Occupational Therapy License from Ohio to Delaware: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Delaware Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Division of Professional Regulation) ↗
A occupational therapy license transfers from Ohio to Delaware by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Delaware Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Division of Professional Regulation), verify your Ohio license, and meet Delaware's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. If you took the NBCOT exam after 2006 and designated Delaware to receive your scores, the Board office pulls them online. If you took it before 2007 or did not designate Delaware, you must order an official NBCOT Score Transfer. The Board does not say that NBCOT certification must be current, and no Delaware jurisprudence exam is required for licensure..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Your Ohio license can anchor OT Compact privileges, but not into Delaware: Delaware has enacted the compact but is not yet issuing or honoring privileges. To practice in Delaware you need a Delaware license by endorsement from the Delaware Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Division of Professional Regulation). NBCOT passage is verified, not retaken. Any privileges you hold in other issuing states are unaffected while Ohio remains your home state.
What changes, Ohio → Delaware
| Ohio (current) | Delaware (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| OT Compact status | OT Compact member — compact privilege to practice | OT Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $100 (non-refundable endorsement application fee paid online through eLicense Ohio; + $22 BCI and $24 FBI background-check fees (plus any vendor fingerprinting fee); + $35 NBCOT Score Transfer if not already sent. NOT the OT Compact privilege fee (Ohio privilege: $25 state fee + $75 commission fee).) | $236 (nonrefundable OT application fee paid in DELPROS (OTA $96; interstate telehealth registration $50). + fingerprinting and background-check fees paid to the vendor. NOT the OT Compact privilege fee (Commission lists Delaware's future state fee as $100 for OTs).) |
| Processing time | the Board states only that an application is reviewed within five business days of submission (approval or a request for more documents); no end-to-end licensing timeframe is published, and FBI checks from ink-rolled cards can take up to three months | no timeframe is published; the Board reviews only complete applications and does so at its next scheduled meeting |
| Licensing authority | Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainers Board (Occupational Therapy Section) | Delaware Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Division of Professional Regulation) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Delaware sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Delaware's current requirements on the Delaware Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Division of Professional Regulation) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Delaware Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Division of Professional Regulation) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current OT license in another jurisdiction (apply 'by reciprocity' in DELPROS).
- Complete a State of Delaware and FBI fingerprint criminal background check through IdentoGO using the Board's service code; checks done for any other purpose are not accepted.
- Have every state or jurisdiction where you hold or ever held a license send verification directly to the Board.
- Order an NBCOT Score Transfer if you tested before 2007 or did not designate Delaware to receive your scores.
- Pay the fees ($236 (nonrefundable OT application fee paid in DELPROS (OTA $96; interstate telehealth registration $50). + fingerprinting and background-check fees paid to the vendor. NOT the OT Compact privilege fee (Commission lists Delaware's future state fee as $100 for OTs).)) and allow no timeframe is published; the Board reviews only complete applications and does so at its next scheduled meeting.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my Ohio occupational therapy license in Delaware?
A occupational therapy license transfers from Ohio to Delaware by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Delaware Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Division of Professional Regulation), verify your Ohio license, and meet Delaware's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. If you took the NBCOT exam after 2006 and designated Delaware to receive your scores, the Board office pulls them online. If you took it before 2007 or did not designate Delaware, you must order an official NBCOT Score Transfer. The Board does not say that NBCOT certification must be current, and no Delaware jurisprudence exam is required for licensure..
Do I retake the NBCOT exam moving from Ohio to Delaware?
No. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. If you took the NBCOT exam after 2006 and designated Delaware to receive your scores, the Board office pulls them online. If you took it before 2007 or did not designate Delaware, you must order an official NBCOT Score Transfer. The Board does not say that NBCOT certification must be current, and no Delaware jurisprudence exam is required for licensure.
How much does a Delaware OT license cost for someone licensed in Ohio?
$236 (nonrefundable OT application fee paid in DELPROS (OTA $96; interstate telehealth registration $50). + fingerprinting and background-check fees paid to the vendor. NOT the OT Compact privilege fee (Commission lists Delaware's future state fee as $100 for OTs).).
How long does Delaware take to process the application?
no timeframe is published; the Board reviews only complete applications and does so at its next scheduled meeting.
Can I use the OT Compact to work in Delaware?
Not for this move. Delaware has enacted the OT Compact but was not issuing privileges as of 2026-09-27. A Delaware license by endorsement is required.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- Delaware DPR, Board of Occupational Therapy Practice ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Delaware DPR, Occupational Therapist licensure (reciprocity and examination requirements) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Delaware DPR, OT Fee Schedule ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- OT Compact Commission, Before You Apply (Delaware: Not Yet accepting applications) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio OTPTAT Board — OT and OTA Endorsement Applications ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio OTPTAT Board — OT/OTA Endorsement Application Instructions packet (Dec 2025) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio OTPTAT Board — OT-OTA Licensing (application pathways) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio OTPTAT Board — OT Compact ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio OTPTAT Board — OT-OTA Endorsement Application page (Internet Archive copy, captured 2025-06-12; eligibility and five-business-day review re-checked) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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