Occupational Therapy License from Illinois to Delaware: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Delaware Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Division of Professional Regulation) ↗
A occupational therapy license transfers from Illinois to Delaware by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Delaware Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Division of Professional Regulation), verify your Illinois license, and meet Delaware's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. If you took the NBCOT exam after 2006 and designated Delaware to receive your scores, the Board office pulls them online. If you took it before 2007 or did not designate Delaware, you must order an official NBCOT Score Transfer. The Board does not say that NBCOT certification must be current, and no Delaware jurisprudence exam is required for licensure..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither Illinois nor Delaware is issuing OT Compact privileges, so there is one route: a Delaware license by endorsement from the Delaware Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Division of Professional Regulation). The board verifies your Illinois license and your NBCOT exam passage; being licensed in Illinois neither speeds nor slows Delaware's standard out-of-state review.
What changes, Illinois → Delaware
| Illinois (current) | Delaware (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| OT Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | OT Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | 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. | $236 (nonrefundable OT application fee paid in DELPROS (OTA $96; interstate telehealth registration $50). + fingerprinting and background-check fees paid to the vendor. NOT the OT Compact privilege fee (Commission lists Delaware's future state fee as $100 for OTs).) |
| Processing time | IDFPR publishes no OT processing timeframe; an application stays active for three years from receipt | no timeframe is published; the Board reviews only complete applications and does so at its next scheduled meeting |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Occupational Therapy Licensure Board) | Delaware Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Division of Professional Regulation) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Delaware sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Delaware's current requirements on the Delaware Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Division of Professional Regulation) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Delaware Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Division of Professional Regulation) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current OT license in another jurisdiction (apply 'by reciprocity' in DELPROS).
- Complete a State of Delaware and FBI fingerprint criminal background check through IdentoGO using the Board's service code; checks done for any other purpose are not accepted.
- Have every state or jurisdiction where you hold or ever held a license send verification directly to the Board.
- Order an NBCOT Score Transfer if you tested before 2007 or did not designate Delaware to receive your scores.
- Pay the fees ($236 (nonrefundable OT application fee paid in DELPROS (OTA $96; interstate telehealth registration $50). + fingerprinting and background-check fees paid to the vendor. NOT the OT Compact privilege fee (Commission lists Delaware's future state fee as $100 for OTs).)) and allow no timeframe is published; the Board reviews only complete applications and does so at its next scheduled meeting.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my Illinois occupational therapy license in Delaware?
A occupational therapy license transfers from Illinois to Delaware by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Delaware Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Division of Professional Regulation), verify your Illinois license, and meet Delaware's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. If you took the NBCOT exam after 2006 and designated Delaware to receive your scores, the Board office pulls them online. If you took it before 2007 or did not designate Delaware, you must order an official NBCOT Score Transfer. The Board does not say that NBCOT certification must be current, and no Delaware jurisprudence exam is required for licensure..
Do I retake the NBCOT exam moving from Illinois to Delaware?
No. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. If you took the NBCOT exam after 2006 and designated Delaware to receive your scores, the Board office pulls them online. If you took it before 2007 or did not designate Delaware, you must order an official NBCOT Score Transfer. The Board does not say that NBCOT certification must be current, and no Delaware jurisprudence exam is required for licensure.
How much does a Delaware OT license cost for someone licensed in Illinois?
$236 (nonrefundable OT application fee paid in DELPROS (OTA $96; interstate telehealth registration $50). + fingerprinting and background-check fees paid to the vendor. NOT the OT Compact privilege fee (Commission lists Delaware's future state fee as $100 for OTs).).
How long does Delaware take to process the application?
no timeframe is published; the Board reviews only complete applications and does so at its next scheduled meeting.
Can I use the OT Compact to work in Delaware?
Not for this move. Delaware has enacted the OT Compact but was not issuing privileges as of 2026-09-27. A Delaware license by endorsement is required.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- Delaware DPR, Board of Occupational Therapy Practice ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Delaware DPR, Occupational Therapist licensure (reciprocity and examination requirements) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Delaware DPR, OT Fee Schedule ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- OT Compact Commission, Before You Apply (Delaware: Not Yet accepting applications) ↗ (accessed 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)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]