Do you need a license to do massage therapy in California?

Requirements for CAMTC Certification

The California Massage Therapy Council issues voluntary certifications to massage professionals that meet the requirements in the California State Law. Certification is voluntary. CAMTC Certification is not required by State Law in order for a massage professional to practice their profession in the State. However, some cities and counties locally require CAMTC Certification for massage professionals. To find out if your city or county requires CAMTC Certification, please contact the city or county in which you wish to practice. Local permits may be needed for each city or county where you practice unless you are CAMTC Certified. If you are in an unincorporated area, please check with the county.

Massage professionals may find CAMTC Certification useful as it allows certified individuals to practice their profession in all cities and counties in the State without the need to get a local permit to provide massage for compensation.

California Business and Professions Code section 4611 makes it an unfair business practice for anyone not certified by CAMTC to use the titles: Licensed, Certified, Certified Massage Therapist, Certified Massage Practitioner, CMT, or CMP.

In order to obtain CAMTC Certification, an applicant must submit a fully completed application and meet all of the following requirements:

• Be 18 years of age or older;
• Pay the $200 fee;
• Submit fingerprints to an authorized agency in California for a Live Scan using only the CAMTC form at Request for Live Scan Service (the authorized agencies charge you a fee for this service) and pass a criminal background check; 
• Have all schools you attended for massage training submit original Official Transcripts directly to CAMTC in accordance with CAMTC’s Policies and Procedures for Approval of Schools. Your school(s) must send your OFFICIAL SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT(s) directly to CAMTC electronically via email to . Transcripts must demonstrate that you have successfully completed, at a CAMTC Approved School, curricula in massage and related subjects totaling a minimum of 500 hours (or the credit unit equivalent), which incorporates appropriate school assessment of student knowledge and skills. (See below for more information about closed schools and out-of-state education.) Of the 500 hours, a minimum of 100 hours shall be in anatomy and physiology, contraindications, health and hygiene, and business and ethics; and
• Have not violated any of the provisions of the California Massage Therapy Act or any policy, procedure, or regulation of CAMTC.

• Make a good, clean photocopy of the front of your Driver’s License or Official State Identification to include with your Application. 

• Get your Passport Photo taken.

  • You’ll need to include a recent (less than 60 days old) passport photo of yourself along with your completed CAMTC Application. Don’t take this picture yourself; instead, please locate a local vendor that advertises and specializes in passport photos to ensure that your photo is taken properly. Be sure to legibly print your name and Driver’s License or Official State Identification number on the back of the photo that will be taped to your Application.

  • Your head must face the camera directly with full face in view.

  • You must have a neutral facial expression or a natural smile, with both eyes open.

  • Taken in the last 2 months.

  • Use a plain white or off‐white background.

  • 2x2inches (51x51mm).

  • Head must be between 1 ‐1 3/8 inches (25 ‐ 35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head.

  • Printed on matte or glossy photo quality paper.

  • Printed in color.

  • Your full face must be visible. 

Please make sure that you have updated your contact information as required by California State Law, including your phone number, primary email address, home address and each workplace address, within 30 days of any changes. This will help to ensure that you receive a reminder of your need to recertify.  

Recertification

CAMTC Certification is for a two year time period. CAMTC Certificate Holders must therefore apply for CAMTC Recertification every two years. Certificate Holders must apply for CAMTC Recertification within eighteen (18) months of the date of the expiration of their Certificate and pay a late fee. Under no circumstances can this fee be waived. The full CAMTC Fee Schedule is here.

Thank you for choosing CAMTC Certification. As we work together to protect the public and elevate the profession, CAMTC will continue to operate and support our Certificate Holders.

RECERTIFICATION LATE FEE SCHEDULE

Late Fees to apply for recertification after expiration are in addition to the $200 application processing fee. The Late Fee is based on the date a fully completed application is received by CAMTC and the number of days after the Expiration Date on your CAMTC ID Card:

Up to 10 Days After Expiration: $ 50

Up to 29 Days After Expiration: $ 80

Up to 18 Months After Expiration: $ 180

If expired certificate holders fail to apply for CAMTC Recertification within this time frame, then they must re-apply as a new applicant. This means that they must meet all requirements for CAMTC Certification existing at the time of re-application, including education requirements and possibly exam requirements if required at the time of re-application.

There are no continuing education requirements for CAMTC Certificate Holders.

For additional information see FAQ page and scroll to the Massage Professionals information.

Closed School Policy

CAMTC will accept education for CAMTC Certification purposes from schools closed on or before June 30, 2016, with either no lawful custodian of records or a lawful custodian of records that is not a CAMTC Approved School as long as all of the following conditions are met:

1)  The education occurred at a time when the closed school was approved or accredited by at least one of the organizations listed in California Business and Professions Code section 4601;

2)  The closed school is or was not subject to any disciplinary actions or pending investigations by any approval or accrediting agencies, Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA), government agencies, CAMTC or other massage or school related entities;

3)  The applicant for CAMTC Certification provides verifiable proof that the education received at the closed school meets minimum standards for training and curriculum and the statutory education requirements for CAMTC Certification.

Out-of-State Education

Education and training received outside of California must be, at a minimum, substantially equivalent to the requirements applied to California school programs. One important aspect of educational program equivalence is whether the educational institution attended has been approved by the national, regional, or state authority with responsibility for vocational program approvals. Such status can readily be ascertained by CAMTC for each of the 50 U.S. states, U.S. territories. 

Out-of-Country Education

CAMTC does not accept out-of-country education.

Notice: Please note that this is only a summary of general requirements and not a complete listing. Please refer to the CAMTC Application for Certification, California Business and Professions Code section 4600 et.seq., School Approval Procedures, Denial Procedures, and all other CAMTC policies and procedures for additional information on these issues.

Helpful Links

• Click here to register, in order to login and apply for CAMTC Certification 
• Fee Schedule for Applicants & Certificate Holders
• Request for Live Scan Service
• Massage Therapy Act 2022
• Policies and Procedures for Approval of Schools
• Policies and Procedures for Evaluation of Out-Of-State Education
• Procedures for Denial of Certification or Discipline/Revocation
• FAQs – For Applicant Info, click on the Massage Professionals bullet point

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