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LicenseReciprocity

Occupational Therapy License from Mississippi to Florida: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Florida Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance) ↗

A occupational therapy license transfers from Mississippi to Florida by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Florida Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance), verify your Mississippi license, and meet Florida's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. Under MOBILE endorsement, if you hold current NBCOT certification you list your certification number and Board staff verify it with NBCOT. If your certification is not current, you list your original exam information and ask NBCOT to send a score transfer to the Board. The standard (examination-route) application also accepts current or lapsed NBCOT certification, verified by certification number. No Florida jurisprudence exam is listed..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Neither Mississippi nor Florida is issuing OT Compact privileges, so there is one route: a Florida license by endorsement from the Florida Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance). The board verifies your Mississippi license and your NBCOT exam passage; being licensed in Mississippi neither speeds nor slows Florida's standard out-of-state review.

What changes, Mississippi → Florida

Side-by-side: Mississippi vs Florida (Occupational Therapy (OT/OTA)), verified 2026-09-27
Mississippi (current)Florida (destination)
OT Compact statusOT Compact enacted — not yet issuingLicensure by endorsement
Application fee$250 ($100 application fee plus $150 initial OT licensure fee (Rule 8.13.2), non-refundable. The OTA initial fee is $100. No criminal background check is required for regular licensure: MSDH requires background checks for OTs only for the OT Licensure Compact ($50 plus $25 local fingerprinting).)$180 ($100 nonrefundable application fee + $75 initial license fee + $5 unlicensed activity fee, all due with the application (same total for MOBILE endorsement and the examination route); + electronic fingerprinting vendor fee)
Processing time1–3 weeks (The Department says 'Please allow 7 to 14 business days after receipt of all paperwork to receive your license' (about 1.4 to 2.8 weeks, rounded). For universal-license applicants, Rule 8.4.7 requires a decision within 120 days and a temporary practice permit within 30 days if processing will take longer than two weeks.)for MOBILE endorsement the Board allows up to five business days for initial review and issues the license within seven days once all requirements are met (s. 456.0145(2)(e), F.S.); Florida law requires initial review within 30 days, and documents received after initial review are processed within 14 business days; no end-to-end range is published
Licensing authorityMississippi State Department of Health — Professional Licensure (Occupational Therapy)Florida Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance)

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

Step by step

  1. Confirm Florida's current requirements on the Florida Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Florida Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. Hold an active, unencumbered OT license issued by another state, DC or a U.S. territory (MOBILE endorsement, s. 456.0145, F.S.).
  5. Have actively practiced as a licensed OT for at least two of the four years before applying.
  6. Have no National Practitioner Data Bank report (unless removed on appeal or for conduct that is not a Florida violation), no pending discipline, and no discipline in the prior five years.
  7. Complete electronic fingerprinting for background screening (required since HB 975, 2024).
  8. Have each state that licensed you send license verification (online verifications that show discipline are accepted).
  9. Pay the fees ($180 ($100 nonrefundable application fee + $75 initial license fee + $5 unlicensed activity fee, all due with the application (same total for MOBILE endorsement and the examination route); + electronic fingerprinting vendor fee)) and allow for MOBILE endorsement the Board allows up to five business days for initial review and issues the license within seven days once all requirements are met (s. 456.0145(2)(e), F.S.); Florida law requires initial review within 30 days, and documents received after initial review are processed within 14 business days; no end-to-end range is published.

Official links

Florida Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance) ↗Florida application ↗License verification ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Florida → MississippiOccupational Therapy in MississippiOccupational Therapy in FloridaAll occupational therapy statesThe OT Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Can I use my Mississippi occupational therapy license in Florida?

A occupational therapy license transfers from Mississippi to Florida by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Florida Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance), verify your Mississippi license, and meet Florida's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. Under MOBILE endorsement, if you hold current NBCOT certification you list your certification number and Board staff verify it with NBCOT. If your certification is not current, you list your original exam information and ask NBCOT to send a score transfer to the Board. The standard (examination-route) application also accepts current or lapsed NBCOT certification, verified by certification number. No Florida jurisprudence exam is listed..

Do I retake the NBCOT exam moving from Mississippi to Florida?

No. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. Under MOBILE endorsement, if you hold current NBCOT certification you list your certification number and Board staff verify it with NBCOT. If your certification is not current, you list your original exam information and ask NBCOT to send a score transfer to the Board. The standard (examination-route) application also accepts current or lapsed NBCOT certification, verified by certification number. No Florida jurisprudence exam is listed.

How much does a Florida OT license cost for someone licensed in Mississippi?

$180 ($100 nonrefundable application fee + $75 initial license fee + $5 unlicensed activity fee, all due with the application (same total for MOBILE endorsement and the examination route); + electronic fingerprinting vendor fee).

How long does Florida take to process the application?

for MOBILE endorsement the Board allows up to five business days for initial review and issues the license within seven days once all requirements are met (s. 456.0145(2)(e), F.S.); Florida law requires initial review within 30 days, and documents received after initial review are processed within 14 business days; no end-to-end range is published.

Can I use the OT Compact to work in Florida?

Not for this move. Florida has not enacted the OT Compact. A Florida 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]