Internationally-Trained Applicant Credentialing Program

New

The Department of Commerce's Division of Professional Licensing welcomes new interest and enthusiasm from the community regarding recent changes in Utah’s professional licensing laws for people educated or trained in a foreign country. Please review the information listed below:

Clarifying Information Regarding Internationally Trained Individuals Interested in Professional Licensure Also available in Spanish
If you are a foreign graduate, and need authorization to test for the NCLEX, you must fulfill these requirements.
Internationally Trained Applicant Board Training
Get Licensed, Get Ahead: Opportunities for Internationally-Trained Cosmetologists
Con Licencia, Progresas: Oportunidades para Cosmetologos, Esteticistas y Estilistas Capacitados Internacionalmente

Overview

IMPORTANT NOTE: The state of Utah has recently made exciting changes to our laws and regulations related to professional licensure, and will need time to implement the changes. Staff across Utah have been working hard and will continue to work in the coming weeks, months, and years to develop the exact, step by step pathway for each profession. Prospective applicants to these professions should be advised that processing times to determine if applicants meet the criteria may take longer than Utah’s typical wait times.

Many residents of Utah have international training or education, particularly New Americans like immigrants and refugees. In fact, many of these professionals have come to Utah already having completed extensive education, job training, or work experience abroad. The State of Utah has taken recent steps towards ensuring that no unnecessary regulations prevent these highly qualified, trained professionals from practicing in their field and serving the people of this state.

Two recent pieces of legislation have been passed to help foreign trained professionals. SB 43 , passed in 2022, allows the Division of Professional Licensing to issue licenses to qualified professionals with international training or education. DOPL regulates several different types of professional licenses, from cosmetology, to construction, to healthcare, and many more. SB 35 , passed in 2023, allows other state agencies that issue and regulate professional licenses to do the same - issue licenses to qualified professionals with international training or education. SB 35 allows Utahns with foreign training more opportunities to get a license in education, agriculture, health and human services, transportation, and environmental quality.