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As we previously informed our Oklahoma members, under Oklahoma's new massage therapy law, starting May 1, 2017, all massage therapists practicing in Oklahoma must hold an Oklahoma state massage therapist license. If you do not hold a massage license by May 1, 2017, you cannot practice massage therapy in Oklahoma after May 1, 2017 until you do get a license.
License applications are now available on the Board's website. We urge you to start working on the application now and submit it as soon as possible, since it will take time for you to gather the required information, including completing the required criminal background check, and it will take time for the state to process all of the applications.
Anyone who applies for a massage license before May 1, 2017 can qualify for a license by grandfathering. "Grandfathering" does not mean you automatically get a massage license without doing anything. You must fill out and send in an application to the state by May 1, 2017 to receive your license by grandfathering.
After May 1, 2017, grandfathering will no longer be available and all applicants will have to prove that they completed 500 hours of massage education and passed a national massage exam, instead of the less stringent requirements for grandfathering. Non-grandfathering application forms are not available yet. You should apply by grandfathering now if you qualify.
Massage therapy licensing will be administered by the Massage Advisory Board (Advisory Board) operating under the Oklahoma State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (Board). Information concerning massage licensing can be found by clicking on "Massage Therapy" on the menu on the left side of the Board's website.
I. To Qualify by Grandfathering
In order to qualify for a license by grandfathering, you must be able to provide one of the following:
1. Documentation that you have completed and passed the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx), the National Certification Exam for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCETMB), or the examination in massage therapy administered by the National Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology, or
2. An affidavit of at least 5 years of work experience as a massage therapist in the state, or
3. A certificate and transcript of completion from a massage school with at least five hundred (500) hours of education.
II. How to Apply for a License
Here are the steps to apply for a license by grandfathering. Please read through all of these instructions carefully before you begin the application.
1. Click here for the license application form. Print out all pages of the application form.
2. Fill in the information required on page 1 but do not sign page 2 right away. The board has informed us that the word "Establishment" on page 1 the application form means "whatever establishment or place the individual is working in, if they are working, whether it be a public establishment or a home establishment."
3. Fill in the information under either Option 1 or Option 2 of the "Affidavit Verifying Lawful Presence in the United States" (pages 4 and 5 of the application form), depending on which Option applies to you, but do not sign it yet.
4. Take all of your completed but unsigned pages of the application form to a notary public. Many banks have notary publics on staff. Sign page 2 of the application, and whichever Option page of the "Affidavit Verifying Lawful Presence in the United States" that you filled in, in the presence of the notary public, and have the notary public notarize your signatures. If you are applying based on five years of work history, then you will also need to sign the affidavit form discussed below (number 5.(e)(iii) below) in front of a notary.
5. Gather the following items:
(a) A cashier's check or money order for $25, made payable to "OSBCB." PERSONAL CHECKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED; and
(b) a copy of your birth certificate, drivers license, or other government-issued identification showing that you are at least 18 years old; and
(c) Proof of maintenance of current liability insurance for the practice of Massage Therapy. This is your ABMP Certificate of Insurance (COI). To obtain a copy of your COI, log in to www.abmp.com with your email address and password. Scroll partway down the Member Home page until you see the Quick Links menu on the left. Under Quick Links, click on Certificate of Insurance. You can then print out a copy of your COI; and
(d) A current criminal history information report obtained from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI). Per the Board: Applicants will have to contact the OSBI office for instructions on the background check. Go to the OSBI website, and on the blue menu on the left there is a link to "CRIMINAL HISTORY." There will be instructions. The address for the OSBI office is: 6600 N. Harvey Pl., Oklahoma City, OK. 73116, Phone# 405-848-6724; hours of operation for background checks is 8:30am – 4:30pm; and
(e) one of the following:
(i) A certified copy of test scores showing that you have completed and passed the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx), the National Certification Exam for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCETMB), or the examination in massage therapy administered by the National Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology. You will need to contact the testing agency to have your scores sent to you. OR
(ii) The affidavit stating you have at least 5 years of work experience as a massage therapist in Oklahoma. We have been informed by the Board that the law does not specify that the work experience has to be current, consecutive years of work experience, just proof of 5 years. Print the affidavit form here. Sign the affidavit before a notary. OR
(iii) A photocopy of a certificate and transcript of completion from a massage school with at least 500 hours of education. Do not send in your originals; they will not be returned absent a specific request.
6. Make and keep a photocopy of all of the above documents that you will be submitting.
7. Mail your completed and notarized application forms, your $25 cashier's check or money order, and all of the other materials listed above to:
OSBCB
2401 N. W. 23 rd St.
Suite 84
Oklahoma City, OK 73107
We recommend that you mail your application with some sort of tracking so that you can be sure that it is received by the Board.
8. All of the materials must be mailed together, in one envelope, at the same time. Do not send them in separately.
III. License Renewal and Temporary Board Rules
Licenses must be renewed every two years, on or before the last day of the licensee's birth month. Currently, the state intends to require 16 hours of continuing education (CE) every two years in order to renew. We will be sending out more information shortly about renewal, CE, and the temporary rules that have been issued by the Board which fill in other details of the new massage law.
IV. Questions?
ABMP will try to answer questions you may have about the license application process, but many questions will have to be answered by the Board directly. Please contact ABMP at email: nancy@abmp.com, or the Board at phone: (405) 521-2441. You can also contact the Board via this online contact form.
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