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LicenseReciprocity

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

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Wisconsin Occupational Therapists Affiliated Credentialing Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services) ↗

A occupational therapy license transfers from Michigan to Wisconsin by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Wisconsin Occupational Therapists Affiliated Credentialing Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services), verify your Michigan license, and meet Wisconsin's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. For RECIPROCAL applicants (licensed in another state or territory), DSPS's credentialing information sheet (#1569, rev. 4/2022) requires only the application/fee, the Wisconsin State Jurisprudence Exam and license verifications, so no NBCOT document or current NBCOT certification is required on that route; initial (non-reciprocal) applicants verify their score with an NBCOT Verification of Certification. Wisconsin ALSO requires its State Jurisprudence Exam (instructions emailed after the application and fee are processed)..

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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 Wisconsin Occupational Therapists Affiliated Credentialing Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services) for a Wisconsin license, with NBCOT passage verified rather than retaken. If you then live in Wisconsin, that license can anchor privileges in the other issuing states.

What changes, Michigan → Wisconsin

Side-by-side: Michigan vs Wisconsin (Occupational Therapy (OT/OTA)), verified 2026-09-27
Michigan (current)Wisconsin (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).)$60 (credential fee per DSPS information sheet #1569 (rev. 4/2022), paid online via LicensE; DSPS's current initial-fee schedule could not be confirmed separately. Optional fee reduction (form 3217). Oral examination, if required: $266. NOT the OT Compact privilege fee (Wisconsin privilege: $75 state fee + $75 Commission fee).)
Processing timeLARA's OT licensing guide and OT page publish no processing timeno processing time is published on the DSPS OT page; applicants can track status with the LicensE Application Status Lookup
Licensing authorityMichigan Board of Occupational Therapists (LARA Bureau of Professional Licensing)Wisconsin Occupational Therapists Affiliated Credentialing Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services)

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

Step by step

  1. Confirm Wisconsin's current requirements on the Wisconsin Occupational Therapists Affiliated Credentialing Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Wisconsin Occupational Therapists Affiliated Credentialing Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold an OT license or similar certificate in another U.S. state or territory whose requirements the Board finds substantially equivalent, and keep it active until Wisconsin licensure is complete.
  5. Pass the Wisconsin State Jurisprudence Exam.
  6. Have each jurisdiction where you are or were licensed (active or inactive) send a verification letter directly to the Board.
  7. Submit the Convictions and Pending Charges (#2252) and Malpractice Suits or Claims (#2829) forms if applicable.
  8. Appear for an oral examination if the Board requires one (for example, after 5 or more years out of practice); $266 fee.
  9. Pay the fees ($60 (credential fee per DSPS information sheet #1569 (rev. 4/2022), paid online via LicensE; DSPS's current initial-fee schedule could not be confirmed separately. Optional fee reduction (form 3217). Oral examination, if required: $266. NOT the OT Compact privilege fee (Wisconsin privilege: $75 state fee + $75 Commission fee).)) and allow no processing time is published on the DSPS OT page; applicants can track status with the LicensE Application Status Lookup.

Official links

Wisconsin Occupational Therapists Affiliated Credentialing Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services) ↗Wisconsin application ↗Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Wisconsin → MichiganOccupational Therapy in MichiganOccupational Therapy in WisconsinAll occupational therapy statesThe OT Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Can I use my Michigan occupational therapy license in Wisconsin?

A occupational therapy license transfers from Michigan to Wisconsin by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Wisconsin Occupational Therapists Affiliated Credentialing Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services), verify your Michigan license, and meet Wisconsin's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. For RECIPROCAL applicants (licensed in another state or territory), DSPS's credentialing information sheet (#1569, rev. 4/2022) requires only the application/fee, the Wisconsin State Jurisprudence Exam and license verifications, so no NBCOT document or current NBCOT certification is required on that route; initial (non-reciprocal) applicants verify their score with an NBCOT Verification of Certification. Wisconsin ALSO requires its State Jurisprudence Exam (instructions emailed after the application and fee are processed)..

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

No. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. For RECIPROCAL applicants (licensed in another state or territory), DSPS's credentialing information sheet (#1569, rev. 4/2022) requires only the application/fee, the Wisconsin State Jurisprudence Exam and license verifications, so no NBCOT document or current NBCOT certification is required on that route; initial (non-reciprocal) applicants verify their score with an NBCOT Verification of Certification. Wisconsin ALSO requires its State Jurisprudence Exam (instructions emailed after the application and fee are processed).

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

$60 (credential fee per DSPS information sheet #1569 (rev. 4/2022), paid online via LicensE; DSPS's current initial-fee schedule could not be confirmed separately. Optional fee reduction (form 3217). Oral examination, if required: $266. NOT the OT Compact privilege fee (Wisconsin privilege: $75 state fee + $75 Commission fee).).

How long does Wisconsin take to process the application?

no processing time is published on the DSPS OT page; applicants can track status with the LicensE Application Status Lookup.

Can I use the OT Compact to work in Wisconsin?

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