StateLicensed

Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) License Requirements in Minnesota

Verified · July 2026
Training hours
—
Upfront cost
$104
Exam
NREMT EMT Cognitive Examination, NREMT/Director-Approved Practical (Psychomotor) Examination
Renewal cycle
Every 2 years
Issuing board
Minnesota Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS)

How to get licensed

  1. 1

    Meet the prerequisites

    Meet the eligibility requirements set by the issuing board. Minnesota Statute 144E.28 (certification requirements) does not state a minimum age for EMT certification, and no minimum age is published on OEMS's official become-an-EMS-provider or education-program pages; some third-party training sites cite 18 but this was not independently confirmed in a primary Minnesota source, so left null. Similarly, no statutory or OEMS-published criminal background check requirement was found at the individual-certification level in 144E.28 or the education-program statute 144E.285 -- Minnesota's background-study provisions found elsewhere in statute (e.g., 144E.285) govern education-program compliance and ambulance-service-level requirements, not the OEMS certification application itself, so recorded as false rather than guessed true. [1]

  2. 2

    Complete approved training

    Complete training at a state-approved program. Minnesota Statute 144E.28, subd. 1 requires successful completion of 'the United States Department of Transportation course, or its equivalent as approved by the director, specific to the EMT ... classification' -- OEMS does not publish a fixed statewide classroom-hour figure on its own site (unlike some states' fixed hour minimums); it defers to the DOT/National EMS Education Standards curriculum taught by an OEMS-approved program. Left null rather than citing a third-party estimate. [1]

  3. 3

    NREMT EMT Cognitive Examination

    Pass the NREMT EMT Cognitive Examination (fee: $104). Computer-adaptive test administered at Pearson VUE test centers or via OnVUE remote proctoring. OEMS's own current process requires applicants to 'Obtain National Certification (NREMT)' before submitting a Minnesota EMT Certification application -- Minnesota's statutory language (144E.28) more generally requires 'written and practical examinations approved by the director,' which in current practice is met through NREMT. Fee is NREMT's published national rate paid to NREMT/Pearson, not to OEMS. [2]

  4. 4

    NREMT/Director-Approved Practical (Psychomotor) Examination

    Pass the NREMT/Director-Approved Practical (Psychomotor) Examination. Minnesota Statute 144E.28 requires a practical examination 'approved by the director'; current OEMS practice is satisfied via the NREMT psychomotor exam, administered locally by OEMS-approved examiners (Minn. Stat. 144E.286 sets examiner qualifications). No separate state fee for this component was found, so left null rather than guessed. [1]

  5. 5

    Submit your application

    Submit your application to Minnesota Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS). [3]

  6. 6

    Receive your license

    Once your application is approved, Minnesota Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) issues your Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) for Minnesota.

Fees

Fee Amount
Application fee [3] None specified
License fee [3] None specified
Renewal fee [3] None specified
NREMT EMT Cognitive Examination [2] $104
NREMT/Director-Approved Practical (Psychomotor) Examination [1] None specified

No individual EMT personnel application, certification, or renewal fee was found in Minnesota Statute 144E.28 (certification requirements), the OEMS Initial Certification Instructions, or the OEMS eLicense Portal listing for this credential type -- the listing's 'Fees' field is blank. (Minn. Stat. 144E.29 does set fees, but those apply to ambulance SERVICE licenses and education PROGRAM approvals, not individual EMT personnel certification.) Left null rather than guessed; the only cost identified is the NREMT cognitive exam fee (recorded under exams).

Renewal & continuing education

Renew every 2 years. 48 continuing education hours required per cycle.

OEMS's eLicense listing sets certification duration at two years, with EMT renewal due by March 31 of the expiration year. Minn. Stat. 144E.28 requires either the DOT EMT refresher course plus a practical skills test, or 48 hours of continuing education consistent with the National EMS Education Standards plus a practical skills test, along with a current CPR course. Renewals expiring on or after March 31, 2026 must additionally meet the updated NCCP 2025 continuing-education model for both state-only and NREMT-certified providers.

Reciprocity

Endorsement/reciprocity from another state is available.

Minnesota is not a current member of the EMS Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact (REPLICA) per the compact commission's own commissioners list (as of access date). In practice, Minnesota's standard EMT certification pathway already functions as its reciprocity route: because OEMS certification is built on holding a current NREMT card rather than on where training occurred, an out-of-state EMT with active NREMT certification submits the same Initial EMT Certification application through the Minnesota eLicense Portal as an in-state graduate.

10 state-approved training providers in Minnesota — browse programs and compare schools on tradecolleges.org.

Cost calculator

  • $104
Total$104

Frequently asked questions

Do I need NREMT certification to become an EMT in Minnesota?

Yes. OEMS's current process requires applicants to complete an NREMT-approved EMT course and obtain National Registry (NREMT) certification -- both the cognitive and practical exams -- before submitting an Initial EMT Certification application to OEMS.

Are there state fees to become an EMT in Minnesota?

No individual EMT application, certification, or renewal fee is listed on OEMS's official eLicense Portal entry or certification instructions. The main cost identified is the NREMT cognitive exam fee (around $104), paid to Pearson VUE.

How often do Minnesota EMTs need to renew their certification?

Every 2 years, due by March 31 of the expiration year. Renewal requires either the DOT EMT refresher course plus a practical skills test, or 48 hours of continuing education plus a practical skills test, along with a current CPR credential.

Can an EMT certified in another state get certified in Minnesota?

Yes. Because Minnesota's EMT certification is built on holding a current NREMT card, an out-of-state EMT with active NREMT certification follows the same Initial EMT Certification application process through the Minnesota eLicense Portal as an in-state graduate. Minnesota is not a member of the EMS Compact (REPLICA).

How many hours of training does Minnesota require to become an EMT?

OEMS does not publish a fixed statewide hour requirement; state law (Minn. Stat. 144E.28) requires completion of a U.S. Department of Transportation EMT course or an OEMS-approved equivalent, delivered by an OEMS-approved education program.

Sources

  1. [1] revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/144E.28 — accessed 2026-07-12
  2. [2] mn.gov/oems/ems-providers/become-ems-provider/ — accessed 2026-07-12
  3. [3] mn.gov/elicense/a-z/ — accessed 2026-07-12
  4. [4] mn.gov/oems/ems-providers/renewal-information/index.jsp — accessed 2026-07-12