route.
- Does coming from New Hampshire matter?
Coming from New Hampshire matters here: only 1 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Massachusetts.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (36) and no state license to transfer (13).
- Reciprocity agreements
Massachusetts's reciprocity agreement list names 1 state (New Hampshire), including New Hampshire.
- Application fee
Massachusetts lists $208–$310 for an out-of-state applicant; New Hampshire has no verified fee figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Experience hours
Massachusetts's first-time-applicant standard is 8,000 hours of documented experience for the journeyman license; New Hampshire's is 8,000.
The two standards are the same.
- Exam rules on record
Massachusetts and New Hampshire carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Massachusetts (this move): 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
- New Hampshire (the reverse move): No New Hampshire exam is required to license a journeyman by endorsement if you hold a current license in a listed qualifying jurisdiction and have at least 1 year of professional experience in the journeyman category (Plc 313.24); applicants from non-listed jurisdictions must license by examination (verify 8,000 hours of on-the-job training and pass the NH journeyman exam)
What changes, New Hampshire → Massachusetts
| New Hampshire (current) | Massachusetts (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Experience hours | 8,000 | 8,000 |
| Application fee | OPLC application/license fees are published only on the board's fee page (the application states 'SEE WEBSITE FOR FEES'); the official fee schedule was access-restricted and could not be retrieved as of 2026-07-21 - see https://www.oplc.nh.gov/find-board/electricians-board/electricians-license-fees | $208–$310 (Journeyman reciprocity application fee is $208; master reciprocity application fee is $310 (non-refundable, per 237 CMR 15.02)) |
| Processing time | OPLC does not publish a processing time for endorsement/reciprocal applications | The Board of State Examiners of Electricians does not publish a processing-time range for reciprocity applications |
| Licensing authority | New Hampshire Electricians' Board (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) | Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Division of Occupational Licensure) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Massachusetts sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Massachusetts's current requirements on the Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Division of Occupational Licensure) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity application to the Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Division of Occupational Licensure) (application linked below).
- 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 listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What could disqualify me even though New Hampshire is on Massachusetts's list?
A New Hampshire license you were grandfathered into rather than earning by exam, a license held less than a year, or falling short of the experience-hour minimum. Massachusetts's reciprocity is conditional, not automatic.
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)
- NH OPLC - New Changes for Reciprocity (Plc 313.24 Electricians' Board qualifying jurisdictions) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NH OPLC Electricians' Board - Journeyman/Master/Reciprocal Application (8,000-hour journeyman requirement; reciprocity section) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com