How to Become an EMT in New Jersey

Who can apply

• You must complete an EMT training program at a New Jersey-approved training agency, including the required clinical experience.
• You must pass the NREMT cognitive exam. New Jersey requires initial NREMT certification before it issues an EMT certification (N.J.A.C. 8:40A-6.1).
• You need a current CPR certification at the Healthcare Provider or Professional Rescuer level (or an OEMS-recognized equivalent).
• Full certification is issued at age 18. Students under 18 who pass the NREMT assessment get only provisional EMT status until they turn 18.
• Students who answer yes to the criminal background question must complete a State Police criminal history check. Certain convictions make a student ineligible to take the exam unless OEMS grants a waiver.

Step by step

1. Get a CPR certification on the OEMS accepted list.
2. Enroll in an EMT course at a New Jersey-approved training agency and submit the OEMS student application. If you answer yes to the criminal background question, complete the fingerprint-based history check.
3. Finish the course and the program's practical skills verification exam. Your program coordinator then certifies that you are eligible for the NREMT exam.
4. Schedule and pass the NREMT cognitive exam at a Pearson VUE test center.
5. Once you are certified by NREMT, OEMS issues your New Jersey EMT certification. You get the card from your account on the OEMS Provider Licensing and Learning Management System (LMS).

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: You must complete a New Jersey EMT training program, including its clinical experience, at an OEMS-approved training agency. Volunteer EMT candidates at eligible agencies may have training costs covered by the state EMT Training Fund (form EMS-62). Out-of-state refresher classes and 100% online refresher classes are not accepted for reciprocity.

Exam: New Jersey uses the NREMT cognitive exam, a computer adaptive test of 60 to 120 questions with a 2-hour limit, given at Pearson VUE centers. The practical skills verification exam is given by your training program coordinator. NREMT charges $104 per cognitive exam attempt. For eligible volunteers, the EMS Training Fund pays for the first attempt.

What it costs in New Jersey

Fixed amounts are set by the state. Items marked “your quote” are priced by private sellers, so enter what you’re quoted.

Keeping your certification

Renewal: New Jersey EMT certifications run for about three years (36 months). To recertify, keep a current CPR certification and complete 48 hours of approved continuing education: 24 core hours (NJ EMT Refresher classes) and 24 elective hours, all earned during the current certification period. Credits do not carry over, and hours earned after your expiration date do not count. You do not have to keep NREMT certification; New Jersey recertification is through its own continuing education.

Good to know in New Jersey

NREMT does not have to stay current: New Jersey uses NREMT certification only as the entry requirement. You may keep both, but you only need New Jersey continuing education to keep your New Jersey EMT certification.

Coming from another state: If you have never held a New Jersey EMT certification but are certified by another state or the NREMT, use the EMT Reciprocity process: complete the reciprocity form in the LMS and the EMS-64 application, have each licensing authority and your original EMT program send verifications, and complete New Jersey EMT Refresher A/B/C classes. If you do not hold current NREMT certification, you must also pass an NREMT proficiency exam.

Expired New Jersey EMTs: If your New Jersey EMT certification expired, the Re-Entry process requires current CPR, New Jersey EMT Refresher A/B/C classes taken after expiration, and the NREMT proficiency exam. Elective CEUs are not required for re-entry.

Nurses and doctors: New Jersey-licensed physicians, physician assistants, registered nurses and advanced practice nurses can use the EMT Challenge process instead of a full EMT course.

No grace period: Your certification is valid only until midnight on the expiration date on your card. No grace periods or extensions are granted (N.J.A.C. 8:40A-7.1(e)), so finish your recertification before that date.

Under-18 EMTs: Minors who pass get only provisional status. They may work only in the physical presence and under the direct supervision of an EMT, and cannot count toward minimum ambulance staffing (N.J.A.C. 8:40A-7.4).

Proficiency exam and NREMT: OEMS says that due to NREMT policy changes, the NREMT Proficiency Examination used for reciprocity and re-entry no longer leads to NREMT certification. If you also want NREMT certification, contact NREMT about a separate pathway.

Former New Jersey EMTs: OEMS guides differ on this: the April 2026 reciprocity guide sends anyone who once held a New Jersey EMT or Paramedic certification to the EMT Challenge process, while the Re-Entry guide covers expired New Jersey EMTs. Confirm your route with OEMS before you start.

Sources

• NJ Department of Health OEMS - Education (certification system, reciprocity, re-entry, challenge)
• NJ OEMS - EMT Reciprocity Process and Guidance (April 2026)
• NJ OEMS - EMT Re-Entry Process and Guidance (November 2025)
• NJ OEMS - FAQ on the shift to NREMT cognitive testing for new EMTs
• N.J.A.C. 8:40A - EMT training and certification (OEMS copy)
• NJ OEMS - 2025 revocation notice citing N.J.A.C. 8:40A-7.5 recertification requirements
• NREMT - EMT Candidate Handbook, Certification Process