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Licensure Reciprocity for Members, Spouses and Veterans — Including a Temporary Credential

A board may license a service member, military spouse or honorably discharged veteran outright where another state’s requirements are substantially equivalent — and where they are not, must be able to offer a temporary credential so you can practise while you close the gap.

Verified August 22, 2026

What this benefit is

A board may license a service member, military spouse or honorably discharged veteran outright where another state’s requirements are substantially equivalent — and where they are not, must be able to offer a temporary credential so you can practise while you close the gap.

What it's worth: Reciprocal licensure, or a temporary credential while you complete what is missing

  • The value is working months recovered after a move, not money — the section contains no fee provision at all.
  • It is also not a deadline: the section sets no timeline for a board to decide, so how fast this runs depends on the board.

Who is entitled to it

  • You are the service member or veteran, or a military spouse.
  • You are in this state.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

Deadline: With the application
  1. 1Say which category you fall into when you apply: active duty member, military spouse, honorably discharged veteran, or the spouse of a member subject to transfer orders. All four are named.
  2. 2Send the other state’s requirements, not just the licence. The board’s first question is whether those requirements are substantially equivalent — that is the test the section sets.
  3. 3If they are not substantially equivalent, ask for the temporary credential rather than starting over. The section exists precisely so you can practise while completing the requirements that are missing.
  4. 4Your credential elsewhere has to be in good standing. The route does not apply to an applicant whose licence is not in good standing in another state, or who is subject to pending charges or final disciplinary action.
Form
Application to the board or program that regulates your profession
File with
The professional licensing board or program, Department of Labor and Industry
Documents you will need
dd214
At each renewal
Claimed again whenever the underlying licence or registration renews.
CorrectionThis is often listed as a military licensing fee benefit. It is not: there is no fee provision in the section and no fee waiver anywhere in it. What it delivers is a route and a temporary credential.
Worth knowingThe section is permissive on the main branch — a board MAY issue where requirements are substantially equivalent — and sets no decision deadline. Practically, that means the temporary credential is the thing worth asking for first, because it starts your income while the equivalence question is argued.

Sources

Why only one source type: The Code text carries the covered categories, the substantial-equivalence test, the temporary credential and the good-standing bar. No operating page from the licensing department could be read this session.

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.