Bridge Temporary Credential

A Bridge Temporary Credential is designed to enable health care professionals with a valid, unrestricted license in another state and a position secured through an employer in the state of Wisconsin to practice in person or via telehealth while they await a decision on their permanent license application.

Before applying for a Bridge Temporary Credential, applicants must also submit an application for their full, permanent credential in Wisconsin in the same profession. Be prepared to submit your permanent credential application’s PAR-# while applying for the Bridge Temporary Credential.

Health care providers may provide services within the scope of the other state credential that the health care provider holds. They must apply for a Bridge Temporary Credential within 30 days of beginning to provide health care services for a health care employer in Wisconsin.

For onsite work, employers must submit Form 2021-A102 to the health care provider’s Bridge application within 10 days of beginning work in Wisconsin. The form is not required for telehealth-only applications.

Applicants who are self-employed should have Form 2021-A102 filled out by someone else in their organization if possible. If there is no one else to complete the form, fill it out yourself and include an explanation.

The Bridge Temporary Credential is only valid for 9​​0 days from the date issued. Applicants should work proactively to complete their application for permanent licensure in advance of this 90-day timeline.

Extensions to Bridge Temporary Credentials are not guaranteed but may be issued based on individual circumstances.

Applicants may receive a 30-day extension of their Bridge Temporary Credential if all their permanent application materials are submitted, and they are still awaiting DSPS Legal, Board, or Credentialing Team review and approval of their permanent license application.

An applicant can receive more than one extension. Requests for an extension can be made by clicking on the “Request Support" tab on the home page of LicensE.

Below are some general instructions for applying for a credential on LicensE. 

1. Create or log into your LicensE account. Please visit LicensE account Information page for detailed guidance on selecting your account type.

2. Select "Apply for a License."

3. Select your Category.

4. Select your License Type.

5. Select your Application Method, then "Next."

6. Review your Personal Information.

7. Enter the requested Information on each page of the application. Information may include Examination, Education, or License History, depending on your profession.

8. If applicable, request a Veterans Fee Waiver or Initial Credential Fee Reduction.

9. Submit the requested Documents you may already have. You do not need to have all documents ready to submit.

   Note: Forms are now hosted on AccessGov. Visit AccessGov Forms Directory to choose your form.

10. Respond to the Attestation questions.

11. Provide Payment Information. Fees may be found Credential Fees.

12. Submit your application.  

Profession specific application requirements can be found in the "Application Information" section.

After logging in, select Apply for a License and choose the same Category and License Type as your Permanent Credential Application

Select the Bridge Application Method

Make sure your employer has entered the correct license state and number you are submitting for verification on Form 2021-A102. These must match for the temporary credential to be issued. 

There are no fees for the Bridge Application Method. 

Next steps may be found below, in the “What Happens Next?” section.

After you upload all required documents, submit your application, and pay the required fee(s):

1. Preliminary Application Reference Number (PAR)

   1. Your application will be assigned a Preliminary Application Reference number or PAR number. This number allows you and trusted parties to look up the status of your application without logging in. You can also reference this number in any support tickets you submit in regard to your application.

      • A trusted 3^rd party can look up your credential status by visiting LicensE, clicking “Application Status Lookup” and entering the PAR number you have provided to them.

2. Review Timeline

   1. Your materials will be reviewed within approximately 10 days by a member of the credentialing team.

      • Note: Some licenses do take longer to process due to complexity. You can see the performance data on our LicensE Dashboard to see what date we are reviewing for certain application types under "Application Review Times by Profession."

3. Pending Applicant Input Status

   1. After this review, if anything is missing or the credentialing team has any questions on your application, your application will go back into a status called “Pending Applicant Input.”  You will receive an email letting you know your application was moved into this status. You should then log into LicensE and check your application “Due Diligence.”

4. To check your "Due Diligence" 

   1. Your Due Diligence is a checklist of items required for your credential.

   2. The Due Diligence section is how DSPS staff will communicate with you regarding your credential requirements.

   3. Log in to your LicensE account

   4. Click on "Check Application Status" 

   5. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under “Action” select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop.

