New Mexico accepts journeyman electrician licenses from 10 states: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. Eight of them take a New Mexico journeyman license back. Montana and Oklahoma don't. Reciprocity skips the work-experience paperwork: you send the PSI journeyman application, a copy of your license and $75. The journeyman application asks for no bond or insurance.
New Mexico calls its journeyman certificate the EE-98J. Its electrical contractor license (EE-98) has no reciprocity. A passed NASCLA exam can replace its trade exam, but you still pass New Mexico Business and Law (or an approved course) and post a $10,000 license bond. For the exam route, see the full New Mexico electrical license requirements.
| At a glance | New Mexico electrical reciprocity |
|---|---|
| Who licenses you | Construction Industries Division (CID), Electrical Bureau. PSI takes the applications and gives the exams. |
| License that transfers | EE-98J only: the journeyman certificate for residential and commercial wiring |
| States NM accepts | AK, AR, CO, ID, MT, NE, OK, SD, TX, WY (per CID's reciprocal agreement list) |
| What you skip | The work-experience affidavits |
| What you send | The journeyman application, notarized, a copy of your license and $75. You must have earned the license by exam and held it 1 year in the state where you tested. |
| Contractor (EE-98) | No reciprocity. A NASCLA score can replace the trade exam. You still need Business and Law, a $10,000 bond and workers' comp. |
| Best NM license to carry out | EE-98J. Eight partner states take it, and Utah's endorsement map lists it. |
New Mexico electrical reciprocity for incoming electricians
New Mexico sorts this by license, not by state. Find the license you want below.
| NM license | Accepted from | You still need |
|---|---|---|
| EE-98J journeyman | A journeyman license from Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas or Wyoming | Your license must be earned by exam after a 4-year apprenticeship or 4 years of equal experience. It must be current, in good standing and held 1 year. File the journeyman application with $75. |
| EE-98 contractor | No state | All three trade exams and Business and Law, unless the NASCLA route below applies. Then the company posts a $10,000 bond. |
| EE-98 via NASCLA | A passed NASCLA electrical exam you used for a license in another state and held 1 year | Letter of good standing. NASCLA transcript release. 4 years of experience. New Mexico Business and Law exam or an approved course. $10,000 bond. Workers' comp |
| Other journeyman classes | None. ER-1J (residential wiring) and the specialty "J" classes have no reciprocity. | PSI exams for that class |
Two partners are one-way. New Mexico takes Montana and Oklahoma journeymen, but neither state takes a New Mexico journeyman back.
Holding a NASCLA score? Read JCR's NASCLA exam guide or see the NASCLA prep course.
Not from one of the 10 states, or applying for the EE-98 contractor license? You'll take New Mexico's code exams on the 2020 NEC. JCR's New Mexico course covers the EE-98J Code and Theory exams and EE-98 Parts 1 and 2.
What you get for $495: 100 video lessons, a 152-page workbook, a 500+ question mock exam with online access and permanent code tabs. Videos and practice exams open as soon as you pay.
What PSI and CID want for an EE-98J by reciprocity
- The Journeyman Certificate Application, signed and notarized. Answer "yes" to question 3(c), the EE-98J reciprocity question.
- A copy of your current journeyman license from the state where you tested.
- Proof you've held that license at least 1 year, active and in good standing.
- $75 per classification.
- A letter-size, stamped, self-addressed envelope for returned packets.
- No work-experience affidavits. Reciprocity applicants skip them.
Mail or bring the packet to PSI, 9550 San Mateo Blvd NE, Ste F, Albuquerque, NM 87113.
What an EE-98 company adds
The EE-98 license belongs to the company. It names a qualifying party, the licensed person who passed the exams for it. Per the contractor license application and 14.6.3 NMAC, the company needs:
- A $10,000 license bond covering the full 3-year license term.
- Workers' comp insurance. A sole owner with no employees may be exempt.
- A New Mexico tax registration certificate from the last 12 months.
Using a New Mexico electrical license in other states
Only the EE-98J travels well. Each state below decides on its own terms.
