Occupational Therapy License from Michigan to Ohio: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainers Board (Occupational Therapy Section) ↗
A occupational therapy license transfers from Michigan to Ohio by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainers Board (Occupational Therapy Section), verify your Michigan license, and meet Ohio's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken; the applicant has NBCOT send a Score Transfer to the Ohio OTPTAT Board or uploads an official NBCOT Verification of Certification. Ohio also requires the Ohio OT Jurisprudence Exam (taken online via myicourse, 90% minimum passing score)..
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Michigan isn't issuing OT Compact privileges, so you start with endorsement into Ohio through the Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainers Board (Occupational Therapy Section). The payoff comes afterward: Ohio does issue privileges, so once Ohio is your home state and your Ohio license is active, you can practice in the other issuing states on privileges instead of separate licenses.
What changes, Michigan → Ohio
| Michigan (current) | Ohio (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| OT Compact status | OT Compact enacted — not yet issuing | OT Compact member — compact privilege to practice |
| 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).) | $100 (non-refundable endorsement application fee paid online through eLicense Ohio; + $22 BCI and $24 FBI background-check fees (plus any vendor fingerprinting fee); + $35 NBCOT Score Transfer if not already sent. NOT the OT Compact privilege fee (Ohio privilege: $25 state fee + $75 commission fee).) |
| Processing time | LARA's OT licensing guide and OT page publish no processing time | the Board states only that an application is reviewed within five business days of submission (approval or a request for more documents); no end-to-end licensing timeframe is published, and FBI checks from ink-rolled cards can take up to three months |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Occupational Therapists (LARA Bureau of Professional Licensing) | Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainers Board (Occupational Therapy Section) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Ohio sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Ohio's current requirements on the Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainers Board (Occupational Therapy Section) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainers Board (Occupational Therapy Section) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Graduate of an ACOTE-accredited entry-level OT program (Certification of Entry-Level Education form or official transcript).
- Pass the Ohio OT Jurisprudence Exam (90% minimum) and upload the transcript.
- Submit official license verification from every jurisdiction where you hold or ever held an OT or other health-care license.
- Complete an Ohio BCI and FBI fingerprint criminal records check sent directly to the Board (results must be under six months old at licensure).
- If out of practice five or more years (fewer than 250 practice hours in the prior five years), meet the Board's out-of-practice requirements.
- Pay the fees ($100 (non-refundable endorsement application fee paid online through eLicense Ohio; + $22 BCI and $24 FBI background-check fees (plus any vendor fingerprinting fee); + $35 NBCOT Score Transfer if not already sent. NOT the OT Compact privilege fee (Ohio privilege: $25 state fee + $75 commission fee).)) and allow the Board states only that an application is reviewed within five business days of submission (approval or a request for more documents); no end-to-end licensing timeframe is published, and FBI checks from ink-rolled cards can take up to three months.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my Michigan occupational therapy license in Ohio?
A occupational therapy license transfers from Michigan to Ohio by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainers Board (Occupational Therapy Section), verify your Michigan license, and meet Ohio's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken; the applicant has NBCOT send a Score Transfer to the Ohio OTPTAT Board or uploads an official NBCOT Verification of Certification. Ohio also requires the Ohio OT Jurisprudence Exam (taken online via myicourse, 90% minimum passing score)..
Do I retake the NBCOT exam moving from Michigan to Ohio?
No. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken; the applicant has NBCOT send a Score Transfer to the Ohio OTPTAT Board or uploads an official NBCOT Verification of Certification. Ohio also requires the Ohio OT Jurisprudence Exam (taken online via myicourse, 90% minimum passing score).
How much does a Ohio OT license cost for someone licensed in Michigan?
$100 (non-refundable endorsement application fee paid online through eLicense Ohio; + $22 BCI and $24 FBI background-check fees (plus any vendor fingerprinting fee); + $35 NBCOT Score Transfer if not already sent. NOT the OT Compact privilege fee (Ohio privilege: $25 state fee + $75 commission fee).).
How long does Ohio take to process the application?
the Board states only that an application is reviewed within five business days of submission (approval or a request for more documents); no end-to-end licensing timeframe is published, and FBI checks from ink-rolled cards can take up to three months.
Can I use the OT Compact to work in Ohio?
Not for this move. Ohio issues privileges, but only to therapists whose home state is also issuing; Michigan is not. A Ohio license by endorsement is required.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- Ohio OTPTAT Board — OT and OTA Endorsement Applications ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio OTPTAT Board — OT/OTA Endorsement Application Instructions packet (Dec 2025) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio OTPTAT Board — OT-OTA Licensing (application pathways) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio OTPTAT Board — OT Compact ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- OT Compact Commission — Before You Apply (Ohio accepting applications since January 12, 2026; $25 OT privilege fee; jurisprudence required) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio OTPTAT Board — OT-OTA Endorsement Application page (Internet Archive copy, captured 2025-06-12; eligibility and five-business-day review re-checked) ↗ (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
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