License Verifications Between OT Boards: Who Sends What

A license verification is a board's official statement about a license it issued: the number, the status, the dates, and any discipline. When you apply in a new state, that board usually wants a verification for every OT or OTA license you have ever held, sent by the issuing board rather than by you. It is separate from your NBCOT score transfer, and it is one of the most common reasons an otherwise complete application sits waiting.

Why do boards want it from the other board?

Because the point is to catch what an applicant might leave out. Texas's endorsement rule requires a verification "if the Board cannot verify the applicant's history of licensure in occupational therapy, including disciplinary action," and specifies that it "must be an original verification sent directly to the Board by the licensing board of the state or territory" (40 Tex. Admin. Code § 364.4(a)(3)). Note the condition: where Texas can confirm your history itself, for example through another board's online lookup, it may not need the formal document. Many boards work the same way, which is why the answer to "do I need a verification from Ohio?" is often "it depends on whether this board accepts Ohio's website."

What does an official verification contain?

Ohio's rule is a clear example. Its board issues an official verification only on a request "submitted electronically via eLicense Ohio" plus payment of the verification fee, and the verification includes the license number and status, "any disciplinary action taken against the license," and the initial issue and expiration dates (Ohio Admin. Code 4755-3-03). That discipline line is the reason boards insist on it. A license that expired cleanly ten years ago still goes on the list.

How much do verifications cost?

Usually little, but they add up across a long career. Examples from board rules:

• Tennessee: $25 for an endorsement or verification (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1150-02-.06).
• Pennsylvania: the board's fee rule lists $15 for a verification of licensure (49 Pa. Code § 42.17).
• Ohio: a fee of no more than $30 (Ohio Admin. Code 4755-4-01).

An OT who has held licenses in four states may pay a verification fee to each of them, on top of the new state's application fee. Fees change, so check each board's current schedule. Our post on what OT licensing costs puts these in context.

Is a verification the same as an NBCOT score transfer?

No, and mixing them up is a frequent stall. NBCOT offers two different things:

• Score transfer: NBCOT sends your exam score to a state board. It costs $35 and goes out within three business days of the request, per NBCOT. This is what boards mean when they ask for your examination results.
• Verification of certification: a free letter confirming your current NBCOT certification status, which NBCOT will send to a board, employer or agency.

Neither one is a state license verification. NBCOT certification is a national credential, not a license, so a board still needs to hear from each state that licensed you. See sending your NBCOT score to a new board and NBCOT certification is not a state license.

Where do you request one?

From the board that issued the license, never from the board you are applying to. The method varies: an online request in the board's licensing portal (Ohio routes it through eLicense Ohio), a paper form with a fee, or nothing at all if the receiving board accepts the public lookup. New York, for instance, publishes license verification through the Office of the Professions' online search. Before paying for a formal verification, ask the receiving board whether it will accept the online record. Before relying on the online record, make sure it shows what the board needs, including discipline.

How does the OT Compact change this?

Within the compact, license data moves through the Commission's data system. The model compact law says that when a practitioner moves between two member states and applies for a new home state license, the new state verifies eligibility "via the Data System, without need for primary source verification," except for an FBI fingerprint check if not already done, any other criminal background check the new state requires, and its jurisprudence requirement (OT Compact, Section 5.B.2). A privilege application likewise relies on your home license as recorded by your home board rather than a stack of verifications.

That benefit is limited to the ten states issuing privileges as of October 2026, and only when both your home state and the target state are issuing. A move to or from a non-member state such as California, New York, Texas or Florida is a full single-state application, verifications and all. See endorsement or the compact.

Can you avoid repeating this every time?

Partly. Keep a running list of every license you have held, with numbers, issue dates and expiration dates, and save a copy of each verification you request. Know which of your boards offer online lookups that show discipline, and which require a formal request. Hospitals and payers run their own primary source verification on the same records; our sister site explains that side in primary source verification explained.

When we handle a License by Endorsement ($599 per state for OTs, $499 for OTAs), the verification requests go out on day one, to every board on your history, in whatever channel each one uses. Board and verification fees are separate. Each state's requirements are in our state license index.