Requirements to Certify

Requirements for Certification

In order to obtain CAMTC Certification as a Certified Massage Therapist, an applicant shall submit an application in its entirety and provide satisfactory evidence that he or she meets all of the following requirements:

• The applicant is 18 years of age or older.
  
• The applicant has successfully completed the curricula in massage and related subjects totaling a minimum of 500 hours, or the credit unit equivalent, that incorporates appropriate school assessment of student knowledge and skills.
  
  
  • Of the 500 hours, a minimum of 100 hours of instruction shall address anatomy and physiology, contraindications, health and hygiene, and business and ethics.
    
  • All of the 500 hours shall be from a CAMTC approved school program

• Closed School Policy: For applications received after December 30, 2016, CAMTC will not accept any education from a California closed school unless that school 1) had CAMTC School Approval at the time of closure and remains in good standing, or 2) that school closed and remains in good standing with a CAMTC Approved School as its official Custodian of Records.

• Out-of-State Education: Education and training received outside of California must be at least 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, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Officially sealed transcripts from duly locally approved educational institutions located within those jurisdictions shall be sufficient school material for CAMTC to evaluate.

• Out-of-Country Education: For education obtained outside of the 50 U.S. states, U.S. territories, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador as outlined above, please read the Massage Education Received Outside the United States.

• The applicant has passed one of the following CAMTC approved exams:

• Massage and Bodywork Licensing Exam (MBLEx)
• Board Certification Exam in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (BCETMB)
• National Certification Exam for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCETMB) – Taken on or before February 2015
• National Certification Exam for Therapeutic Massage (NCETM) - Taken on or before February 2015
• New York State Massage Therapy Examination
  

• The applicant has successfully passed a Live Scan fingerprint background investigation specific to CAMTC and has not violated any of the provisions of the California Massage Therapy Act or any policy, procedures, or regulations of CAMTC.
  
• All fees required by the council have been paid.