Occupational Therapy License from Texas to South Carolina: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: South Carolina Board of Occupational Therapy (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) ↗
A occupational therapy license transfers from Texas to South Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Carolina Board of Occupational Therapy (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation), verify your Texas license, and meet South Carolina's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. For endorsement, 'NBCOT must submit verification of your current certification status directly to the Board' (an NBCOT Verification of Certification; copies not accepted), and the statutory licensing requirements include being in good standing with NBCOT, so South Carolina requires CURRENT NBCOT certification. The 70% SC Jurisprudence Exam is listed only in the examination-applicant instructions, not in the endorsement instructions..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither Texas nor South Carolina is issuing OT Compact privileges, so there is one route: a South Carolina license by endorsement from the South Carolina Board of Occupational Therapy (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation). The board verifies your Texas license and your NBCOT exam passage; being licensed in Texas neither speeds nor slows South Carolina's standard out-of-state review.
What changes, Texas → South Carolina
| Texas (current) | South Carolina (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| OT Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | OT Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $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.) | $135 (initial license application fee for an OT (OTA $115), by certified check or money order with a paper application, or online through the LLR portal. Temporary licensure is $10 per license. No fingerprint/background-check fee is listed in the Board's instructions. No OT Compact privilege fee exists yet (South Carolina is not issuing privileges).) |
| Processing time | 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 | no processing time is published on the Board's licensure or fee pages; incomplete applications or applications without the fee are not accepted and delay the process |
| Licensing authority | Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners) | South Carolina Board of Occupational Therapy (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — South Carolina sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm South Carolina's current requirements on the South Carolina Board of Occupational Therapy (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the South Carolina Board of Occupational Therapy (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Graduate of an ACOTE-approved OT program with at least six months of supervised fieldwork.
- Be in good standing with NBCOT and have NBCOT send verification of current certification directly to the Board.
- Have every state where you hold a permanent license (including lapsed licenses) send license verification directly to the Board.
- Submit a 2x2 photo, a signed copy of your Social Security card and a copy of a government ID with the application.
- Pay the fees ($135 (initial license application fee for an OT (OTA $115), by certified check or money order with a paper application, or online through the LLR portal. Temporary licensure is $10 per license. No fingerprint/background-check fee is listed in the Board's instructions. No OT Compact privilege fee exists yet (South Carolina is not issuing privileges).)) and allow no processing time is published on the Board's licensure or fee pages; incomplete applications or applications without the fee are not accepted and delay the process.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my Texas occupational therapy license in South Carolina?
A occupational therapy license transfers from Texas to South Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Carolina Board of Occupational Therapy (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation), verify your Texas license, and meet South Carolina's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. For endorsement, 'NBCOT must submit verification of your current certification status directly to the Board' (an NBCOT Verification of Certification; copies not accepted), and the statutory licensing requirements include being in good standing with NBCOT, so South Carolina requires CURRENT NBCOT certification. The 70% SC Jurisprudence Exam is listed only in the examination-applicant instructions, not in the endorsement instructions..
Do I retake the NBCOT exam moving from Texas to South Carolina?
No. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. For endorsement, 'NBCOT must submit verification of your current certification status directly to the Board' (an NBCOT Verification of Certification; copies not accepted), and the statutory licensing requirements include being in good standing with NBCOT, so South Carolina requires CURRENT NBCOT certification. The 70% SC Jurisprudence Exam is listed only in the examination-applicant instructions, not in the endorsement instructions.
How much does a South Carolina OT license cost for someone licensed in Texas?
$135 (initial license application fee for an OT (OTA $115), by certified check or money order with a paper application, or online through the LLR portal. Temporary licensure is $10 per license. No fingerprint/background-check fee is listed in the Board's instructions. No OT Compact privilege fee exists yet (South Carolina is not issuing privileges).).
How long does South Carolina take to process the application?
no processing time is published on the Board's licensure or fee pages; incomplete applications or applications without the fee are not accepted and delay the process.
Can I use the OT Compact to work in South Carolina?
Not for this move. South Carolina has enacted the OT Compact but was not issuing privileges as of 2026-09-27. A South Carolina license by endorsement is required.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- SC LLR Board of Occupational Therapy — Licensure (requirements; examination, endorsement and reinstatement instructions; fees) (Internet Archive copy, captured 2026-03-08; llr.sc.gov refused connections) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SC LLR Board of Occupational Therapy — Fees (Internet Archive copy, captured 2026-03-07) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- OT Compact Commission — Before You Apply (South Carolina: Not Yet) ↗ (accessed 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)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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