New Mexico Expedited Licensing for Service Members, Spouses and Veterans

Section 61-1-34, as last rewritten by House Bill 384 of 2023, Laws 2023, chapter 190, signed April 5, 2023. The rule. A board that issues an occupational or professional license under chapter 61 must, "as soon as practicable but no later than thirty days after" a military service member or veteran files a complete application and any required background check, process it and "issue a license prima facie" to an applicant who holds a license "current and in good standing, issued by another jurisdiction, including a branch of the armed forces". The license is provisional but carries the same rights as a regular license; a board may require its examination before renewal if the original jurisdiction had none. No fees for three years. Subsection C: no initial or renewal licensing fee "for the first three years of licensure". Inspection, examination, late and copy fees are not waived. Who counts. A "military service member" is an active duty member or member of an active reserve component or the Guard; the spouse of one, or the surviving spouse of a member who died on active duty; or a child who is the member's tax dependant. A "veteran" is anyone with "an honorable discharge or separation from military service". Teachers and school staff. Section 22-10A-12.1 gives the same thirty-day processing and three years without fees for a school license or substitute certificate, and accepts an expired out-of-state license for a one-year license. Federal law sits underneath this. For a service member or spouse who moves to New Mexico because of military orders, 50 U.S.C. 4025a, as rewritten by Public Law 118-159 in December 2024, treats a licence in good standing from another state as valid for its scope of practice on application, with a temporary licence if the board needs more than 30 days. Section 61-1-34 already goes further for most families, since it also covers veterans and dependent children and waives fees for three years, but the federal rule is the one to cite if a board applies an equivalence test or an examination before the move is complete.