Massage Therapist or Bodywork Therapist – Reciprocal Licensure

You must have a current, active massage therapist or bodywork therapist credential issued by another state or territory of the United States or another country. Some states may require legal review to determine whether reciprocity is available.

Reciprocity is not available for states that do not issue a Massage Therapist or Bodywork Therapist credential, or for states identified by the Department as available for reciprocity / endorsement. Visit the Reciprocity and Endorsement Information Page (link below) and look for rows that start with “Massage Therapist or Bodywork Therapist.” If reciprocity is not available for your state, please apply by Initial Licensure.

Below are some general instructions for applying for a credential on LicensE. 

1. Create or log into your LicensE account. Please visit LicensE account Information page for detailed guidance on selecting your account type.

2. Select "Apply for a License."

3. Select your Category.

4. Select your License Type.

5. Select your Application Method, then "Next."

6. Review your Personal Information.

7. Enter the requested Information on each page of the application. Information may include Examination, Education, or License History, depending on your profession.

8. If applicable, request a Veterans Fee Waiver or Initial Credential Fee Reduction.

9. Submit the requested Documents you may already have. You do not need to have all documents ready to submit.

   Note: Forms are now hosted on AccessGov. Visit AccessGov Forms Directory to choose your form.

10. Respond to the Attestation questions.

11. Provide Payment Information. Fees may be found Credential Fees.

12. Submit your application.  

Profession specific application requirements can be found in the "Application Information" section.

After logging in, select Apply for a License and choose:

· Category: Health

· License Type: Massage Therapist or Bodywork Therapist

· Application Method: Reciprocal Licensure

Please Note: You are not required to provide all documents before initial application submission. You do not need to upload documents to every available category

Upload proof of current AED/CPR certification from an approved provider (link below).

Upload a copy of your Certificate of Insurance. We do not accept student insurance, so please do not submit this until you have upgraded your policy.

You must have malpractice liability insurance coverage in an amount not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence and $1,000,000 for all occurrences in one year.

Contact the other state board to have verification of at least one current, active license sent directly to us. We can accept verifications directly from other state boards by email (DSPSCredMedBdAffiliates@wisconsin.gov), postal mail, VeriDoc, or the LicensE third party upload portal.

Questions and clarifications about your application should be submitted as support tickets in LicensE. Email addresses provided for document submission are not monitored for support purposes. After a document is emailed, you can submit a support ticket to alert our staff.

To become licensed in Wisconsin as a massage therapist or bodywork therapist, you must:

• Submit an Application for Licensure (Form #2960) to DSPS.

• Pass the Wisconsin State Law (Jurisprudence) Examination.

• Provide proof that you passed an approved national examination.

  • Approved exams include:

    • The Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx) offered by the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB).

    • Approved national certification examinations offered by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB).

    • The Asian Bodywork Therapy Examination offered prior to December 31, 2012, by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM).

Wisconsin State Law (Jurisprudence) Examination

You must submit your application before taking the exam.

Once your application has been reviewed, DSPS will provide you with:

• Applicant ID

• Test name

• Password

The exam:

• Contains 40 multiple-choice and true/false questions.

• Requires a passing score of 85%.

• Has one correct answer for each question.

Exam Content

The exam covers Wisconsin laws and administrative rules related to massage therapy and bodywork. Links to the applicable statutes and administrative code are available in the Additional Resources section of this page.

The exam includes material from:

• MTBT Chapters 1–5

• Wisconsin Statutes Chapters 48, 146, and 460

Exam Details

• The exam is not timed.

• You may leave and return to the exam at any time within three months.

• To exit, click the "X" in the upper-right corner of the screen.

• Do not click "Done" until you are ready to submit your exam.

• If you accidentally click "Done," restart the exam. Your previous score will be deleted.

Important: Print Your Score Report

When you finish the exam, select "Print test feedback report."

This step is required because:

• It creates a record of your score.

• DSPS cannot retrieve your score later if you do not print the report.

• If you do not print the report, you will have to *retake the exam and pay another exam fee.

If you graduated from a Wisconsin massage therapy school after January 12, 2012, print your score report and provide it to your school's test administrator.

Retaking the Exam

If you score below 85%, you must:

• Submit the Request to Retake Statutes and Rules or Ethics Examination (Form 2699).

• Pay the required *$75 retake fee**.

Once your request is processed, you will be assigned a new exam.

National Examination Requirement

You must also pass one approved national entry-level examination.

Accepted examinations include:

• National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB)

• National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM)

• Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx)

Your exam results must be sent directly to DSPS by the testing organization. Copies submitted by applicants are not accepted.

After you upload all required documents, submit your application, and pay the required fee(s):

1. Preliminary Application Reference Number (PAR)

   1. Your application will be assigned a Preliminary Application Reference number or PAR number. This number allows you and trusted parties to look up the status of your application without logging in. You can also reference this number in any support tickets you submit in regard to your application.

      • A trusted 3^rd party can look up your credential status by visiting LicensE, clicking “Application Status Lookup” and entering the PAR number you have provided to them.

2. Review Timeline

   1. Your materials will be reviewed within approximately 10 days by a member of the credentialing team.

      • Note: Some licenses do take longer to process due to complexity. You can see the performance data on our LicensE Dashboard to see what date we are reviewing for certain application types under "Application Review Times by Profession."

3. Pending Applicant Input Status

   1. After this review, if anything is missing or the credentialing team has any questions on your application, your application will go back into a status called “Pending Applicant Input.”  You will receive an email letting you know your application was moved into this status. You should then log into LicensE and check your application “Due Diligence.”

4. To check your "Due Diligence" 

   1. Your Due Diligence is a checklist of items required for your credential.

   2. The Due Diligence section is how DSPS staff will communicate with you regarding your credential requirements.

   3. Log in to your LicensE account

   4. Click on "Check Application Status" 

   5. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under “Action” select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop.

   6. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select “View Due Diligences.”

   7. The Due Diligence column lets you know what the requirement is.

   8. The “STATUS” column will you know if the item is “Met”, “Not Met”, or “Not Applicable.”

      • Items listed as “Not Met” are items that are needed by the Department.  

   9. The “NOTES” column of your Due Diligence will provide further written details or instructions about what is still needed.

5. To upload documents

   1. Some applications require additional document uploads.

   2. Log into your LicensE account

   3. Click on "Check Application Status"

   4. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under "Action" select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop. 

   5. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select "Upload Document."

   6. The document must be an allowable document type. 

   7. After uploading the document, click "submit." If you do not, it will not be sent to a reviewer. 

6. If you have any questions, you can submit a support ticket on LicensE by logging in and clicking "request support" at the top of the page.

LicensE statuses that require action from applicant:

LicensE statuses that indicate the application is with Department staff:

Support Ticket
Submit a support ticket on LicensE and click "request support." Please provide as much detail as possible regarding your concern so we can work to answer your question with a one touch resolution. 

Call
608-266-2112

Email
dsps@wisconsin.gov

Office Hours
7:45am-4:30pm
Department of Safety and Professional Services
4822 Madison Yards Way
Madison, WI, 53705

Note: The in-person office does not process same day.