| State | NM license it accepts | You still need |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | EE-98J counts for Alaska Journeyman Electrician. | Licensed a full year. $50 application and $200 certificate |
| Arkansas | EE-98J counts for Arkansas Journeyman. | Original NM certificate earned by exam, held 1 year |
| Colorado | EE-98J counts for Colorado Journeyman. | NM exam passed. Certificate held 1 year |
| Idaho | EE-98J counts for Idaho Journeyman. | Active license earned by exam. $70 |
| Nebraska | EE-98J counts for Nebraska Journeyman. | 75% or better on your exam. Held 1 year. One-time only |
| South Dakota | EE-98J only. No contractor match. | Earned by exam and active for 1 year |
| Texas | EE-98J counts for Texas Journeyman Electrician. | 1 year licensed plus 8,000 hours under a master electrician. $30 |
| Wyoming | EE-98J counts for Wyoming Journeyman. | Exam score of 70% or more. 1 year since your exam. 8,000 OJT hours. 576 school hours. 16 CE hours. $100. One time only |
| Utah | EE-98J counts for Utah Journeyman. An EE-98 qualifying party may qualify for Utah Master. |
Journeyman: held 1 year. Master: proof you were the responsible person, plus the Utah Master Electrician Law and Rule exam. |
| Arizona | No agreement. If you were an EE-98 qualifying party in a similar class in the past 5 years, Arizona's Registrar can skip the trade exam. | Arizona Statutes and Rules Exam (never skipped) and an Arizona license bond |
| Vermont | EE-98J counts for Vermont journeyman. | 3 years of good standing on your NM certificate |
| Virginia | EE-98J can count toward a Virginia journeyman tradesman license under universal license recognition. | Certificate held 1 year after passing an exam. $171.75 fee. Virginia may add a law exam |
| Louisiana | Any New Mexico trade exam you actually took and passed. Louisiana picks the matching class. | Louisiana Business and Law course. Financial statement showing $50,000 net worth (commercial) |
Where New Mexico licenses get no credit
- Montana: its equivalency list marks New Mexico "No" for master, journeyman and residential.
- Oklahoma: New Mexico isn't on Oklahoma's journeyman list.
- Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Oregon and Washington: New Mexico isn't on their lists.
- Any state, for the EE-98: no state names the New Mexico contractor license in a reciprocity agreement. Only the Utah and Arizona case-by-case routes above apply.
Look up the rest in JCR's state-by-state reciprocity guide.
Need the full New Mexico process? See JCR's New Mexico electrical license guide and the state requirements page.
How to file for an EE-98J by reciprocity
- Check that your state is one of the 10 partners and that you've held your journeyman license 1 year.
- Download the Journeyman Certificate Application from PSI.
- Write in EE-98J, answer "yes" to question 3(c), and get the application notarized.
- Attach a copy of your current license and $75.
- Mail or hand-deliver the packet to PSI in Albuquerque.
- Plan for renewal: an EE-98J lasts 3 years, and renewal takes 16 hours of CE, 8 of them on code changes.
New Mexico reciprocity questions
Does New Mexico have reciprocity with Texas?
Yes, for journeymen, both ways. New Mexico issues an EE-98J to Texas journeymen licensed 1 year. Texas issues its journeyman license to EE-98J holders with 1 year licensed and 8,000 hours under a master. Neither state accepts the other's contractor or master license.
Does New Mexico have electrical reciprocity with Arizona?
No. Arizona isn't on New Mexico's list. Arizona's Registrar of Contractors may skip its trade exam for an EE-98 qualifying party, but you always take Arizona's Statutes and Rules Exam.
Can I get an EE-98 contractor license through reciprocity?
No. The only shortcut is the NASCLA route: a NASCLA exam you used for a license elsewhere and held 1 year. It replaces the trade exam only. Business and Law, the experience rules and the $10,000 bond still apply.
Does New Mexico accept a Colorado journeyman license?
Yes. Colorado is a partner state, and Colorado also takes a New Mexico EE-98J for its own journeyman license. Both sides want the license earned by exam and held 1 year.
Can I use a New Mexico journeyman license in Montana?
No. Montana rates New Mexico licenses as not equal to its own at every level. It's one-way: New Mexico does accept Montana journeymen.
Testing for the EE-98J or EE-98? Study with JCR
New Mexico's code exams use the 2020 NEC. JCR's New Mexico self-study course drills code navigation, theory and calculations for the EE-98J Code and Theory exams and EE-98 Parts 1 and 2. The material comes from JCR's classroom program (93% pass rate for JCR classroom students).
The price is $495. You can watch the videos and take the practice exams as soon as you pay, and JCR mails the workbook the same business day.
Give it 6–8 weeks at roughly an hour a night.
Want to test yourself before buying? Try free practice questions.
More New Mexico guides
- New Mexico electrician exam: EE-98J and EE-98
- New Mexico electrical practice test
- New Mexico electrical license guide
- New Mexico electrician CE requirements
Other guides: Idaho reciprocity guide · Montana reciprocity guide
Where these rules come from
- CID Electrical Bureau: reciprocal journeyman
- CID reciprocal agreement and CE rules
- PSI Journeyman Certificate Application (May 2025)
- PSI Qualifying Party Application, NASCLA waiver (May 2025)
- PSI Contractor License Application (May 2025)
- 14.6.3 NMAC (bond and NASCLA exam waiver)
- Colorado electrical reciprocity (NERA states)
- TDLR out-of-state electricians
- Montana equivalency list, August 2026 PDF
- Oklahoma CIB reciprocity
- Utah master endorsement map
- Arizona ROC: applying for a license
JCR checked every rule on this page against CID, PSI and each receiving state's own sources on October 13, 2026. Agreements can change without notice, so confirm with New Mexico CID before you apply.