Occupational Therapy License from Arizona to Illinois: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Occupational Therapy Licensure Board) ↗
A occupational therapy license transfers from Arizona to Illinois by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Occupational Therapy Licensure Board), verify your Arizona license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. Endorsement applicants must show passage of the NBCOT OTR exam; IDFPR staff retrieve the score from the NBCOT portal during evaluation. IDFPR's 'Qualifications for Licensure' document does not require current NBCOT certification and lists no Illinois jurisprudence exam..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither Arizona nor Illinois is issuing OT Compact privileges, so there is one route: a Illinois license by endorsement from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Occupational Therapy Licensure Board). The board verifies your Arizona license and your NBCOT exam passage; being licensed in Arizona neither speeds nor slows Illinois's standard out-of-state review.
What changes, Arizona → Illinois
| Arizona (current) | Illinois (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| OT Compact status | OT Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $235 (total OT fees stated on the Licensure by Examination page, which is the path for anyone who has never held an Arizona license (OTA $170); fees are set in A.A.C. R4-43-102. The universal-license-recognition page does not state its fee. Initial-license fees are waived for low-income applicants, military spouses and recently discharged veterans. + fingerprint clearance card cost paid to Arizona DPS. NOT the OT Compact privilege fee (Commission lists Arizona's state fee as $0).) | The endorsement fee is set in 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1315 but does not appear in IDFPR's OT qualifications document, and the Illinois General Assembly rules site refused connections on 2026-09-27, so the amount could not be verified. |
| Processing time | A.A.C. R4-43-205 gives the Board 60 days to review an application; the FAQ says applications are generally approved at the beginning of each month and licenses are mailed five working days after approval, and recommends applying at least one month before you need the license | IDFPR publishes no OT processing timeframe; an application stays active for three years from receipt |
| Licensing authority | Arizona Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Occupational Therapy Licensure Board) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Illinois sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Illinois's current requirements on the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Occupational Therapy Licensure Board) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Occupational Therapy Licensure Board) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Master's degree or higher from a program that meets or exceeds ACOTE standards (upload the official sealed transcript).
- Passing score on the NBCOT OTR exam, retrieved by IDFPR from the NBCOT portal.
- Certification of licensure from the first jurisdiction where you were licensed and from every jurisdiction where you are currently licensed (primary-source website printouts accepted).
- Apply online through IDFPR's CORE system; all required documents must be uploaded before the application can be submitted.
- Pay the fees (The endorsement fee is set in 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1315 but does not appear in IDFPR's OT qualifications document, and the Illinois General Assembly rules site refused connections on 2026-09-27, so the amount could not be verified.) and allow IDFPR publishes no OT processing timeframe; an application stays active for three years from receipt.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my Arizona occupational therapy license in Illinois?
A occupational therapy license transfers from Arizona to Illinois by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Occupational Therapy Licensure Board), verify your Arizona license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. Endorsement applicants must show passage of the NBCOT OTR exam; IDFPR staff retrieve the score from the NBCOT portal during evaluation. IDFPR's 'Qualifications for Licensure' document does not require current NBCOT certification and lists no Illinois jurisprudence exam..
Do I retake the NBCOT exam moving from Arizona to Illinois?
No. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. Endorsement applicants must show passage of the NBCOT OTR exam; IDFPR staff retrieve the score from the NBCOT portal during evaluation. IDFPR's 'Qualifications for Licensure' document does not require current NBCOT certification and lists no Illinois jurisprudence exam.
How much does a Illinois OT license cost for someone licensed in Arizona?
The endorsement fee is set in 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1315 but does not appear in IDFPR's OT qualifications document, and the Illinois General Assembly rules site refused connections on 2026-09-27, so the amount could not be verified..
How long does Illinois take to process the application?
IDFPR publishes no OT processing timeframe; an application stays active for three years from receipt.
Can I use the OT Compact to work in Illinois?
Not for this move. Illinois has not enacted the OT Compact. A Illinois license by endorsement is required.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- IDFPR, Occupational Therapy profession page ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- IDFPR, Qualifications for Licensure: Occupational Therapist (056, effective 02/2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Arizona Board of OT Examiners, Licensure by Examination (Internet Archive copy of 2025-05-23; live site returned a Cloudflare challenge / HTTP 403 on 2026-09-27) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Arizona Board of OT Examiners, Licensure by Universal License Recognition (Internet Archive copy of 2025-05-23) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Arizona Board of OT Examiners, FAQ (Internet Archive copy of 2026-05-01) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- OT Compact Commission, Before You Apply (Arizona: Not Yet accepting applications) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]