Occupational Therapy License from South Dakota to Texas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners) ↗
A occupational therapy license transfers from South Dakota to Texas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners), verify your South Dakota license, and meet Texas's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. Texas requires a 'passing NBCOT certification examination score report' sent by NBCOT directly to the Board and states 'This is NOT a Verification of Certification', so a Score Transfer is required and current NBCOT certification is not. Texas ALSO requires its Jurisprudence Exam: a free, 20-question, open-book online exam on the OT Rules and OT Practice Act that may be retaken until passed..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither South Dakota nor Texas is issuing OT Compact privileges, so there is one route: a Texas license by endorsement from the Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners). The board verifies your South Dakota license and your NBCOT exam passage; being licensed in South Dakota neither speeds nor slows Texas's standard out-of-state review.
What changes, South Dakota → Texas
| South Dakota (current) | Texas (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).) | $140 (non-refundable OT application fee (OTA $100) per the Board's September 2026 paper application; online applicants pay electronically. Fingerprinting vendor fee paid separately (amount not published on the pages read). Application fees are waived for military service members, veterans and military spouses under HB 5629 (2025). Texas is not in the OT Compact, so no privilege option exists.) |
| 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 | no processing time is published on the application page (it refers applicants to homepage notices and says average processing times vary); a license is not issued until every item is received and processed, and practice may begin once the license shows on the Board's online verification |
| Licensing authority | South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners (Occupational Therapy) | Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Texas sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Texas's current requirements on the Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Graduate of an accredited OT educational program meeting 22 TAC 364.1(a)(4), with your school code on the application.
- Pass the Texas OT Jurisprudence Exam.
- Have NBCOT send your passing exam score report directly to the Board.
- Complete fingerprinting for a criminal history background check using the agency's service code.
- Have original license verification sent directly to the Board for any past or current OT license the Board cannot verify online (South Dakota, Wyoming, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands must always be ordered).
- Provide a U.S.-passport-standard color photo and a Social Security number (required for license issuance from September 1, 2026).
- Pay the fees ($140 (non-refundable OT application fee (OTA $100) per the Board's September 2026 paper application; online applicants pay electronically. Fingerprinting vendor fee paid separately (amount not published on the pages read). Application fees are waived for military service members, veterans and military spouses under HB 5629 (2025). Texas is not in the OT Compact, so no privilege option exists.)) and allow no processing time is published on the application page (it refers applicants to homepage notices and says average processing times vary); a license is not issued until every item is received and processed, and practice may begin once the license shows on the Board's online verification.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my South Dakota occupational therapy license in Texas?
A occupational therapy license transfers from South Dakota to Texas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners), verify your South Dakota license, and meet Texas's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. Texas requires a 'passing NBCOT certification examination score report' sent by NBCOT directly to the Board and states 'This is NOT a Verification of Certification', so a Score Transfer is required and current NBCOT certification is not. Texas ALSO requires its Jurisprudence Exam: a free, 20-question, open-book online exam on the OT Rules and OT Practice Act that may be retaken until passed..
Do I retake the NBCOT exam moving from South Dakota to Texas?
No. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. Texas requires a 'passing NBCOT certification examination score report' sent by NBCOT directly to the Board and states 'This is NOT a Verification of Certification', so a Score Transfer is required and current NBCOT certification is not. Texas ALSO requires its Jurisprudence Exam: a free, 20-question, open-book online exam on the OT Rules and OT Practice Act that may be retaken until passed.
How much does a Texas OT license cost for someone licensed in South Dakota?
$140 (non-refundable OT application fee (OTA $100) per the Board's September 2026 paper application; online applicants pay electronically. Fingerprinting vendor fee paid separately (amount not published on the pages read). Application fees are waived for military service members, veterans and military spouses under HB 5629 (2025). Texas is not in the OT Compact, so no privilege option exists.).
How long does Texas take to process the application?
no processing time is published on the application page (it refers applicants to homepage notices and says average processing times vary); a license is not issued until every item is received and processed, and practice may begin once the license shows on the Board's online verification.
Can I use the OT Compact to work in Texas?
Not for this move. Texas has not enacted the OT Compact. A Texas license by endorsement is required.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- Texas Board of OT Examiners — OT Application (General, Apply by Endorsement, Military tabs) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Texas Board of OT Examiners — OT/OTA Initial Licensure Application (paper), rev. 2026.09 ↗ (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]