Georgia licenses occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants through the Georgia State Board of Occupational Therapy in the Secretary of State's Professional Licensing Boards Division. Applications are filed online in GOALS. Everything below comes from the board's own pages and rules, checked October 18, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm on the linked pages before you pay.
Check with your board. OT Ticket is a study aid, not clinical or legal guidance. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT), AOTA, ACOTE, the OT Compact Commission or any state board; NBCOT, OTR and COTA are their marks, used here only to name the exam.
Georgia at a glance
Occupational therapist (OT)
OT assistant (OTA)
Exam
NBCOT OTR exam (180 questions, 4 hours), $540 to NBCOT
NBCOT COTA exam (190 questions, 4 hours), $540 to NBCOT
Board fees
$60 application/examination + $10 processing fee
$50 + $10 processing fee
Background check
Fingerprints through GAPS (Idemia) for the GBI, right after you apply
Same
Limited permit
Available with a Limited Permit Supervision Agreement (Form C)
Same
OT Compact
Member, not accepting applications yet. Georgia has enacted the OT Compact but has not opened privilege applications, so for now you need a full Georgia license. (OT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)
Georgia, step by step
Georgia State Board of Occupational Therapy (Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division)
Apply in GOALS: a signed, notarized application with the fee ($60 OT, $50 OTA, plus a $10 processing fee), an official transcript, license verifications from every state, professional and personal references, the supervised clinical forms and proof of completed fieldwork, a background consent form, an affidavit of citizenship and a secure and verifiable document.
NBCOT: send your NBCOT certification and national board scores.
Fingerprints right away: immediately after applying, register with the Georgia Applicant Processing Service (GAPS, run by Idemia for the GBI) for an electronic fingerprint background check.
Limited permit (optional): the checklist includes a Limited Permit Supervision Agreement (Form C) for applicants who will work under supervision before they are fully licensed; ask the board about the permit's terms before you start work.
Keep it: licenses renew by March 31 of even-numbered years ($65 OT, $55 OTA). Georgia has enacted the OT Compact but is not accepting privilege applications yet.
Every state licenses occupational therapists and OT assistants on NBCOT certification: an ACOTE-accredited degree with its Level II fieldwork, then NBCOT's exam (the OTR exam for OTs, 180 questions in 4 hours; the COTA exam for OT assistants, 190 questions in 4 hours; 450 on a 300-600 scale passes; $540 to apply online). NBCOT certification is not a license: you apply to your state board separately, and NBCOT sends the board your score (the Score Transfer is free if you add it when you apply for the exam, $35 later). The full walk-through: How to get your OT license.