Occupational Therapy License from New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire license and your NBCOT exam passage; being licensed in New Hampshire neither speeds nor slows Florida's standard out-of-state review.
What changes, New Hampshire → Florida
| New Hampshire (current) | Florida (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| OT Compact status | OT Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $110 (OT application fee on OPLC's Occupational Therapy Governing Board License Fees page (Internet Archive copy of 2025-05-31; OTA also $110; separate $20 certificate fee and $10 license-verification fee listed). OPLC moved the page to a new address in 2026 that could not be retrieved, so confirm the current amount (fees are set in Plc 1000). + FBI background-check fees. No OT Compact privilege fee exists yet (New Hampshire is not issuing privileges).) | $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 time | OPLC publishes no OT processing time; under Plc 313.07(c) it may issue a provisional license to an endorsement applicant whose FBI check results are still pending | 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 authority | New Hampshire Occupational Therapists Governing Board (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) | 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
- 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.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Florida Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active, unencumbered OT license issued by another state, DC or a U.S. territory (MOBILE endorsement, s. 456.0145, F.S.).
- Have actively practiced as a licensed OT for at least two of the four years before applying.
- 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.
- Complete electronic fingerprinting for background screening (required since HB 975, 2024).
- Have each state that licensed you send license verification (online verifications that show discipline are accepted).
- 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
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my New Hampshire occupational therapy license in Florida?
A occupational therapy license transfers from New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire?
$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.
- Florida Board of OT Practice, Occupational Therapist licensing (requirements, MOBILE endorsement, fees, processing times) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Florida Statutes s. 456.0145 (MOBILE Act), as linked by the Board ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NH OPLC — Occupational Therapists Applications page (online portal, checklists, reciprocity link) (Internet Archive copy of 2026-03-24; oplc.nh.gov returned HTTP 403 on 2026-09-27) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NH OPLC — New Changes for Reciprocity in New Hampshire (HB 594, RSA 310:17; OT qualifying jurisdictions, Plc 313.43; FBI check; provisional license) (Internet Archive copy of 2026-08-21) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NH OPLC — Occupational Therapist Initial Application Checklist (Internet Archive copy of 2025-03-05) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NH OPLC — Occupational Therapy Governing Board License Fees (Internet Archive copy of 2025-05-31) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- OT Compact Commission — Before You Apply (New Hampshire: Not Yet accepting applications) ↗ (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]