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LicenseReciprocity

Occupational Therapy License from Michigan to South Carolina: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: South Carolina Board of Occupational Therapy (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) ↗

A occupational therapy license transfers from Michigan to South Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Carolina Board of Occupational Therapy (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation), verify your Michigan license, and meet South Carolina's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. For endorsement, 'NBCOT must submit verification of your current certification status directly to the Board' (an NBCOT Verification of Certification; copies not accepted), and the statutory licensing requirements include being in good standing with NBCOT, so South Carolina requires CURRENT NBCOT certification. The 70% SC Jurisprudence Exam is listed only in the examination-applicant instructions, not in the endorsement instructions..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

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

What changes, Michigan → South Carolina

Side-by-side: Michigan vs South Carolina (Occupational Therapy (OT/OTA)), verified 2026-09-27
Michigan (current)South Carolina (destination)
OT Compact statusOT Compact enacted — not yet issuingOT 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).)$135 (initial license application fee for an OT (OTA $115), by certified check or money order with a paper application, or online through the LLR portal. Temporary licensure is $10 per license. No fingerprint/background-check fee is listed in the Board's instructions. No OT Compact privilege fee exists yet (South Carolina is not issuing privileges).)
Processing timeLARA's OT licensing guide and OT page publish no processing timeno processing time is published on the Board's licensure or fee pages; incomplete applications or applications without the fee are not accepted and delay the process
Licensing authorityMichigan Board of Occupational Therapists (LARA Bureau of Professional Licensing)South Carolina Board of Occupational Therapy (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation)

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

Step by step

  1. Confirm South Carolina's current requirements on the South Carolina Board of Occupational Therapy (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the South Carolina Board of Occupational Therapy (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. Graduate of an ACOTE-approved OT program with at least six months of supervised fieldwork.
  5. Be in good standing with NBCOT and have NBCOT send verification of current certification directly to the Board.
  6. Have every state where you hold a permanent license (including lapsed licenses) send license verification directly to the Board.
  7. Submit a 2x2 photo, a signed copy of your Social Security card and a copy of a government ID with the application.
  8. Pay the fees ($135 (initial license application fee for an OT (OTA $115), by certified check or money order with a paper application, or online through the LLR portal. Temporary licensure is $10 per license. No fingerprint/background-check fee is listed in the Board's instructions. No OT Compact privilege fee exists yet (South Carolina is not issuing privileges).)) and allow no processing time is published on the Board's licensure or fee pages; incomplete applications or applications without the fee are not accepted and delay the process.

Official links

South Carolina Board of Occupational Therapy (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) ↗South Carolina application ↗License verification ↗

Related guides

Reverse: South Carolina → MichiganOccupational Therapy in MichiganOccupational Therapy in South CarolinaAll occupational therapy statesThe OT Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Can I use my Michigan occupational therapy license in South Carolina?

A occupational therapy license transfers from Michigan to South Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Carolina Board of Occupational Therapy (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation), verify your Michigan license, and meet South Carolina's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. For endorsement, 'NBCOT must submit verification of your current certification status directly to the Board' (an NBCOT Verification of Certification; copies not accepted), and the statutory licensing requirements include being in good standing with NBCOT, so South Carolina requires CURRENT NBCOT certification. The 70% SC Jurisprudence Exam is listed only in the examination-applicant instructions, not in the endorsement instructions..

Do I retake the NBCOT exam moving from Michigan to South Carolina?

No. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. For endorsement, 'NBCOT must submit verification of your current certification status directly to the Board' (an NBCOT Verification of Certification; copies not accepted), and the statutory licensing requirements include being in good standing with NBCOT, so South Carolina requires CURRENT NBCOT certification. The 70% SC Jurisprudence Exam is listed only in the examination-applicant instructions, not in the endorsement instructions.

How much does a South Carolina OT license cost for someone licensed in Michigan?

$135 (initial license application fee for an OT (OTA $115), by certified check or money order with a paper application, or online through the LLR portal. Temporary licensure is $10 per license. No fingerprint/background-check fee is listed in the Board's instructions. No OT Compact privilege fee exists yet (South Carolina is not issuing privileges).).

How long does South Carolina take to process the application?

no processing time is published on the Board's licensure or fee pages; incomplete applications or applications without the fee are not accepted and delay the process.

Can I use the OT Compact to work in South Carolina?

Not for this move. South Carolina has enacted the OT Compact but was not issuing privileges as of 2026-09-27. A South Carolina 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

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]