Occupational Therapy License from Michigan to Rhode Island: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Rhode Island Board of Occupational Therapy (Rhode Island Department of Health, Professional Licensing) ↗

A occupational therapy license transfers from Michigan to Rhode Island by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Rhode Island Board of Occupational Therapy (Rhode Island Department of Health, Professional Licensing), verify your Michigan license, and meet Rhode Island's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. The Board's application checklist for endorsement ('From Another State') applicants requires 'Scores sent directly from' NBCOT, i.e. an NBCOT score report to the Board. The regulations (216-RICR-40-05-12.4) require passage of the NBCOT OTR/COTA exam; neither the application nor the rules read says CURRENT NBCOT certification is required. No Rhode Island jurisprudence or laws-and-rules exam was found in the application or regulations..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Michigan and Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island Board of Occupational Therapy (Rhode Island Department of Health, Professional Licensing); your NBCOT result is verified by Score Transfer or Verification of Certification. If both states go live, working in Rhode Island while living in Michigan could later be done on a privilege.

What changes, Michigan → Rhode Island

Side-by-side: Michigan vs Rhode Island (Occupational Therapy (OT/OTA)), verified 2026-09-27
	Michigan (current)	Rhode Island (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).)	$140 (non-refundable OT application fee (216-RICR-10-05-2 fee schedule, effective March 25, 2026; the application packet says it includes the first license up to the next June 30 even-year expiration). OTA application is also $140. Optional $30 framed-certificate fee. No fingerprint fee for the standard application (a RI Attorney General BCI is listed only on the military expedite form). No OT Compact privilege fee exists yet (Rhode Island is not issuing privileges).)
Processing time	LARA's OT licensing guide and OT page publish no processing time	no processing time is published; the application packet says applications are valid for one year from receipt and that RIDOH will not accelerate one applicant's processing at the expense of others (military members, veterans and spouses may request expedited handling)
Licensing authority	Michigan Board of Occupational Therapists (LARA Bureau of Professional Licensing)	Rhode Island Board of Occupational Therapy (Rhode Island Department of Health, Professional Licensing)

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Rhode Island sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

Confirm Rhode Island's current requirements on the Rhode Island Board of Occupational Therapy (Rhode Island Department of Health, Professional Licensing) website (linked below) — rules change.
Submit the endorsement application to the Rhode Island Board of Occupational Therapy (Rhode Island Department of Health, Professional Licensing) (application linked below).
Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
Official transcript sent directly from an ACOTE-accredited occupational therapy program (student copies not accepted).
Have NBCOT send your exam scores directly to the Board.
Have license verification sent directly to the Board from every state where you hold or have held a license (the application includes an Interstate Verification Form).
Submit the paper application with a check or money order payable to the RI General Treasurer.
Pay the fees ($140 (non-refundable OT application fee (216-RICR-10-05-2 fee schedule, effective March 25, 2026; the application packet says it includes the first license up to the next June 30 even-year expiration). OTA application is also $140. Optional $30 framed-certificate fee. No fingerprint fee for the standard application (a RI Attorney General BCI is listed only on the military expedite form). No OT Compact privilege fee exists yet (Rhode Island is not issuing privileges).)) and allow no processing time is published; the application packet says applications are valid for one year from receipt and that RIDOH will not accelerate one applicant's processing at the expense of others (military members, veterans and spouses may request expedited handling).

Official links

Rhode Island Board of Occupational Therapy (Rhode Island Department of Health, Professional Licensing) ↗Rhode Island application ↗License verification ↗

Frequently asked questions

Can I use my Michigan occupational therapy license in Rhode Island?

Do I retake the NBCOT exam moving from Michigan to Rhode Island?

No. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. The Board's application checklist for endorsement ('From Another State') applicants requires 'Scores sent directly from' NBCOT, i.e. an NBCOT score report to the Board. The regulations (216-RICR-40-05-12.4) require passage of the NBCOT OTR/COTA exam; neither the application nor the rules read says CURRENT NBCOT certification is required. No Rhode Island jurisprudence or laws-and-rules exam was found in the application or regulations.

How much does a Rhode Island OT license cost for someone licensed in Michigan?

$140 (non-refundable OT application fee (216-RICR-10-05-2 fee schedule, effective March 25, 2026; the application packet says it includes the first license up to the next June 30 even-year expiration). OTA application is also $140. Optional $30 framed-certificate fee. No fingerprint fee for the standard application (a RI Attorney General BCI is listed only on the military expedite form). No OT Compact privilege fee exists yet (Rhode Island is not issuing privileges).).

How long does Rhode Island take to process the application?

no processing time is published; the application packet says applications are valid for one year from receipt and that RIDOH will not accelerate one applicant's processing at the expense of others (military members, veterans and spouses may request expedited handling).

Can I use the OT Compact to work in Rhode Island?

Not for this move. Rhode Island has enacted the OT Compact but was not issuing privileges as of 2026-09-27. A Rhode Island license by endorsement is required.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27

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