2026 Minnesota Statutes

148.6366 REQUIREMENTS FOR REGISTRATION.

Subdivision 1.General registration requirements.

(a) To be eligible for registration as a massage therapist or Asian bodywork therapist according to sections 148.636 to 148.6377, an applicant must submit to the commissioner:

(1) a completed application on a form provided by the commissioner that includes:

(i) the applicant's name, Social Security number, home address and telephone number, and business address and telephone number;

(ii) a list of credentials held by the applicant in this state or in any other jurisdiction;

(iii) a description of any jurisdiction's refusal to license or credential the applicant;

(iv) a description of all professional disciplinary actions initiated against the applicant in this state or any other jurisdiction;

(v) any misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor, or felony convictions; and

(vi) any other additional information requested by the commissioner;

(2) proof, as required by the commissioner, that the applicant has satisfactorily completed a postsecondary massage therapy program or Asian bodywork therapy program through a school or program that:

(i) is licensed by or registered with the Office of Higher Education or has conditional approval for a registered school and provisional license from the Office of Higher Education; and

(ii) meets the education and training requirements described under subdivision 2 or 3;

(3) proof of successful passage of a credentialing examination approved by the commissioner;

(4) proof, as required by the commissioner, of current professional liability insurance coverage or school liability insurance coverage, as applicable, with at least $2,000,000 of coverage per occurrence and $6,000,000 annual aggregate; and

(5) any applicable fees specified in section 148.6377.

(b) The applicant must submit to a criminal background check conducted in accordance with section 144.0572 and pay any fees associated with conducting the criminal background check.

(c) The applicant must sign the application certifying that the information in the application is true and correct to the best of the applicant's knowledge and authorizing the commissioner to obtain access to the applicant's records in this state or any other jurisdiction in which the applicant has engaged in the practice of massage therapy or Asian bodywork therapy.

Subd. 2.Education and training requirements for massage therapy registration.

(a) An applicant for registration as a massage therapist under subdivision 1 whose application is received by the commissioner before July 1, 2031, must submit to the commissioner proof of satisfactorily completing a postsecondary program that meets the requirements in subdivision 1, paragraph (a), clause (2), item (i), and includes education and training in:

(1) anatomy;

(2) physiology;

(3) pathology;

(4) massage therapy;

(5) massage therapy history, theory, and research;

(6) professional ethics;

(7) therapeutic interpersonal communications and standards of practice;

(8) business and legal practices related to massage therapy; and

(9) supervised practice demonstrating safe use of equipment and supplies.

(b) An applicant for registration as a massage therapist under subdivision 1 whose application is received by the commissioner on or after July 1, 2031, must submit to the commissioner proof of satisfactorily completing a postsecondary massage therapy program that meets the requirements in subdivision 1, paragraph (a), clause (2), item (i), and either:

(1) has programmatic accreditation for massage therapy training programs from an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education; or

(2) includes at least 625 contact hours of education and training composed of 500 contact hours of instruction in the areas listed in paragraph (a) and 125 contact hours of student clinical practice.

(c) A program may require more than 625 total contact hours of education and training, and may require more than 125 hours of supervised clinical practice, if at least 500 contact hours are devoted to instruction in the subjects listed in paragraph (a).

(d) A student shall not begin a supervised clinical practice of massage therapy without student or professional liability insurance coverage of up to $2,000,000 per occurrence and $6,000,000 annual aggregate. The school or program may offer to the student, the student or professional liability insurance coverage required under this paragraph.

Subd. 3.Education and training requirements for Asian bodywork therapy registration.

(a) An applicant for registration as an Asian bodywork therapist under subdivision 1 whose application is received by the commissioner before July 1, 2031, must submit to the commissioner proof of satisfactorily completing a postsecondary program that meets the requirements in subdivision 1, paragraph (a), clause (2), item (i), and includes education and training in:

(1) anatomy;

(2) physiology;

(3) pathology;

(4) Asian bodywork therapy;

(5) traditional Chinese medicine theory;

(6) Asian bodywork history, theory, and research;

(7) professional ethics;

(8) therapeutic interpersonal communications and standards of practice;

(9) business and legal practices related to Asian bodywork therapy; and

(10) supervised practice demonstrating safe use of equipment and supplies.

(b) An applicant for registration as an Asian bodywork therapist under subdivision 1 whose application is received by the commissioner on or after July 1, 2031, must submit to the commissioner proof of satisfactorily completing a postsecondary program that meets the requirements in subdivision 1, paragraph (a), clause (2), item (i), and either:

(1) has programmatic accreditation for Asian bodywork therapy training programs from an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education; or

(2) includes at least 625 contact hours of education and training composed of 500 contact hours of instruction in the areas listed in paragraph (a) and 125 contact hours of student clinical practice.

(c) An Asian bodywork therapy school or program may require more than 625 total contact hours of education and training, and may require more than 125 hours of supervised clinical practice, if at least 500 contact hours are devoted to instruction in the subjects listed in paragraph (a).

(d) A student shall not begin a supervised clinical practice of Asian bodywork therapy without providing proof to the Asian bodywork therapy school or program of professional liability insurance coverage of up to $2,000,000 per occurrence and $6,000,000 annual aggregate. The school or program may offer to the student the professional liability insurance coverage required under this paragraph.

Subd. 4.Registration by endorsement.

(a) To be eligible for registration by endorsement, an applicant must:

(1) meet the requirements for registration in subdivision 1, with the exception of subdivision 1, paragraph (a), clauses (2) and (3);

(2) provide proof as required by the commissioner that the massage therapy training program or Asian bodywork therapy training program at the time of the applicant's enrollment met the postsecondary education requirements in the jurisdiction in which the program was provided; and

(3) provide proof as required by the commissioner, with advice from the advisory council, of a current and unrestricted equivalent credential in another jurisdiction that has qualification requirements at least equivalent to the requirements of sections 148.636 to 148.6377.

(b) Registrations by endorsement expire on the same schedule and must be renewed by the procedures described under section 148.6367, subdivision 2.

Subd. 5.Registration by prior experience.

(a) To be eligible for registration by prior experience, an applicant must:

(1) meet the requirements for registration in subdivision 1, with the exception of subdivision 1, paragraph (a), clauses (2) and (3); and

(2) provide proof of experience in the practice of massage therapy or Asian bodywork therapy for at least two of the previous five years immediately preceding the registration application date.

(b) Registrations issued under this subdivision expire on the same schedule and must be renewed by the procedures described under section 148.6367, subdivision 2, unless the registration is canceled due to nonrenewal under section 148.6367, subdivision 8, in which case the individual must apply for a new registration under the initial registration requirements in subdivision 1.

(c) The application for registration by prior experience under this subdivision must be received by the commissioner before July 1, 2031.

Subd. 6.Temporary registration.

(a) The commissioner may issue a temporary registration as a massage therapist or Asian bodywork therapist to an applicant eligible for registration under this section if the application for registration is complete, all applicable requirements have been met, and applicable fees have been paid. The temporary registration remains valid until the commissioner takes action on the applicant's application, or 90 days from the temporary registration's issuance, whichever is sooner.

(b) A temporary registration holder is considered a registrant for purposes of sections 148.6369 to 148.6374.

History:

2026 c 115 art 3 s 10