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Military Resources

Resources for Military Personnel and their Spouses

In 2014, the Oklahoma Legislature passed the Military Service Occupation, Education and Credentialing Act in order to aid those in the military or retired from military service, and their spouses, in obtaining licensure as quickly as possible when living in the state of Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Board of Architects will ensure that any military service member, or former member, or an active military service member's spouse will become licensed within a matter of business days, provided that the stipulations outlined below are met. The Board will also waive the application and license/registration fee for active duty military personnel and their spouse for the first period of issuance. (OAC 55:10-3-13(c))

A. Every administrative body, state agency director or official with authority over any occupational or professional license or certification, and each of the respective examining and licensing boards, shall, upon presentation of satisfactory evidence of equivalent education, training and experience by an applicant for certification or licensure, accept the education, training, and experience completed by the individual as a member of the Armed Forces or Reserves of the United States, National Guard of any state, the Military Reserves of any state, or the Naval Militias of any state, and apply it in the manner most favorable toward satisfying the qualifications for issuance of the requested license or certification or approval for license examination in this state. (59 OS 59-4100.4)

A. Every agency, board or commission shall establish a procedure to expedite endorsement of licenses or certifications for military spouse applicants; provided, the military service member is on active duty within this state or claims permanent residency in this state for the six (6) months prior to assignment to active duty or during the period of active duty.

B. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, each board shall establish a procedure to expedite the issuance of a license, certification or permit to perform professional services regulated by each such board to a person:

1. Who is certified or licensed in another state to perform professional services in a state other than the State of Oklahoma;

2. Whose spouse is an active-duty member of the Armed Forces of the United States;

3. Whose spouse is subject to a military transfer to this state; and

4. Who left employment in another state to accompany the person’s spouse to this state.

C. The procedures to expedite licensure or certification shall include:

1. Issuing the person a license, certificate or permit, if, in the opinion of the board, the requirements for certification or licensure of the other state are substantially equivalent to those required by this state; or

2. Developing a method to authorize the person to perform professional services regulated by the board in this state by issuing the person a temporary permit for a limited period of time to allow the person to perform professional services while completing any specific requirements in this state that were not required in the state in which the person was licensed or certified. (59 OS 59-4100.5)

Deployed Military Personnel already licensed in Oklahoma

The Board will waive all fees, penalties, and Continuing Education requirements during the time licensees or candidates are called to active military duty in the U.S. armed forces and are deployed to a temporary military assignment.

In order to get a military deployment exemption, the licensee or candidate needs to submit documentation of the deployment to the Board; once the Board receives the documentation, the individual will be placed on "active military duty" status. Once the individual returns from deployment, they will need to let the Board know within 90 days and they will be returned to "active" license status; all fees and Continuing Education will be waived until the next biennial renewal period.

This exemption from fees and penalties will also apply if the deployed licensee is the only Professional of Record for a firm's Certificate of Authority. (OAC 55:10-3-13(b))

Last Modified on Apr 24, 2024
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