Occupational Therapy License from Louisiana to Michigan: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Michigan Board of Occupational Therapists (LARA Bureau of Professional Licensing) ↗
A occupational therapy license transfers from Louisiana to Michigan by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Michigan Board of Occupational Therapists (LARA Bureau of Professional Licensing), verify your Louisiana license, and meet Michigan's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken; LARA requires certification of your passing NBCOT score sent directly to the Bureau by NBCOT. Michigan ALSO requires its jurisprudence examination for endorsement: a passing score (75%) on the Michigan OT jurisprudence exam taken through PSI, sent directly by PSI and dated within the 3 years before you apply. (The Commission's 'not required' jurisprudence entry for Michigan refers only to future compact privileges.) The licensing guide asks for NBCOT exam passage, not current NBCOT certification..
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Louisiana and Michigan have both enacted the OT Compact, and neither was issuing privileges as of the verification date, so this is an ordinary endorsement move. Apply to the Michigan Board of Occupational Therapists (LARA Bureau of Professional Licensing); your NBCOT result is verified by Score Transfer or Verification of Certification. If both states go live, working in Michigan while living in Louisiana could later be done on a privilege.
What changes, Louisiana → Michigan
| Louisiana (current) | Michigan (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| OT Compact status | OT Compact enacted — not yet issuing | OT Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $150 (Non-refundable OT licensure fee paid by card through LaMED ($100 for an OTA). A temporary license costs $200 in total ($50 temporary fee plus $150 licensure). The Board does not list the background-check cost. Act 933 of the 2026 Regular Session (HB 1182) rewrote the OT fee statute and includes a separate reciprocity fee line. It could not be read because legis.la.gov did not resolve from this environment, so this range reflects only the Board's published $150.) | $187.40 (combined application fee + 2-year license fee for 'OT by Examination or Endorsement', paid by card through MiPLUS, per LARA's Occupational Therapist Licensing Guide (revision date 10/01/23, read from an Internet Archive copy of 2025-03-03). The April 2026 LARA OT page links a newer file revision of the same guide that could not be retrieved, so confirm the amount in MiPLUS. Fingerprint vendor fee and PSI jurisprudence-exam fee not stated in the guide. NOT an OT Compact privilege fee (Michigan is not issuing privileges).) |
| Processing time | The Board publishes no processing timeframe. It warns that applicants with criminal history may face delays and that the background check cannot start until the application is submitted. | LARA's OT licensing guide and OT page publish no processing time |
| Licensing authority | Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners (Occupational Therapists/Assistants licensure) | Michigan Board of Occupational Therapists (LARA Bureau of Professional Licensing) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Michigan sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Michigan's current requirements on the Michigan Board of Occupational Therapists (LARA Bureau of Professional Licensing) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Michigan Board of Occupational Therapists (LARA Bureau of Professional Licensing) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Pass the Michigan OT jurisprudence exam through PSI (75% passing score) within the 3 years before applying.
- Have NBCOT send certification of your passing OT exam score directly to LARA.
- Have every state or country where you hold or ever held a license send verification directly to LARA, showing no pending discipline or sanctions in force.
- If you have practiced in another state for LESS than 5 years, also meet the examination requirements, including official transcripts sent directly from an ACOTE-accredited (or WFOT-approved) OT program.
- Complete the criminal background check (instructions emailed after you apply), one-time human-trafficking training, and 2 hours of implicit-bias training within the prior 5 years.
- Pay the fees ($187.40 (combined application fee + 2-year license fee for 'OT by Examination or Endorsement', paid by card through MiPLUS, per LARA's Occupational Therapist Licensing Guide (revision date 10/01/23, read from an Internet Archive copy of 2025-03-03). The April 2026 LARA OT page links a newer file revision of the same guide that could not be retrieved, so confirm the amount in MiPLUS. Fingerprint vendor fee and PSI jurisprudence-exam fee not stated in the guide. NOT an OT Compact privilege fee (Michigan is not issuing privileges).)) and allow LARA's OT licensing guide and OT page publish no processing time.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my Louisiana occupational therapy license in Michigan?
A occupational therapy license transfers from Louisiana to Michigan by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Michigan Board of Occupational Therapists (LARA Bureau of Professional Licensing), verify your Louisiana license, and meet Michigan's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken; LARA requires certification of your passing NBCOT score sent directly to the Bureau by NBCOT. Michigan ALSO requires its jurisprudence examination for endorsement: a passing score (75%) on the Michigan OT jurisprudence exam taken through PSI, sent directly by PSI and dated within the 3 years before you apply. (The Commission's 'not required' jurisprudence entry for Michigan refers only to future compact privileges.) The licensing guide asks for NBCOT exam passage, not current NBCOT certification..
Do I retake the NBCOT exam moving from Louisiana to Michigan?
No. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken; LARA requires certification of your passing NBCOT score sent directly to the Bureau by NBCOT. Michigan ALSO requires its jurisprudence examination for endorsement: a passing score (75%) on the Michigan OT jurisprudence exam taken through PSI, sent directly by PSI and dated within the 3 years before you apply. (The Commission's 'not required' jurisprudence entry for Michigan refers only to future compact privileges.) The licensing guide asks for NBCOT exam passage, not current NBCOT certification.
How much does a Michigan OT license cost for someone licensed in Louisiana?
$187.40 (combined application fee + 2-year license fee for 'OT by Examination or Endorsement', paid by card through MiPLUS, per LARA's Occupational Therapist Licensing Guide (revision date 10/01/23, read from an Internet Archive copy of 2025-03-03). The April 2026 LARA OT page links a newer file revision of the same guide that could not be retrieved, so confirm the amount in MiPLUS. Fingerprint vendor fee and PSI jurisprudence-exam fee not stated in the guide. NOT an OT Compact privilege fee (Michigan is not issuing privileges).).
How long does Michigan take to process the application?
LARA's OT licensing guide and OT page publish no processing time.
Can I use the OT Compact to work in Michigan?
Not for this move. Michigan has enacted the OT Compact but was not issuing privileges as of 2026-09-27. A Michigan license by endorsement is required.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- Michigan LARA — Occupational Therapy board page (licensing guides, MiPLUS, State License Search links) (Internet Archive copy of 2026-04-14; michigan.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated requests on 2026-09-27) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Michigan LARA — Occupational Therapist Licensing Guide, revision date 10/01/23 (endorsement requirements, $187.40 fee) (Internet Archive copy of 2025-03-03) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- OT Compact Commission — Before You Apply (Michigan: Not Yet accepting applications) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- LSBME — Application & Instructions for Initial Licensure, Occupational Therapist/Assistant ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- LSBME — Occupational Therapists/Assistants licensure page ↗ (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]