StateLicensed

Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) License Requirements in New York

Verified · July 2026
Training hours
150 hrs
Upfront cost
$31
Exam
New York State EMS Certification Examination (Written/Cognitive), EMT Practical (Psychomotor) Skills Examination
Renewal cycle
Every 4 years
Issuing board
New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Systems (BEMS)

How to get licensed

  1. 1

    Meet the prerequisites

    Be at least 17 years old, pass a criminal background check. Applicants must be at least 17 years of age by the last day of the month in which they are scheduled to take the NYS written certification exam. New York's criminal-history review (Public Health Law Article 30, Title 10 NYCRR Part 800) is disclosure/conviction-triggered rather than a universal fingerprint background check for every applicant: the DOH-65 application asks about misdemeanor/felony convictions, and any disclosed conviction is individually reviewed against the eight factors in NY Corrections Law Section 753 rather than being an automatic bar. Note: as of the accessed date, a pending bill (S.9844, introduced April 2026) would require all EMT/AEMT/CFR applicants to undergo formal criminal background checks -- this is proposed legislation, not yet current law. [4]

  2. 2

    Complete approved training

    Complete 150 hours of training at a state-approved program. NYS DOH requires Bureau of EMS-approved course sponsors to conduct the EMT-Basic original course for a minimum of 150 hours (many programs run 150-180 hours); only Bureau-approved course sponsors may deliver the certification course, and course completion (including at most half the didactic portion delivered asynchronously) is required before exam eligibility. health.ny.gov returned HTTP 403 to this session's direct fetch tool on repeated attempts, and a Wayback Machine snapshot could not be retrieved in this environment either, so this fact was confirmed via search-engine-cached quotations of the official health.ny.gov training page rather than a direct page read. [1]

  3. 3

    New York State EMS Certification Examination (Written/Cognitive)

    Pass the New York State EMS Certification Examination (Written/Cognitive) (fee: $31). New York runs its own state certification exam rather than requiring the NREMT cognitive exam: candidates receive an Authorization to Test after course completion and schedule the NYS written exam through PSI, with up to three attempts within 730 days (2 years) of the end-of-course date. The PSI testing-center fee is $31, per the official candidate instructions and exam-registration page. health.ny.gov returned HTTP 403 to this session's direct fetch tool and a Wayback snapshot was not obtainable, so verified via search-engine-cached quotations of the official page and its linked candidate-instructions document. [2]

  4. 4

    EMT Practical (Psychomotor) Skills Examination

    Pass the EMT Practical (Psychomotor) Skills Examination. New York uses its own state practical skills examination (per the BLS Practical Skills Manual) rather than the NREMT psychomotor exam. No separate fee beyond course tuition was found published for this component, so left null. [2]

  5. 5

    Submit your application

    Submit your application to New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Systems (BEMS). [2]

  6. 6

    Receive your license

    Once your application is approved, New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Systems (BEMS) issues your New York State Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) for New York.

Fees

Fee Amount
Application fee [2] None specified
License fee [2] None specified
Renewal fee [2] None specified
New York State EMS Certification Examination (Written/Cognitive) [2] $31
EMT Practical (Psychomotor) Skills Examination [2] None specified
PSI written exam testing-center fee [2] $31

The only state-level fee confirmed for EMT-Basic certification is the $31 PSI testing-center fee for the written exam. No separate DOH-65 application fee or certificate-issuance fee, and no published recertification fee, were found on official health.ny.gov pages available to this session, so application/license/renewal are left null rather than assumed to be free or estimated.

Renewal & continuing education

Renew every 4 years.

New York EMT certifications are recertified on a 48-month (4-year) cycle through the state's CME Recertification Program, which allows renewal without a refresher course or repeat cognitive exam (electronic recertification application due at least 45 days before expiration). Secondary sources disagree on the exact required CME-hour split for the EMT level (one cites 20 core + 5 mandatory + 20 additional = 45 total hours; another cites 26 core + 46 non-core = 72 total hours), and the official CME program manual could not be fetched directly (403) or via Wayback in this environment, so ceHours is left null rather than picking between conflicting secondary figures.

Reciprocity

Endorsement/reciprocity from another state is available.

New York grants reciprocity to holders of a current certification from another state, D.C., the military, or NREMT, provided the applicant demonstrates a need (education/employment/other), completed a course meeting or exceeding current National EMS Education Standards, and either completed an equivalent out-of-state or National Registry recertification process or completes a practical skills evaluation and/or written exam as determined by the department; no more than half the didactic portion of the applicant's original course may have been asynchronous. Reciprocity is not granted based on certification from other countries or U.S. territories without a National Registry certification. New York was not listed among current member states on the EMS Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact (REPLICA) commission's own commissioners page (emscompact.gov/the-commission/commissioners) as of the accessed date, so compacts is left empty.

13 state-approved training providers in New York — browse programs and compare schools on tradecolleges.org.

Cost calculator

  • $31
Total$31

Frequently asked questions

Does New York require the NREMT exam to become an EMT?

No. Unlike most states, New York runs its own state certification exam through the NYS DOH Bureau of EMS rather than requiring the NREMT. After completing an approved course, candidates take the New York State written exam (delivered via PSI testing centers, $31 fee) and a state practical skills exam.

How old do you have to be to become an EMT in New York?

At least 17 years old by the last day of the month in which you are scheduled to take the NYS written certification exam.

How much does the New York State EMT exam cost?

The PSI testing-center fee for the NYS written certification exam is $31. No separate statewide application or certificate-issuance fee was found published by the Department of Health.

How often do New York EMT certifications need to be renewed?

Every 48 months (4 years), through the state's CME Recertification Program, which lets providers renew with continuing education rather than retaking a refresher course or the cognitive exam, as long as the recertification application is submitted at least 45 days before expiration.

Can an EMT certified in another state get certified in New York?

Yes, via reciprocity: applicants with a current certification from another state, D.C., the military, or NREMT can apply if they demonstrate a need for New York certification and completed a course meeting current National EMS Education Standards, subject to department review of course equivalency.

Sources

  1. [1] health.ny.gov/professionals/ems/training.htm — accessed 2026-07-12
  2. [2] health.ny.gov/professionals/ems/certification/exam_registration.htm — accessed 2026-07-12
  3. [3] health.ny.gov/professionals/ems/certification/cmerecert.htm — accessed 2026-07-12
  4. [4] health.ny.gov/professionals/ems/investigations.htm — accessed 2026-07-12
  5. [5] health.ny.gov/professionals/ems/certification/reciprocity.htm — accessed 2026-07-12