Occupational Therapy License from Minnesota to Illinois: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Occupational Therapy Licensure Board) ↗
A occupational therapy license transfers from Minnesota to Illinois by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Occupational Therapy Licensure Board), verify your Minnesota license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. Endorsement applicants must show passage of the NBCOT OTR exam; IDFPR staff retrieve the score from the NBCOT portal during evaluation. IDFPR's 'Qualifications for Licensure' document does not require current NBCOT certification and lists no Illinois jurisprudence exam..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Your Minnesota license can anchor OT Compact privileges, but not into Illinois: Illinois has not enacted the compact. To practice in Illinois you need a Illinois license by endorsement from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Occupational Therapy Licensure Board). NBCOT passage is verified, not retaken. Any privileges you hold in other issuing states are unaffected while Minnesota remains your home state.
What changes, Minnesota → Illinois
| Minnesota (current) | Illinois (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| OT Compact status | OT Compact member — compact privilege to practice | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $185 (Initial OT licensure fee ($105 for an OTA). Add the $32 criminal background check fee. A temporary license, available while the application is pending to OTs licensed elsewhere or NBCOT-certified, costs $75. Minn. Stat. §148.6445 sets these amounts as maximums, and the Board's published fee page (read via an Internet Archive copy captured 2025-09-17) matched the statutory $185. NOT the compact privilege fee: the Commission lists Minnesota's privilege fee as $50, plus the $75 Commission fee. §148.6445 subd. 5a sets a $150 cap.) | The endorsement fee is set in 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1315 but does not appear in IDFPR's OT qualifications document, and the Illinois General Assembly rules site refused connections on 2026-09-27, so the amount could not be verified. |
| Processing time | 4–7 weeks (Board-implied. The Board says the criminal background check takes 3 to 5 weeks after the fingerprint packet reaches the CBC office, and then 'allow five (5) to ten (10) business days' for review once ALL documents are received. You may practice as soon as your name appears on the Board's License Look Up.) | IDFPR publishes no OT processing timeframe; an application stays active for three years from receipt |
| Licensing authority | Minnesota Board of Occupational Therapy Practice | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Occupational Therapy Licensure Board) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Illinois sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Illinois's current requirements on the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Occupational Therapy Licensure Board) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Occupational Therapy Licensure Board) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Master's degree or higher from a program that meets or exceeds ACOTE standards (upload the official sealed transcript).
- Passing score on the NBCOT OTR exam, retrieved by IDFPR from the NBCOT portal.
- Certification of licensure from the first jurisdiction where you were licensed and from every jurisdiction where you are currently licensed (primary-source website printouts accepted).
- Apply online through IDFPR's CORE system; all required documents must be uploaded before the application can be submitted.
- Pay the fees (The endorsement fee is set in 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1315 but does not appear in IDFPR's OT qualifications document, and the Illinois General Assembly rules site refused connections on 2026-09-27, so the amount could not be verified.) and allow IDFPR publishes no OT processing timeframe; an application stays active for three years from receipt.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my Minnesota occupational therapy license in Illinois?
A occupational therapy license transfers from Minnesota to Illinois by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Occupational Therapy Licensure Board), verify your Minnesota license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. Endorsement applicants must show passage of the NBCOT OTR exam; IDFPR staff retrieve the score from the NBCOT portal during evaluation. IDFPR's 'Qualifications for Licensure' document does not require current NBCOT certification and lists no Illinois jurisprudence exam..
Do I retake the NBCOT exam moving from Minnesota to Illinois?
No. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. Endorsement applicants must show passage of the NBCOT OTR exam; IDFPR staff retrieve the score from the NBCOT portal during evaluation. IDFPR's 'Qualifications for Licensure' document does not require current NBCOT certification and lists no Illinois jurisprudence exam.
How much does a Illinois OT license cost for someone licensed in Minnesota?
The endorsement fee is set in 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1315 but does not appear in IDFPR's OT qualifications document, and the Illinois General Assembly rules site refused connections on 2026-09-27, so the amount could not be verified..
How long does Illinois take to process the application?
IDFPR publishes no OT processing timeframe; an application stays active for three years from receipt.
Can I use the OT Compact to work in Illinois?
Not for this move. Illinois has not enacted the OT Compact. A Illinois license by endorsement is required.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- IDFPR, Occupational Therapy profession page ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- IDFPR, Qualifications for Licensure: Occupational Therapist (056, effective 02/2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Minnesota Board of OT Practice — Application: Another State or NBCOT Certified (Equivalency or Reciprocity) (Internet Archive copy of the official page, captured 2026-05-15) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Minnesota Board of OT Practice — License Information (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-03-07) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Minnesota Board of OT Practice — Fees (Internet Archive copy captured 2025-09-17) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Minn. Stat. §148.6412 Licensure by equivalency ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Minn. Stat. §148.6415 Licensure by reciprocity ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Minn. Stat. §148.6420 Application requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Minn. Stat. §148.6445 Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Minn. Stat. §214.075 Health-related licensing boards; criminal background checks ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- OT Compact Commission — Before You Apply (Minnesota accepting applications since January 12, 2026; $50 privilege fee) ↗ (accessed 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]