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 New Jersey
- Practicing on an automatically suspended license counts as unlicensed practice.
- Each branch office needs its own certificate, $250 initially and $250 every 2 years.
How does an optometrist licensed elsewhere get a New Jersey license?
Board rules ask every applicant for NBEO Parts I and II plus a clinical skills exam (NBEO Part III or NERCOATS), transcripts and the fee, with no years-of-practice test. TPA certification can be sought with the license for one application fee. ARBO has no New Jersey licensure entry.
- On NBEO scores
- Board: New Jersey State Board of Optometrists (Division of Consumer Affairs)
Citation: N.J.A.C. 13:38-3.5
Which NBEO exams does New Jersey require?
Parts I and II, plus Part III (Patient Care) or NERCOATS, verified from the testing agency.
- NBEO: I, II, III
What scope does a New Jersey license carry?
TPA certification carries its own initial fee and biennial renewal fee.
- Tiers: Optometrist; certification to prescribe (TPA)
Citation: N.J.A.C. 13:38-3.5, 13:38-5.1
What does a New Jersey optometry license cost?
- Application: $125 application fee plus a $250 initial license fee ($125 in the second year of the biennial period); TPA certification $250 or $125 on the same schedule (rule text as of Feb. 24, 2025)
- Renewal: $250 every 2 years for an active license, plus $250 for TPA certification (rule text as of Feb. 24, 2025)
Citation: N.J.A.C. 13:38-5.1
How often does a New Jersey license renew?
50 credits per biennial period, at least 30 in TPA topics, 10 of them in oral TPA. A license not renewed within 30 days of expiry is automatically suspended.
- Renews every two years
- 50 CE hours
Licensing in New Jersey?
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.