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    • How can I get an application for licensure?
    • The Application Process
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License Application

How can I get an application for licensure?

You must contact the Board Office in writing to request an official licensure application package, which will include all required forms and complete instructions. There is a $20.00 application fee for this package which must accompany your written request. This must be in the form of a money order or certified (bank) check. No cash, personal checks or credit cards will be accepted.

The Application Request Form can be downloaded in PDF format from the Document Center.  (Adobe Acrobat Required).  After completing the form, it may be sent directly to the Board with the application fee.

Who must be licensed?
All therapists in the State who fall under the scope of practice definition in the Massage and Bodywork Therapy Practice Act will be required to apply for a license. This is legally defined as: Systems of activity applied to the soft tissues of the human body for therapeutic, educational or relaxation purposes. This includes anyone who is practicing massage and bodywork therapy for compensation, whether you are working full-time or part-time, self-employed or working for someone else. The only exceptions are practitioners of certain energy-based and movement repatterning techniques whose work meets specific criteria for exemption set forth in the Rules and Regulations. (Refer to the FAQ Sheet for details.)

The Application Process

Once you receive the application package, follow the enclosed General Instructions and use the Application Checklist to ensure that you are sending in a complete application. You are required to:

1.     Meet the requirements for licensure (see criteria below);
2.     Complete the Application Form and submit it with all required documentation;
3.     Enclose one original passport-size photo of yourself; and
4.     Enclose the $150.00 Licensure Fee in the form of a certified check or money order.
5.     Enclose the $40.00 SBI Criminal History Report fee.
6.     Executed fingerprint card.
7.     Signed and dated consent form.
8.     Other documents and information as requested.

Once all of the above is received at the Board Office, your application will be reviewed by Board staff to determine that it is complete in form and content.  Enclose the $40.00 SBI Criminal History Report fee.

Processing Time:
For graduates of Board-Approved schools and exempted North Carolina Community College programs: Once your application is deemed to be complete, it will take approximately 30 business days for the Board to issue a new license.

For an applicant who did not graduate from a Board-Approved school: Once the Board staff determines that your application is complete, it will be forwarded to the Board's Licensure Review Committee. This committee makes recommendations to the full Board, where final action on such applications is made at a regularly scheduled Board meeting. On average, it will take 60 business days for the Board to issue a license once the application is complete.

Requirements for a Regular license

You are eligible to apply for a regular license to practice massage and bodywork therapy if you have completed and can document all of the following requirements:

1. A COMPLETED MASSAGE AND BODYWORK THERAPY APPLICATION WITH SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
2. Examinations:  You have passed one of the following examinations:  
    
   • The National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCETMB) or The National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage (NCETM), both offered by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB).  These exams will be accepted through December 31, 2010 only.
   • The Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx) offered by the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB)
   • The Oriental Bodywork Therapy Examination (OBTE) offered by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM).
   - AND -
    
3. Education: You have successfully completed a course of study in the field of massage and bodywork therapy consisting of a minimum of 500 in-class hours of supervised instruction at a Board-approved school or an exempted North Carolina Community College program which has attested to the board their massage therapy program meets or exceeds the minimum requirements, as demonstrated in one of the three following ways:

a)   You have graduated from a Board-approved school (click for list) or an exempted North Carolina College program, and that school sends the Board an official sealed transcript;

- OR -

b)   If you graduated from an out-of-state school which has NOT been approved by the North Carolina Board of Massage and Bodywork Therapy, you must submit the following documentation (which you are responsible for obtaining) which may be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and approved at the Board's discretion:

(1)   A photocopy of the school's current license to operate;
(2)   A copy of the most recent school catalog;
(3)   A copy of the program curriculum, indicating course descriptions
       and the number of classroom hours of supervised instruction
       in each course which the applicant attended;
(4)   An official sealed transcript sent directly to the Board;

- OR -

c)   If you graduated from a school which is no longer in operation, or a school from which records are unavailable, then you may complete an Affidavit of Professional Training which attests to your course of study and date of graduation. This affidavit may be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and approved at the Board's discretion.
 

Status of your Application

Each application is date-stamped when received in the Board office.  Applications are processed in the order in which they are received.  Once an application is complete and correct, it will be processed and approved in no more than thirty (30) business days for applicants who graduated from an in state massage program and sixty (60) business days for applicants who graduated from an out of state massage program.  Applying for Licensure by Endorsement takes 3 to 6 months.

Applications must be complete and correct before they are processed.  A checklist is provided on the last page of the application booklet to help you in submitting a complete application.  You will be notified in writing by the Board office of any missing, incomplete, or incorrect items.  If you are required to submit additional or corrected documents, your processing period will restart when all documents are received and correct.

To ensure that all the required documents are received promptly, you may wish to send all the documents together with your application.  By doing this, you will know when the documents are sent.  If you must have a transcript, moral character form, or out of state verification form mailed to the Board separately from your application, that information will be filed with you application when it arrives.  Processing will begin when all documentation has been received. 

Please do not call the Board office to find out your license processing status during the 30 business days necessary for processing.  The Board staff will not be able to confirm that your application has or has not been received.  You may purchase delivery confirmation from the US Postal Service or tracking service from a commercial mailing company.

The Board staff updates the webpage weekly with the names of new licensees.  If you have been issued a license number, it will be on the website, www.bmbt.org, under Look up a Licensee.