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LicenseReciprocity

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

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Virginia Board of Medicine (regulates occupational therapy, with its Advisory Board on Occupational Therapy) ↗

A occupational therapy license transfers from Michigan to Virginia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Virginia Board of Medicine (regulates occupational therapy, with its Advisory Board on Occupational Therapy), verify your Michigan license, and meet Virginia's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. Endorsement applicants submit 'verification of a professional credential in occupational therapy' (18VAC85-80-36), and the Board's application page tells applicants to have NBCOT send 'certification of credentials' directly to the Board; the underlying exam rule (18VAC85-80-50) requires evidence of passing the NBCOT certification exam. The sources read do not say that CURRENT NBCOT certification is required. No Virginia jurisprudence exam applies (the Commission lists Virginia's compact jurisprudence as 'Not required')..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

This is an endorsement move with a benefit attached. Michigan is outside the issuing group, so no privilege applies; you apply to the Virginia Board of Medicine (regulates occupational therapy, with its Advisory Board on Occupational Therapy) for a Virginia license, with NBCOT passage verified rather than retaken. If you then live in Virginia, that license can anchor privileges in the other issuing states.

What changes, Michigan → Virginia

Side-by-side: Michigan vs Virginia (Occupational Therapy (OT/OTA)), verified 2026-09-27
Michigan (current)Virginia (destination)
OT Compact statusOT Compact enacted — not yet issuingOT 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).)$130 (initial OT license fee under 18VAC85-80-26 (OTA $70); non-refundable. NOT the OT Compact privilege fee (Virginia privilege: $75 OT / $40 OTA state fee under 18VAC85-80-26(A)(10), plus the $75 Commission fee).)
Processing timeLARA's OT licensing guide and OT page publish no processing timeno processing time found; the Board of Medicine's site (dhp.virginia.gov) was unreachable from this environment on 2026-09-27
Licensing authorityMichigan Board of Occupational Therapists (LARA Bureau of Professional Licensing)Virginia Board of Medicine (regulates occupational therapy, with its Advisory Board on Occupational Therapy)

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

Step by step

  1. Confirm Virginia's current requirements on the Virginia Board of Medicine (regulates occupational therapy, with its Advisory Board on Occupational Therapy) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Virginia Board of Medicine (regulates occupational therapy, with its Advisory Board on Occupational Therapy) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. Hold a current, active OT license in good standing in a U.S. jurisdiction or Canada.
  5. Have NBCOT send certification of your credentials directly to the Board.
  6. Have your school send verification of your ACOTE-accredited professional education (transcript) directly to the Board.
  7. Submit a current National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) self-query report.
  8. Have license verification sent from every jurisdiction in which you have been issued an OT license.
  9. Pay the fees ($130 (initial OT license fee under 18VAC85-80-26 (OTA $70); non-refundable. NOT the OT Compact privilege fee (Virginia privilege: $75 OT / $40 OTA state fee under 18VAC85-80-26(A)(10), plus the $75 Commission fee).)) and allow no processing time found; the Board of Medicine's site (dhp.virginia.gov) was unreachable from this environment on 2026-09-27.

Official links

Virginia Board of Medicine (regulates occupational therapy, with its Advisory Board on Occupational Therapy) ↗Virginia application ↗License verification ↗Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Virginia → MichiganOccupational Therapy in MichiganOccupational Therapy in VirginiaAll occupational therapy statesThe OT Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Can I use my Michigan occupational therapy license in Virginia?

A occupational therapy license transfers from Michigan to Virginia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Virginia Board of Medicine (regulates occupational therapy, with its Advisory Board on Occupational Therapy), verify your Michigan license, and meet Virginia's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. Endorsement applicants submit 'verification of a professional credential in occupational therapy' (18VAC85-80-36), and the Board's application page tells applicants to have NBCOT send 'certification of credentials' directly to the Board; the underlying exam rule (18VAC85-80-50) requires evidence of passing the NBCOT certification exam. The sources read do not say that CURRENT NBCOT certification is required. No Virginia jurisprudence exam applies (the Commission lists Virginia's compact jurisprudence as 'Not required')..

Do I retake the NBCOT exam moving from Michigan to Virginia?

No. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. Endorsement applicants submit 'verification of a professional credential in occupational therapy' (18VAC85-80-36), and the Board's application page tells applicants to have NBCOT send 'certification of credentials' directly to the Board; the underlying exam rule (18VAC85-80-50) requires evidence of passing the NBCOT certification exam. The sources read do not say that CURRENT NBCOT certification is required. No Virginia jurisprudence exam applies (the Commission lists Virginia's compact jurisprudence as 'Not required').

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

$130 (initial OT license fee under 18VAC85-80-26 (OTA $70); non-refundable. NOT the OT Compact privilege fee (Virginia privilege: $75 OT / $40 OTA state fee under 18VAC85-80-26(A)(10), plus the $75 Commission fee).).

How long does Virginia take to process the application?

no processing time found; the Board of Medicine's site (dhp.virginia.gov) was unreachable from this environment on 2026-09-27.

Can I use the OT Compact to work in Virginia?

Not for this move. Virginia issues privileges, but only to therapists whose home state is also issuing; Michigan is not. A Virginia 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]