New Mexico licenses occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants through the Board of Occupational Therapy in the Regulation and Licensing Department (RLD). All fees are non-refundable. 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.
New Mexico 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
$110 (licensure received Sept 1 to May 31) or $60 (June 1 to Aug 31)
$100 or $50
Law exam
Jurisprudence exam, $10
Same
Provisional permit
$25 on top of the full license fee, with a supervision statement
Same
Background check
Check with the board (RLD posts background report instructions)
Same
OT Compact
Not a member. You need a full New Mexico license. (OT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)
New Mexico, step by step
New Mexico Board of Occupational Therapy (Regulation and Licensing Department)
Apply on the board's application with the fees and documents: $110 for an OT or $100 for an OTA if your licensure is received September 1 to May 31, or $60 / $50 from June 1 to August 31.
NBCOT: pass the exam NBCOT prescribes (OTR or COTA).
Jurisprudence exam: $10 on the board's fee schedule.
Provisional permit (optional): $25 in addition to the full license fee. An OTA, or anyone practicing on a provisional permit, files a signed, current statement of supervision from the supervising OT (the board has an OTA provisional permit supervisory form).
Keep it: annual renewal ($85 OT, $60 OTA), with a $100 penalty if not postmarked by October 1. New Mexico is not in the OT Compact.
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.