Occupational Therapy License from Michigan to Maine: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Maine Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) ↗
A occupational therapy license transfers from Michigan to Maine by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Maine Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation), verify your Michigan license, and meet Maine's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. Under Board rule 02-477 Chapter 3 (Licensure by Endorsement), the applicant's other-state license must come from a jurisdiction that requires ACOTE education and 'proof of a passing score on the certification examination of NBCOT', so proof of passage is what counts, not current NBCOT certification. The Board's licensing pages mention no Maine jurisprudence exam, and the Commission lists Maine's jurisprudence requirement as 'Not required'..
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Michigan and Maine 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 Maine Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation); your NBCOT result is verified by Score Transfer or Verification of Certification. If both states go live, working in Maine while living in Michigan could later be done on a privilege.
What changes, Michigan → Maine
| Michigan (current) | Maine (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| OT Compact status | OT Compact enacted — not yet issuing | OT Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| 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).) | $35 (The OT license fee is $35 under OPOR Rules Chapter 10, section 5(25). No separate OT application fee is listed ($30 for an OTA). Add the $21 Criminal History Records Check. A 6-month temporary OT license costs $25. The license renews every year on March 31 for $35.) |
| Processing time | LARA's OT licensing guide and OT page publish no processing time | The Board publishes no processing timeframe. |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Occupational Therapists (LARA Bureau of Professional Licensing) | Maine Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Maine sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Maine's current requirements on the Maine Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Maine Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active OT license from another U.S. jurisdiction whose requirements are substantially equivalent (ACOTE-accredited education plus a passing NBCOT score).
- Be in good standing in every jurisdiction where you hold or have held a license: no pending complaint or investigation, no suspension or restriction, never surrendered or revoked.
- Complete a Maine Criminal History Records Check ($21).
- Submit the online application with supporting documents through the Maine licensing portal.
- Pay the fees ($35 (The OT license fee is $35 under OPOR Rules Chapter 10, section 5(25). No separate OT application fee is listed ($30 for an OTA). Add the $21 Criminal History Records Check. A 6-month temporary OT license costs $25. The license renews every year on March 31 for $35.)) and allow The Board publishes no processing timeframe..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my Michigan occupational therapy license in Maine?
A occupational therapy license transfers from Michigan to Maine by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Maine Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation), verify your Michigan license, and meet Maine's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. Under Board rule 02-477 Chapter 3 (Licensure by Endorsement), the applicant's other-state license must come from a jurisdiction that requires ACOTE education and 'proof of a passing score on the certification examination of NBCOT', so proof of passage is what counts, not current NBCOT certification. The Board's licensing pages mention no Maine jurisprudence exam, and the Commission lists Maine's jurisprudence requirement as 'Not required'..
Do I retake the NBCOT exam moving from Michigan to Maine?
No. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. Under Board rule 02-477 Chapter 3 (Licensure by Endorsement), the applicant's other-state license must come from a jurisdiction that requires ACOTE education and 'proof of a passing score on the certification examination of NBCOT', so proof of passage is what counts, not current NBCOT certification. The Board's licensing pages mention no Maine jurisprudence exam, and the Commission lists Maine's jurisprudence requirement as 'Not required'.
How much does a Maine OT license cost for someone licensed in Michigan?
$35 (The OT license fee is $35 under OPOR Rules Chapter 10, section 5(25). No separate OT application fee is listed ($30 for an OTA). Add the $21 Criminal History Records Check. A 6-month temporary OT license costs $25. The license renews every year on March 31 for $35.).
How long does Maine take to process the application?
The Board publishes no processing timeframe..
Can I use the OT Compact to work in Maine?
Not for this move. Maine has enacted the OT Compact but was not issuing privileges as of 2026-09-27. A Maine license by endorsement is required.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- Maine Board of Occupational Therapy Practice — Occupational Therapist & OTA license (fees, CHRC) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Maine Board of Occupational Therapy Practice — board home (apply online, verify a license) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 02-477 CMR Chapter 3, Licensure by Endorsement (eff. January 25, 2023) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 02-041 CMR Chapter 10, OPOR Establishment of License Fees (2025 amendment) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 32 M.R.S. §2278 Temporary license ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- OT Compact Commission — Before You Apply (Maine: Not Yet accepting applications) ↗ (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)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]