   6. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select “View Due Diligences.”

   7. The Due Diligence column lets you know what the requirement is.

   8. The “STATUS” column will you know if the item is “Met”, “Not Met”, or “Not Applicable.”

      • Items listed as “Not Met” are items that are needed by the Department.  

   9. The “NOTES” column of your Due Diligence will provide further written details or instructions about what is still needed.

5. To upload documents

   1. Some applications require additional document uploads.

   2. Log into your LicensE account

   3. Click on "Check Application Status"

   4. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under "Action" select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop. 

   5. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select "Upload Document."

   6. The document must be an allowable document type. 

   7. After uploading the document, click "submit." If you do not, it will not be sent to a reviewer. 

6. If you have any questions, you can submit a support ticket on LicensE by logging in and clicking "request support" at the top of the page.

LicensE statuses that require action from applicant:

LicensE statuses that indicate the application is with Department staff:

The following list of occupations/license types (with corresponding registration code) are included in Act 10 as eligible for the Bridge Temporary Credential.

Please see individual profession pages for more information about the full, permanent license application requirements. 

• Acupuncturist (55)
• Athletic Trainer (39)
• Audiologist (156)
• Chiropractor (12)
• Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor (132)
• Dentist (15)
• Dietitian, Certified (29)
• Marriage & Family Therapist (124)
• Marriage & Family Therapist In-Training (228)
• Massage Therapist or Bodywork Therapist (146)
• Nurse Midwife (32)
• Nurse, Advanced Practice Prescriber (33)
• Nurse, Licensed Practical (31)
• Nurse, Registered (30)
• Occupational Therapist (26)
• Occupational Therapy Assistant (27)
• Optometrist (35)
• Perfusionist (18)
• Pharmacist (40)
• Physical Therapist (24)
• Physical Therapist Assistant (19)
• Physician Assistant (23)
• Physician, DO (21)
• Physician, MD (20)
• Podiatrist (25)
• Professional Counselor (125)
• Professional Counselor In-Training (226)
• Psychologist (57)
• Respiratory Care Practitioner (28)
• Social Worker (120)
• Social Worker Training Certificate (127)
• Social Worker, Advanced Practice (121)
• Social Worker, Independent (122)
• Social Worker, Licensed Clinical (123)
• Speech-Language Pathologist (154)​

Support Ticket
Submit a support ticket on LicensE and click "request support." Please provide as much detail as possible regarding your concern so we can work to answer your question with a one touch resolution. 

Call
608-266-2112

Email
dsps@wisconsin.gov

Office Hours
7:45am-4:30pm
Department of Safety and Professional Services
4822 Madison Yards Way
Madison, WI, 53705

Note: The in-person office does not process same day.

• LicensE at (license.wi.gov) is a self-guided online system where you can manage your professional credential from start to finish. 

• You will still need to review the requirements for the credential you are applying to. These can be found on the A-Z profession page. 

• With LicensE you can: 

  • Apply for a credential for the first time, with steps guiding you to upload your application documents, and pay all required fees.  

  • Renew an existing credential when it is time, to keep your credential active.  

  • View or download your credential for your records or verification.  

  • Update your personal information, including your phone number, email, and mailing address 

  • Submit support tickets and receive responses to your email from our staff experts.  

  • Allow third parties to review and upload required documents on your behalf 

  • Check the status of someone's credential using the public LicensE look up. 

• If you have never held a credential, you will need to create an account the first time you are on LicensE. 

  • To create an account, visit LicensE. You will then select “register for an individual” if you are applying for a license held by an individual, or “register for an organization” if you are applying for a license held by an organization.  

  • If you are not sure if the license you are applying for is an individual or organization license, please visit our A-Z professions page and review the profession page for more information.  

• When you create an account, please be sure to use an email you will always have access to.  

• For more information on LicensE, please see link to LicensE "How To" Page.