Do I have to take the Massachusetts journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in New Hampshire?

No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with New Hampshire.

What does it cost to get a Massachusetts journeyman electrician license from New Hampshire?

Published fees on this path total $208, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.

How long does the application take?

The board's published or typical processing time is about 14 days.

Does it work the other way, from Massachusetts to New Hampshire?

Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, the mechanism is endorsement.

New Hampshire to Massachusetts: journeyman electrician license reciprocity

Reciprocity· Exam waivedVerified September 15, 2026· 6 sources

Massachusetts has a reciprocity agreement with New Hampshire: a New Hampshire journeyman electrician can get a Massachusetts license without retaking the trade exam.

Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.

Reciprocity with New Hampshire (journeyman)

A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.

Massachusetts has a written reciprocal agreement with New Hampshire, its only one, and accepts a New Hampshire journeyman license without examination only if it was obtained by passing the New Hampshire exam; a New Hampshire license gained by reciprocity or endorsement from a third state does not qualify. The applicant files online through the DOL ePLACE portal with a License Verification/Certified Letter from the New Hampshire board bearing its seal, a notarized CORI authorization, a passport-quality photo and certified records of any discipline or convictions, and pays the non-refundable $208 fee. Under 237 CMR 15.01 the applicant must also show the equivalent of the 600-hour journeyman course within the last ten years and 8,000 hours over at least four years as an apprentice. The Board needs at least 10 business days to review a complete application; incomplete applications are abandoned after 180 days.

At a glance

Trade exam: Waived
Law / code exam: Not required
Typical processing: About 14 days
Agreement: Active

What you must already have

Your New Hampshire license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
Your New Hampshire license must be active and in good standing.
You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.At least 8,000 hours in no less than four years as an apprentice (237 CMR 15.01(2)(b)).
Equivalent of the 600-hour journeyman course completed within ten years of application (237 CMR 15.01(2)(b))
Not previously examined and licensed by the Massachusetts Board (237 CMR 15.02(6))

What you'll do to get licensed in Massachusetts

1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($208). Journeyman reciprocity fee, non-refundable (237 CMR 15.02).
2Other. License Verification/Certified Letter (Statement of Registration) from the New Hampshire board with name, address, license type and number, status and Board seal.
3Background check. Complete a background check. Notarized CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) Authorization Form.
4Other. Recent passport-quality colour photo; certified records of any disciplinary action or criminal conviction.

Published fees on this path total $208, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

How Massachusetts licenses journeyman electricians

Massachusetts journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician (Certificate B, Class B)”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 6 sources

Issued by Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure)

Massachusetts issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license (Certificate B) through the Board of State Examiners of Electricians under M.G.L. c. 141. A new journeyman must document 4 years and 8,000 hours of supervised work experience plus a 600-hour Board-approved journeyman curriculum, submit a CORI authorization and a 15-hour code-update certificate, and pass a two-part open-book exam administered by PSI (Part 1: 80 questions, 180 minutes, 70%) based on the NEC with Massachusetts amendments (527 CMR 12.00). Application and exam fees total $226 and the license fee is $104. M.G.L. c. 141, § 2B and 237 CMR 15.00 let the Board license without examination an electrician from a state with substantially the same standards, but only where that state has a written agreement giving Massachusetts licensees the same privilege; the Board states that its only such agreement is with New Hampshire, and it accepts New Hampshire journeyman and master licenses only if they were obtained by passing the New Hampshire exam ($208 journeyman reciprocity fee). Every other out-of-state electrician qualifies by having out-of-state education and experience credited toward the Massachusetts exam.

Moving to Massachusetts Leaving Massachusetts

Common questions

Do I have to take the Massachusetts journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in New Hampshire?: No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with New Hampshire.
What does it cost to get a Massachusetts journeyman electrician license from New Hampshire?: Published fees on this path total $208, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
How long does the application take?: The board's published or typical processing time is about 14 days.
Does it work the other way, from Massachusetts to New Hampshire?: Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, the mechanism is endorsement.

