Occupational Therapy License from Ohio to New Hampshire: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: New Hampshire Occupational Therapists Governing Board (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) ↗
A occupational therapy license transfers from Ohio to New Hampshire by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New Hampshire Occupational Therapists Governing Board (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification), verify your Ohio license, and meet New Hampshire's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. OPLC's OT initial-application checklist lists NBCOT certification as an eligibility item and requires a letter sent directly from NBCOT verifying your certification and its expiration dates (Occ 302.03(e)), i.e. an NBCOT Verification of Certification, so current NBCOT certification appears to be expected. The separate universal reciprocity route (RSA 310:17) asks for the application, fee, proof of your active license and an FBI background check. No New Hampshire jurisprudence exam was found..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Your Ohio license can anchor OT Compact privileges, but not into New Hampshire: New Hampshire has enacted the compact but is not yet issuing or honoring privileges. To practice in New Hampshire you need a New Hampshire license by endorsement from the New Hampshire Occupational Therapists Governing Board (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification). 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 → New Hampshire
| Ohio (current) | New Hampshire (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).) | $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).) |
| 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 | 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 |
| Licensing authority | Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainers Board (Occupational Therapy Section) | New Hampshire Occupational Therapists Governing Board (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — New Hampshire sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm New Hampshire's current requirements on the New Hampshire Occupational Therapists Governing Board (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the New Hampshire Occupational Therapists Governing Board (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Apply online through OPLC; applicants licensed in another state can use the universal reciprocity route (Universal Application for Initial License with a copy or portal screenshot of the active, good-standing license).
- Complete an FBI criminal history records check.
- Have NBCOT send a letter directly to the Board verifying your certification and its expiration dates.
- Have each other state of licensure send license verification directly to the Board, where applicable.
- Graduate of an ACOTE-accredited OT program (official transcript sent directly from the school on the standard initial route).
- Pay the fees ($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).)) and allow 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.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my Ohio occupational therapy license in New Hampshire?
A occupational therapy license transfers from Ohio to New Hampshire by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New Hampshire Occupational Therapists Governing Board (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification), verify your Ohio license, and meet New Hampshire's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. OPLC's OT initial-application checklist lists NBCOT certification as an eligibility item and requires a letter sent directly from NBCOT verifying your certification and its expiration dates (Occ 302.03(e)), i.e. an NBCOT Verification of Certification, so current NBCOT certification appears to be expected. The separate universal reciprocity route (RSA 310:17) asks for the application, fee, proof of your active license and an FBI background check. No New Hampshire jurisprudence exam was found..
Do I retake the NBCOT exam moving from Ohio to New Hampshire?
No. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. OPLC's OT initial-application checklist lists NBCOT certification as an eligibility item and requires a letter sent directly from NBCOT verifying your certification and its expiration dates (Occ 302.03(e)), i.e. an NBCOT Verification of Certification, so current NBCOT certification appears to be expected. The separate universal reciprocity route (RSA 310:17) asks for the application, fee, proof of your active license and an FBI background check. No New Hampshire jurisprudence exam was found.
How much does a New Hampshire OT license cost for someone licensed in Ohio?
$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).).
How long does New Hampshire take to process the application?
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.
Can I use the OT Compact to work in New Hampshire?
Not for this move. New Hampshire has enacted the OT Compact but was not issuing privileges as of 2026-09-27. A New Hampshire license by endorsement is required.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 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)
- 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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