Physical Therapy License from Alabama to Ohio: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Yes — both Alabama and Ohio are members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If Alabama is your primary state of residence and you hold a multistate license, you can practice in Ohio now; if you are moving your residence to Ohio, apply for licensure by endorsement there and declare Ohio your new primary state of residence — your multistate privilege continues.

No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken for a routine transfer; FSBPT's Score Transfer Service sends the existing passing score to the physical therapy section. Ohio has one exception: under OAC 4755:2-1-04(C) an endorsement applicant who has been out of practice five or more years - defined as fewer than 500 practice hours in the prior five years - must either retake and pass the NPTE or complete an action plan approved by the physical therapy section. Note that the Ohio laws-and-rules examination is imposed by rule on licensure by EXAMINATION (OAC 4755:2-1-03(A)(2)); the endorsement rule does not itself impose it, so confirm with the Board whether the Ohio Jurisprudence Assessment Module is required on your endorsement application..

If you are buying a Ohio compact privilege to work while living in Alabama: the commission's uniform fee plus Ohio's privilege fee. If you are relocating and taking a full Ohio license by endorsement: $100 (OAC 4755-4-01(B)(1) (effective August 21, 2025) caps the initial licensing fee - the fee an endorsement applicant pays - at one hundred dollars, and states that the current amount is published on the Board's website. otptat.ohio.gov and codes.ohio.gov were unreachable from the research environment on 2026-08-07, so only the rule maximum is given rather than an unverified exact figure. Biennial renewal is likewise capped at $100. The BCI/FBI criminal records check is billed separately by the record providers. This is not the PT Compact privilege fee.) (OAC 4755-4-01(B)(1) (effective August 21, 2025) caps the initial licensing fee - the fee an endorsement applicant pays - at one hundred dollars, and states that the current amount is published on the Board's website. otptat.ohio.gov and codes.ohio.gov were unreachable from the research environment on 2026-08-07, so only the rule maximum is given rather than an unverified exact figure. Biennial renewal is likewise capped at $100. The BCI/FBI criminal records check is billed separately by the record providers. This is not the PT Compact privilege fee.).

A compact privilege issues quickly once your eligibility and any Ohio jurisprudence exam are cleared — usually faster than a full license. A relocation endorsement runs Neither the Ohio Revised Code nor the Board's rules state a processing timeframe; OAC 4755:2-1-01(E) provides only that an application still incomplete one year after filing is abandoned. (Neither the Ohio Revised Code nor the Board's rules state a processing timeframe; OAC 4755:2-1-01(E) provides only that an application still incomplete one year after filing is abandoned.).