Sources

237 CMR 15.00 - Licensure without examination (by reciprocity), Mass. Register #1561, 11/21/2025 · 237 CMR 15.01, 15.02 · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 202615.01(1): the Board may license without examination a master or journeyman licensed in another state with substantially the same standards, 'provided, however, that the state which has already granted licensure has entered a written agreement with the commonwealth giving a like privilege' to Massachusetts licensees. 15.01(2): a master applicant shows a minimum of five years actively engaged in electrical work and holds a current Class B (journeyman) license issued by the Board (the Class B application may be made at the same time); a journeyman applicant shows the equivalent of the 600-hour journeyman course completed within ten years of application and at least 8,000 hours of practical experience in no less than four years as an apprentice. 15.02: notarized application, fee paid in full and non-refundable, a certified Statement of Registration bearing the origin board's seal, and anyone previously examined and licensed by the Board is not eligible under 15.00. Opened on 2026-09-15 through a text-extraction proxy; mass.gov refuses direct requests from automated clients with HTTP 403.
Mass.gov - Electricians FAQs for applications · 237 CMR 13.00, 13.05, 13.09 · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians · Faq · verified September 15, 2026'MA only has reciprocity with NH.' The NH agreement covers journeyman and master licensure only if the NH license was acquired by examination in NH; a NH license gained by reciprocity or endorsement is not eligible. An electrician licensed in any other state must apply, sit for and pass the journeyman exam, documenting out-of-state education on the Out-of-State Education Program Form and experience per 237 CMR 13.09, plus the 15-hour code-update course (237 CMR 13.05). A master licensed in another state (other than NH) first obtains the MA journeyman license by exam, then may apply for the master exam: 'the requirement to be a Journeyman for a year can be waived with the proof of Master Licensure in said other state', with a Board-approved 150-hour master course or an equivalent 150-hour out-of-state course. Board staff do not pre-review education or experience. Opened on 2026-09-15 through a text-extraction proxy; mass.gov refuses direct requests from automated clients with HTTP 403.
MGL Chapter 141, Section 2B - Electricians licensed in other states; reciprocal licensure without examination; fees · M.G.L. c. 141, § 2B · Massachusetts General Court · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Verbatim: 'The examiners may license without examination any person who has been licensed as an electrician in another state under laws which, in the opinion of the examiners, maintain standards substantially the same as those of the commonwealth for electricians.' The fee for licensing without examination for master and journeyman licenses is set annually by the commissioner of administration under M.G.L. c. 7, § 3B; no amount is published in the statute.
MGL Chapter 141, Section 3 - Forms of examinations, licenses and certificates · M.G.L. c. 141, § 3 · Massachusetts General Court · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Establishes certificate A (master electrician's license), certificate B (journeyman electrician's license), certificate C (systems contractor's license) and certificate D (systems technician's license). Certificate B is issued to a person who has passed the examination before the state examiners; certificate A requires passing the examination and having held a certificate B for at least twelve months. Applicants apply in writing with an examination fee and pay a license fee on issuance; amounts are not in the statute.
Board of State Examiners of Electricians - Examination Candidate Information Bulletin (effective 11/1/2024) · 237 CMR 13.00, 18.01 · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians / PSI Services LLC · Other · verified September 15, 2026Written by the Board and hosted by PSI, which processes all applications and administers the exams. Journeyman eligibility: high-school diploma, 600-hour journeyman curriculum, and 4 years with 8,000 hours of work experience; Master: 150-hour master curriculum and '1 yr as MA Journeyman'. Out-of-state applicants submit the Out of State Education Program Form with transcripts, the Out of State Practical Experience Certification Form (signed by the applicant, a licensed verifying agent and a professional witness), and an official board-certified verification of any current out-of-state license; the Board may award full or partial credit for out-of-state education and may deny credit. Fees paid to PSI with the online application: Journeyman $226, Master $276 (application and exam, excluding license fee); license fee paid at the test center after passing: Journeyman $104, Master $155; re-exam for both parts $135. Exams are open-book, two-part, 70% on each part: Journeyman Part 1 is 80 questions in 180 minutes; Master Part 1 is 90 questions in 240 minutes plus a 50-question, 120-minute Business and Law part; code questions use the NEC as amended by the Massachusetts Electrical Code, 527 CMR 12.00. Applicants also need a CORI authorization and a certificate of a 15-hour code update course from a Board-approved provider. Application approval lasts 12 months; education older than 20 years and experience more than 20 years old are treated as expired.
Mass.gov - Apply for reciprocity for an out-of-state electricians license · 237 CMR 15.00 · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians / Division of Occupational Licensure · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Verbatim: 'The Board has an agreement with New Hampshire to accept Journeyman and Master licenses ONLY IF they were obtained by passing an exam in New Hampshire.' Journeyman: License Verification/Certified Letter from the New Hampshire Board (name, address, license type/number, status, Board seal; PDF upload accepted), notarized CORI Authorization Form, passport-quality photo, certified records of any discipline or convictions. Master: additionally a copy of a current MA journeyman license or an indication that a journeyman-by-reciprocity application is being submitted at the same time, documentation of completing the MA 150-hour Master Electrician Program, and a standing letter issued within 90 days for each professional license held elsewhere. Fees (non-refundable per 237 CMR 15.02): Journeyman $208, Master $310. Applications are filed online through the DOL ePLACE portal; incomplete applications are held 180 days then abandoned; the Board needs at least 10 business days to review a complete application. Opened on 2026-09-15 through a text-extraction proxy; mass.gov refuses direct requests from automated clients with HTTP 403.

Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.

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