Verified October 10, 2026 against the practice act, board rules and sources cited below. The board decides every application. All states
What optometrists miss in Alabama
- Missing the July sitting means waiting a full year for the next one.
- Reciprocity applicants cannot receive the temporary license offered to new graduates.
- The application must be notarized and mailed with a copy of a photo ID.
How does an optometrist licensed elsewhere get a Alabama license?
Every applicant, including licensed optometrists applying by reciprocity, sits the Alabama Standard Examination for Licensure, given once a year in July. Reciprocity applicants send an affidavit from a U.S. optometry board confirming they passed its requirements and hold a current license there.
- State exam required
- Board: Alabama Board of Optometry
Citation: Code of Ala. §§ 34-22-20, 34-22-21; Ala. Admin. Code 630-X-9
Which NBEO exams does Alabama require?
New graduates send NBEO Parts I, II and III; Part III may be passed after the state exam but before full licensure. The reciprocity checklist asks for a board affidavit instead.
- NBEO: I, II, III
Does Alabama require a law exam?
The Standard Examination tests knowledge of Alabama optometry law and board regulations; the board mails a copy of the law once the application is complete.
- Board law exam
Does Alabama give its own exam or interview?
The written exam has one to seven sections and a 75% average passes. The notarized application and $500 fee are due at least 30 days before the exam.
- State exam required
- Given once a year in July; 2026: July 18 (2027 date not yet posted)
What scope does a Alabama license carry?
Therapeutic licensure follows the exam: the optometrist submits a board-furnished protocol for therapeutic agents. Anyone licensed in any state before Oct. 1, 1994 also needs a 72-hour board-approved therapeutics course.
- Tiers: Non-therapeutic, therapeutic
Citation: Board 2026 application
Does Alabama require a controlled substance license?
Therapeutic licensees pay an extra $10 at renewal to fund Alabama's prescription drug database.
What does a Alabama optometry license cost?
- Application: $500 examination fee (as of Oct 2026)
- Renewal: $160 a year, plus $100 for therapeutic licensure and $10 for the drug database (as of Oct 2026)
Citation: Board 2026 application; board renewal page
How often does a Alabama license renew?
Therapeutic licensees need 20 hours a year (Oct. 1 to Sept. 30), at least 10 on eye disease. Distance and practice management CE are each capped at 3 hours.
- Renews every year
- Due Renewal opens Oct. 1 and is late after Nov. 1; unrenewed licenses are suspended after Dec. 31
- 20 CE hours
Licensing in Alabama?
Alabama has no exam-free route, so an optometrist licensed elsewhere sits its exam. We prepare every supporting document and a question-by-question guide, order your verifications and NBEO scores, and track the file to a decision; you answer, sign, pay the board and sit every exam. A license is $699 per state, or $799 where the state gives its own exam or interview.