Optometry has one national exam series, NBEO, and no compact. That combination means your scores travel but your license does not: each state decides how much of your history counts, whether you sit its law exam, and which scope tier you may practice under.
The three routes
- Route 1
On NBEO scores
Some boards license an optometrist on passing NBEO scores with no years of practice. Texas has an Acceptance Application, Illinois an Acceptance of Examination, and California asks for its laws and regulations exam first. Most add a law exam.
- Route 2
By endorsement after years of practice
Others license by endorsement once you have practiced a set number of years, such as Florida under its 2024 law (s. 456.0145). The years and the window differ by state, so we confirm each at the board.
- Route 3
A state exam, with no exam-free route
A few states give their own exam or interview to everyone. North Carolina has no reciprocity or endorsement policy, and Oklahoma gives its board exams once a year: tentatively July 24, 2027, with documents due June 15, 2027.
Scope tiers decide what you may treat
States license optometrists in tiers. California has DPA, TPA, TPL, TPG and TLG certifications, Texas a separate Optometric Glaucoma Specialist application, and Pennsylvania P, T and G licenses. A license in a new state carries that state’s tier, not your home state’s, so the readiness review matches your training to each target state before you apply. Laser procedures are authorized only where a state’s statute or rule says so.
Who does what
We prepare every supporting document and a question-by-question guide, order verifications from every state you have held and your NBEO score reports, and schedule law and state exams. You answer and sign every application, pay the board and sit every exam. Your board, NBEO and OE TRACKER logins stay yours.
Want your next license prepared?
A license on NBEO scores or by endorsement is $699 per state, $799 where the state gives its own exam or interview, and the readiness review is $149. NBEO, board and ARBO fees are paid by you directly. See every price, or check your state.
Questions
- Is there a compact for optometrists?
- No. In 2023 AOA’s compact work group found no unanimous need or urgent nationwide desire for one, and none exists as of October 2026. Every additional state is a full license.
- Does CELMO give me a license?
- No. ARBO’s CELMO certificate is a credential some boards accept as proof of current competence, and ARBO says plainly it is not national licensure and boards need not grant a license. We check whether each of your target states recognizes it.
- Does my DEA registration cover a second state?
- No. DEA requires a registration for each principal place of business or professional practice (21 CFR 1301.12), so practicing in a second state means a second registration, and some states add their own controlled substance license.
- I was licensed in Kentucky without every NBEO part. Does that matter?
- It can. Kentucky’s Attorney General found the board’s waivers of NBEO requirements void in October 2025 (OAG 25-13). Other boards may ask for the missing parts, so we screen for it in the readiness review before you apply anywhere.
Sources: NBEO; ARBO; each state board’s application pages; 21 CFR 1301. Not affiliated with AOA, ARBO, NBEO, ASCO, COPE or any state board.