Occupational Therapy License from South Dakota 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 South Dakota 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 South Dakota 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
Neither South Dakota nor Illinois is issuing OT Compact privileges, so there is one route: a Illinois license by endorsement from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Occupational Therapy Licensure Board). The board verifies your South Dakota license and your NBCOT exam passage; being licensed in South Dakota neither speeds nor slows Illinois's standard out-of-state review.
What changes, South Dakota → Illinois
| South Dakota (current) | Illinois (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| OT Compact status | OT Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $50 (initial license fee set by ARSD 20:64:02:05 (statute caps OT fees at $50, SDCL 36-31-12); the rule also sets a $50 annual renewal and a $25 limited permit. The applicant also pays the fingerprinting/background-check fees (amount not published in the sources read). The Board's online portal may add payment charges not verified here. No OT Compact privilege fee exists yet (South Dakota is not issuing privileges).) | 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 | no processing time is published on the Board's OT page or in the rules; the license cannot issue until the state and FBI background check results are received | IDFPR publishes no OT processing timeframe; an application stays active for three years from receipt |
| Licensing authority | South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners (Occupational Therapy) | 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 South Dakota occupational therapy license in Illinois?
A occupational therapy license transfers from South Dakota 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 South Dakota 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 South Dakota 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 South Dakota?
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)
- SD Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners — Occupational Therapist profession page ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SD Administrative Rules ch. 20:64:02 — Licensure Requirements (exam, reciprocity application, limited permit, fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SDCL 36-31-6 — Application for licensure requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SDCL 36-31-6.1 — Criminal background check requirement ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SDCL 36-31-8 — Waiver for applicants licensed in another state ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SDCL 36-31-12 — Fees (cap of $50) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- OT Compact Commission — Before You Apply (South Dakota: Not Yet) ↗ (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]