How to Become an EMT in New York

The short answer. New York certifies EMTs at the Bureau of EMS Education and Certification Unit (read 2026-09-03), not at NREMT and not at FDNY. Be 17 by the last day of the month the course ends (10 NYCRR 800.6(b), effective June 5, 2024). Finish a Bureau-approved original at a Bureau-approved sponsor. Pass the state practical skills evaluation and the New York State written at PSI within two years / 730 days (three attempts). NREMT is reciprocity if you already hold a card, or a student form if you sat a NYS course and chose NREMT in place of the state exam. Recertify by CME or by refresher and exams. This page is the state credential. It is not a city hire window.

Ready to Serve is not a New York State partner and does not issue the card.

Who certifies New York EMTs?

The Education and Certification Unit of the Bureau of EMS, inside the New York State Department of Health. The certification page (read 2026-09-03): once you complete an approved training program and pass the relevant certification exams, the Bureau issues the official EMS certification so you can practice as a certified EMS provider in New York.

The Bureau homepage (read 2026-09-03) says "To be licensed as an EMT, you must take an accredited course." The Code and the certification page say certified. Those two Department pages disagree on the word. The Bureau still issues a certification. The homepage marketing word does not change 800.6.

The homepage nav also says "Division of State EMS." The certification page names the Bureau of EMS. Same shop, two labels.

How old do I have to be?

17, by the last day of the month the course is completed or scheduled to be completed. Certified first responder is 16 on that same clock. That is 800.6(b), effective June 5, 2024 (read 2026-09-03). Reciprocity uses the same ages under 800.12(b)(8).

Older copies of this page said 18 at certification, with 17 only to begin some programs. That was false after the 2024-06-05 amendment.

What course do I take?

A State-approved course at a State-approved course sponsor. Hours are not in 800.6. The Bureau homepage (read 2026-09-03) says EMT courses are normally between 150 and 180 hours. Older copies printed a course-hour range and a months-to-complete range. Those figures are not on the homepage or in 800.6. Plan from the sponsor's calendar, not from a month count this page does not have.

Official 800.6(c) (effective June 5, 2024, read 2026-09-03) lists: certified first responder (CFR); emergency medical technician (EMT); advanced emergency medical technician; emergency medical technician-paramedic (EMT-P); certified laboratory instructor (CLI); certified instructor coordinator (CIC).

Cornell's copy of 800.6(c), retrieved 2026-08-29, still printed emergency medical technician-basic (EMT) and emergency medical technician-defibrillation (EMT-D) in that same slot. The Department's own regs.health.ny.gov page is the one dated June 5, 2024, and it now prints AEMT, not EMT-D. If you are searching "EMT-D," Cornell still uses that name; the official page does not.

What exam do I take?

The default original path is the New York State written certification examination, computer-based at PSI centers. The exam registration page (read 2026-09-03) says EMT and CFR students have the option of Live Remote Proctoring. The PSI schedule door at test-takers.psiexams.com/nyems (read 2026-09-03) says test takers under the age of 18 must test in a Test Center only and are not permitted to test via Live Remote Proctoring. Those two pages disagree. Age 17 (CFR 16) is the 800.6(b) floor, so a candidate who is still under 18 sits a center. Schedule through PSI, not nremt.org.

You also pass a practical skills evaluation. 800.6(d) (read 2026-09-03): practical plus a cognitive examination approved by the department, within two years of the department-assigned end-of-course date. After that, a department-approved remediation before more attempts.

The exam page (read 2026-09-03): three attempts; eligibility expires two years (730 days) after the end-of-course date; for most courses that date is the third Thursday of the month the course ends; wait at least 24 hours before a second or third attempt. Three-attempts is the exam page. 800.7 (reexaminations) was repealed June 5, 2024.

The two-year Code clock and the 730-day exam-page clock agree on two years. Older copies said 36 months. That is not the current clock.

Older copies treated NREMT and the state written as equal default doors. They are not. Do not send a first-time New York student to nremt.org as the exam vendor.

Can I use NREMT instead?

Two different doors, both on the reciprocity page (read 2026-09-03).

1. You already hold a current card from another state, the District of Columbia, the military, or NREMT. Apply under 800.12. The Bureau may grant New York certification rather than a New York original course. You must show a need (education, employment, or another need the department accepts). No more than half of the didactic portion may be asynchronous. Initial review can take sixty to ninety days. New York does not grant reciprocity from other countries or U.S. territories unless you hold National Registry. 10 NYCRR 800.12 also sets a non-refundable filing fee (the live reciprocity page does not print the ceiling; this page does not invent one).
2. You sat a New York course and opted to take NREMT in place of the New York exam. Use the student-NREMT form the reciprocity page links, not the out-of-state reciprocity form.

