Occupational Therapy License from Michigan to Connecticut: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Connecticut Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Occupational Therapist Licensure) ↗
A occupational therapy license transfers from Michigan to Connecticut by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Occupational Therapist Licensure), verify your Michigan license, and meet Connecticut's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. Applicants licensed in other states must arrange for an official NBCOT Certification Verification Letter to be sent directly to DPH; the standard checklist also lists an official NBCOT score report. Under the four-years-of-practice pathway, DPH says no transcripts, training verification or examination are required. No Connecticut jurisprudence exam is listed..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither Michigan nor Connecticut is issuing OT Compact privileges, so there is one route: a Connecticut license by endorsement from the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Occupational Therapist Licensure). The board verifies your Michigan license and your NBCOT exam passage; being licensed in Michigan neither speeds nor slows Connecticut's standard out-of-state review.
What changes, Michigan → Connecticut
| Michigan (current) | Connecticut (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| OT Compact status | OT Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $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).) | $200 (initial application fee, paid online through eLicense (biennial renewal $205). DPH lists no fingerprint requirement on the OT pages reviewed.) |
| Processing time | LARA's OT licensing guide and OT page publish no processing time | DPH does not publish an OT processing timeframe on the pages reviewed |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Occupational Therapists (LARA Bureau of Professional Licensing) | Connecticut Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Occupational Therapist Licensure) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Connecticut sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Connecticut's current requirements on the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Occupational Therapist Licensure) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Occupational Therapist Licensure) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Graduate of an AOTA/ACOTE-accredited OT program with at least 24 weeks of supervised fieldwork; the school sends the official transcript directly.
- Have NBCOT send an official Certification Verification Letter directly to DPH.
- Have every state where you hold or ever held a license or certification send verification directly (most charge a fee).
- Apply online through eLicense with a photo; paper applications are not accepted.
- Pay the fees ($200 (initial application fee, paid online through eLicense (biennial renewal $205). DPH lists no fingerprint requirement on the OT pages reviewed.)) and allow DPH does not publish an OT processing timeframe on the pages reviewed.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my Michigan occupational therapy license in Connecticut?
A occupational therapy license transfers from Michigan to Connecticut by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Occupational Therapist Licensure), verify your Michigan license, and meet Connecticut's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. Applicants licensed in other states must arrange for an official NBCOT Certification Verification Letter to be sent directly to DPH; the standard checklist also lists an official NBCOT score report. Under the four-years-of-practice pathway, DPH says no transcripts, training verification or examination are required. No Connecticut jurisprudence exam is listed..
Do I retake the NBCOT exam moving from Michigan to Connecticut?
No. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. Applicants licensed in other states must arrange for an official NBCOT Certification Verification Letter to be sent directly to DPH; the standard checklist also lists an official NBCOT score report. Under the four-years-of-practice pathway, DPH says no transcripts, training verification or examination are required. No Connecticut jurisprudence exam is listed.
How much does a Connecticut OT license cost for someone licensed in Michigan?
$200 (initial application fee, paid online through eLicense (biennial renewal $205). DPH lists no fingerprint requirement on the OT pages reviewed.).
How long does Connecticut take to process the application?
DPH does not publish an OT processing timeframe on the pages reviewed.
Can I use the OT Compact to work in Connecticut?
Not for this move. Connecticut has not enacted the OT Compact. A Connecticut license by endorsement is required.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- CT DPH, Occupational Therapist Licensure (fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- CT DPH, OT Licensure Requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- CT DPH, Applicants Licensed in Another US State for at Least 4 Years ↗ (accessed 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)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]