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LicenseReciprocity

Engineering License from California to Virginia: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-01 · source: Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) ↗

A PE license transfers from California to Virginia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), verify your California license, and meet Virginia's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or NCEES verification) and are not retaken; Virginia requires no state-specific exam — comity relies on the examination you passed for your original license.

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Virginia grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in California does not start over — but does file a full Virginia application. Your California license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Virginia's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or NCEES verification) and are not retaken; Virginia requires no state-specific exam — comity relies on the examination you passed for your original license. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your California license active and unencumbered while the Virginia application is pending, and clearing any Virginia-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.

What changes, California → Virginia

Side-by-side: California vs Virginia (Engineering (PE)), verified 2026-09-01
California (current)Virginia (destination)
Application fee$175–$250 (Board PE application fee was $175 and rose to $250 effective July 1, 2026 (amended 16 CCR sec. 407); because the 2026-07-21 data date is after that effective date, $250 is the operative amount, though the official fee page still labeled $175 as 'current' at access — confirm the operative amount. Civil applicants also pay the Board's Seismic Principles and Engineering Surveying exam fees ($175 each, rising to $250 each on 7/1/2026). NCEES Record transmittal is $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES; biennial renewal is $180 (rising to $250 on 7/1/2026))$134.5 ($134.50 is the total application fee DPOR collects for a Virginia PE license by endorsement (comity), transaction code 1021, per the board's current application form A416-0402LIC-v9 (effective 07/01/2026); application by examination is the same $134.50. The underlying "Application for Professional Engineer License by Endorsement" fee set by 18VAC10-20-170 is $120, and DPOR's form footnotes the amount charged to the technology fee it is directed to collect under 2026 House Bill 30 ($7.25 per year). Application fees are nonrefundable and are not prorated, and are paid to the Treasurer of Virginia. Separate from this fee: license renewal ($160 under 18VAC10-20-170), FE/PE exam fees paid to NCEES, and NCEES Record transmittal ($175 first board / $100 each additional, paid to NCEES). Reinstatement of a Virginia PE license that expired five or more years ago is $474.50.)
Processing timeNo board-published comity turnaround; the application undergoes technical review and the applicant becomes eligible for any required state-specific exams (offered in limited quarterly windows) only after that review is approved, so total time varies widelyAPELSCIDLA/DPOR publishes no comity turnaround on reachable pages; comity applications are reviewed by board staff once the education, experience, examination, and license verifications are received.
Licensing authorityCalifornia Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists (BPELSG)Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR)

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Virginia sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm Virginia's current requirements on the Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. Hold an active PE license in another U.S. state or jurisdiction, in good standing.
  5. Show that your original licensure requirements (education, experience, and examination) were substantially equivalent to Virginia's at the time; otherwise meet Virginia's current entry requirements (18VAC10-20-270).
  6. Meet Virginia's education standard (18VAC10-20-230) and qualifying engineering experience standard (18VAC10-20-240).
  7. Provide three professional references.
  8. Pay the fees ($134.5 ($134.50 is the total application fee DPOR collects for a Virginia PE license by endorsement (comity), transaction code 1021, per the board's current application form A416-0402LIC-v9 (effective 07/01/2026); application by examination is the same $134.50. The underlying "Application for Professional Engineer License by Endorsement" fee set by 18VAC10-20-170 is $120, and DPOR's form footnotes the amount charged to the technology fee it is directed to collect under 2026 House Bill 30 ($7.25 per year). Application fees are nonrefundable and are not prorated, and are paid to the Treasurer of Virginia. Separate from this fee: license renewal ($160 under 18VAC10-20-170), FE/PE exam fees paid to NCEES, and NCEES Record transmittal ($175 first board / $100 each additional, paid to NCEES). Reinstatement of a Virginia PE license that expired five or more years ago is $474.50.)) and allow APELSCIDLA/DPOR publishes no comity turnaround on reachable pages; comity applications are reviewed by board staff once the education, experience, examination, and license verifications are received..

Official links

Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) ↗Virginia application ↗License verification ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Virginia → CaliforniaEngineering in CaliforniaEngineering in VirginiaAll engineering states

Frequently asked questions

Does Virginia accept a California PE license?

A PE license transfers from California to Virginia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), verify your California license, and meet Virginia's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or NCEES verification) and are not retaken; Virginia requires no state-specific exam — comity relies on the examination you passed for your original license.

Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from California to Virginia?

FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or NCEES verification) and are not retaken; Virginia requires no state-specific exam — comity relies on the examination you passed for your original license.

What does the California-to-Virginia comity application cost?

$134.5 ($134.50 is the total application fee DPOR collects for a Virginia PE license by endorsement (comity), transaction code 1021, per the board's current application form A416-0402LIC-v9 (effective 07/01/2026); application by examination is the same $134.50. The underlying "Application for Professional Engineer License by Endorsement" fee set by 18VAC10-20-170 is $120, and DPOR's form footnotes the amount charged to the technology fee it is directed to collect under 2026 House Bill 30 ($7.25 per year). Application fees are nonrefundable and are not prorated, and are paid to the Treasurer of Virginia. Separate from this fee: license renewal ($160 under 18VAC10-20-170), FE/PE exam fees paid to NCEES, and NCEES Record transmittal ($175 first board / $100 each additional, paid to NCEES). Reinstatement of a Virginia PE license that expired five or more years ago is $474.50.).

Can I keep my California PE license after I'm licensed in Virginia?

Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the California license active (its renewal and continuing-education/PDH clock run separately) and you hold both. Engineers working near state lines or nationally routinely carry several PE licenses at once, all sourced from a single NCEES Record.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-01.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-01

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]