States That License Optometrists Without Years of Practice

Years-of-practice rules are the biggest obstacle for optometrists who move early in their careers. Florida wants two of the last four years, Georgia and West Virginia five of the last seven. But many states ask nothing of the kind. They license an optometrist on passing NBEO scores, the same way they license a new graduate, or they offer endorsement with no minimum. The lists below come from the verified state facts behind our state pages, checked against each board's own pages, statutes or rules.

Which states license on NBEO scores with no practice minimum?

These boards license an applicant who passed the NBEO parts they require, whether or not the applicant is licensed elsewhere, and set no years of practice. Each still adds its own pieces.

• California: the California Laws and Regulations Exam first, then a Part 2 application with NBEO scores and a Letter of Verification from every state where you held a license.
• Connecticut: NBEO scores, an official transcript and verification from every state where you were licensed; the statute also allows a license for a CELMO certificate holder.
• District of Columbia: examination or endorsement, with no years on either route; the board meets quarterly to approve licenses.
• Hawaii: any ACOE graduate with NBEO Parts I, II and III.
• Illinois: Acceptance of Examination, $500, with diagnostic, topical therapeutic and oral therapeutic authority required.
• Indiana: NBEO Parts I, II, III and TMOD, plus a jurisprudence exam sent after the board approves the application.
• Minnesota: NBEO Parts I, II, III and TMOD plus the Minnesota law exam.
• Missouri: NBEO scores, the open-book Missouri law exam and fingerprints.
• New Hampshire: a board-approved exam and sworn affidavits; RSA 327 has no years-of-practice rule.
• New Jersey: Parts I and II plus Part III or NERCOATS, transcripts and the fee.
• New York: Parts I, II and III, or Parts I and II plus NERCOATS, $377.
• Oregon: for optometrists who passed TMOD in 2002 or later, NBEO scores and the Oregon law exam.
• Pennsylvania: all parts of NBEO; the board's licensure snapshots list no experience requirement for NBEO holders.
• South Dakota: the general application with a passed national board exam, typed, printed and notarized.
• Tennessee: all NBEO parts, the board's open-book jurisprudence exam and two reference letters from optometrists.
• Texas: the Acceptance Application, $205, with the Texas Jurisprudence Exam through NBEO.
• Wisconsin: NBEO Parts I, II, III and TMOD and the Wisconsin statutes and rules exam.

Which states offer endorsement with no minimum years?

Some states call the route endorsement or reciprocity but still set no practice minimum. What they check instead is the license, its standing and its scope.

• Michigan: endorsement with no minimum years; optometrists licensed elsewhere under three years also send transcripts and NBEO scores.
• Virginia: a current, active license in good standing from a U.S. jurisdiction or Canada, TPA qualifications and a current NPDB report (18VAC105-20-11).
• Washington: a license from a state with substantially equivalent standards, verification from every state held and a signed certification that you have read Washington's optometry laws.
• Vermont: substantially equivalent qualifications, NBEO scores, transcripts, CPR and verification from your first and most recent states.
• Montana: NBEO Parts I and II, Part III or an equivalent state exam, TPA certification and a current unrestricted license.
• Idaho: good standing everywhere and board approval of the training and exams behind your privileges.
• Rhode Island: a license earned by exam in a state that grants Rhode Island licensees a like privilege, if you never failed Rhode Island's exam.
• Wyoming: an active license in a state with similar requirements, the Wyoming jurisprudence exam and fingerprints.
• Maine: the statute requires endorsement for applicants licensed where requirements are substantially equivalent who pass a jurisprudence exam.
• Mississippi: reciprocity for optometrists examined by a state that grants Mississippi licensees the same privilege, with the jurisprudence exam given only in January and July.

Is Iowa a no-years state?

Sort of. Iowa sets no years of practice, but it asks every applicant for one proof of current competence: a CELMO certificate, 2,080 practice hours in the past two years, a year of optometry faculty work, 50 CE hours, or passing NBEO in the past two years. An optometrist without recent practice hours can still qualify through the 50 CE hours, which is why we list Iowa separately. The fee is $300.

What does "no years" not mean?

It does not mean no conditions. Four catch people:

1. Scope. Illinois requires oral therapeutic authority, and Virginia and Montana require TPA qualifications or certification. A license from a state with a narrower tier may need extra coursework first.
2. Like privilege. Rhode Island and Mississippi look at whether your state grants their licensees the same privilege.
3. A prior failure. Rhode Island and Mississippi bar applicants who failed their own exam.
4. Score windows. Vermont's Office of Professional Regulation says NBEO scores must be used within three years of passing, though its Fast Track Endorsement serves optometrists with three years of good-standing licensure.

And a state that licenses without years can still be slow: Mississippi gives its law exam twice a year, and missing a sitting delays licensure about six months.

Where do the remaining states fall?

States that set a years requirement, such as Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, Nevada, Kentucky, Arkansas and West Virginia, are covered in how states count years of practice. States that examine every applicant, including North Carolina, Oklahoma, Alabama and New Mexico, are in states that require a state exam or a board interview. If you have every NBEO part and want the fastest second license, start with the lists above; our post on choosing between endorsement and NBEO scores explains why.

How do we help?

A license on NBEO scores or by endorsement is $699 per state; we prepare the file, order the verifications and NBEO reports, and track the board, while you answer, sign, pay the board and sit any law exam. The $149 readiness review checks which of these states fit your record. See pricing.