I have a conviction. Am I barred?

Not automatically, and not as an FDNY-only rule. 800.6(e) (read 2026-09-03) uses Article 23-A of the Corrections Law: the Department balances the conviction against the work. A denial needs a direct relationship to the duties, or an unreasonable risk to property or to a person or the public.

Policy 18-01 (read 2026-09-03): Part 800 does not stop you from attending and finishing the course. You may not sit the New York practical or written until the Department finishes the review and sends a written determination. The DOH-65 application says "Do not sign this if you have any convictions." The Certified Instructor Coordinator sends unsigned applications after session two. Older copies called this "department-specific for FDNY." Policy 18-01 is statewide.

How do I recertify?

Two doors.

CME program (800.9 read 2026-09-03; live CME page read 2026-09-03): renew without a refresher course or cognitive exam if you meet the manual. 800.9(b) (read 2026-09-03): currently certified at that level; in continuous practice as defined in section 800.3 (800.9(b)(2)); file so the Department receives the packet at least 45 days, but not more than 9 months, before expiration (800.9(b)(4)). The CME Recertification Program Administrative Manual (header September 25, 2019; page stamp Updated January 1, 2020): EMT 45 total hours = 20 core + 25 non-core, plus Healthcare Provider or equivalent CPR (infant, child, and adult choking and CPR with AED) and skills on PSE sheets. Expired certifications cannot use CME.

Refresher / 800.8 still exists: practical plus cognitive. After the first day of the 13th month following expiration, 800.18 (retrieved 2026-08-29) is the lapse ladder: 800.8 plus a refresher plus practical and written.

This page does not print how long the certification lasts. Older copies said three years. No Part 800 section opened for this article prints that duration. The 45-day / 9-month CME window still works without it: file against the expiration date on the certification you hold.

CPR as AHA BLS is not an 800.6 original-certification line. The Healthcare Provider CPR requirement sits on the CME recert path, not on the initial 800.6 list. A high school diploma or GED is also not in 800.6. A sponsor may still require one to enroll. That is the school, not the state credential.

What this page does not claim

City hire windows, FDNY civil service, DCAS filings, Fort Totten, named colleges, named ambulance companies, and any pay table are not on the Bureau pages this article uses. Older copies walked from the state credential into those doors and printed a pay table. This page does not print them. A city posting is a city posting.

The Bureau homepage's paramedic training-hour line is not an EMT fact. The New York paramedic how-to is not a live page.

Next step

Open the Education and Certification page and the course list. Pick a Bureau-approved original. Confirm you will be 17 by the last day of the course month. After the end-of-course date, watch for the PSI Authorization-to-Test email and schedule the New York written, not NREMT, unless you are on one of the two NREMT doors above. If you are under 18, PSI requires a Test Center.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who certifies New York EMTs?

NYS DOH Bureau of EMS (Education and Certification Unit). Not FDNY, not NREMT. The homepage also says "licensed"; 800.6 and the certification page say "certified." Those two Department pages disagree on the word.

How old do I have to be?

17 by the last day of the month the course ends (800.6(b), effective 2024-06-05). Certified first responder is 16. Older copies said 18.

What exam do I take?

The New York State written at PSI, plus the practical skills evaluation. The Bureau exam page offers Live Remote Proctoring for EMT and CFR. PSI's NYEMS page says test takers under 18 must sit a Test Center. Those two pages disagree. Three attempts. Two years / 730 days from the department end-of-course date. Not a 36-month window. Not NREMT as the default original exam.

Can I use NREMT instead?

If you already hold NREMT, another state's card, or a military card: reciprocity (800.12), 60 to 90 day review, no more than half the didactic asynchronous. If you sat a New York course and chose NREMT in place of the New York exam: the student-NREMT form, not the out-of-state form.

How do I recertify?

CME path (800.9): currently certified, in continuous practice as defined in section 800.3 (800.9(b)(2)), packet in 45 days to 9 months before expiration. EMT 45 hours (20 core plus 25 non-core) plus Healthcare Provider CPR and skills on PSE sheets (2019/2020 manual). Or a refresher plus 800.8 exams. Expired certifications cannot use CME; 800.18 is the lapse ladder.