Physical Therapy License from Arkansas to North Dakota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Yes, for working in North Dakota — both Arkansas and North Dakota are active members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If Arkansas is your primary state of residence and your Arkansas license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in North Dakota without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to North Dakota, you will need a North Dakota license once North Dakota becomes your home state.
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Verdict
Compact privilege — work there without a second license
Both Arkansas and North Dakota are active PT Compact members, so this is a privilege move, not a license move. If Arkansas is your home state and primary residence and your license there is active, you do not apply to the North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy — you buy a North Dakota compact privilege through the commission and practice on it, with your Arkansas license staying in place. Two caveats worth planning around: North Dakota may require its jurisprudence exam before the privilege issues, and the privilege lapses the moment your Arkansas license does. If you are genuinely relocating to North Dakota rather than working there temporarily, the privilege model doesn't fit — you would change your home state by endorsing into North Dakota.
What changes, Arkansas → North Dakota
| Arkansas (current) | North Dakota (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | Licensure by endorsement · PT Compact privilege (not a license) | Licensure by endorsement · PT Compact privilege (not a license) |
| Application fee | $100 (PT Endorsement (Reciprocity) fee is $100 per the Board rules fee schedule (Section VII). A statutory 95% fee reduction cut this to $5 for applications from Jul 1, 2023-Jun 30, 2026; that window closed before this verification date, so the $100 standing fee applies. A $10 online jurisprudence-exam fee and the state/FBI background-check fee are separate. NOT the $50 PT Compact privilege fee.) | $200 (Non-refundable application fee set by NDAC 61.5-02-03-01(1); the same application fee applies to licensure by endorsement. Annual renewal is $100 for physical therapists ($60 for PTAs) and the late renewal fee is $50. The criminal-history background check is billed separately at cost. The $40 'compact fee' in the same rule is North Dakota's PT Compact privilege fee, not the endorsement application fee.) |
| Processing time | no overall timeframe published; the Board notes criminal background-check results take about 2-6 weeks and no license issues until they are received. A 90-day temporary/provisional license is available on request | Neither the North Dakota Administrative Code nor the Board's rules state a processing timeframe for endorsement applications |
| Licensing authority | Arkansas State Board of Physical Therapy (Arkansas Department of Health) | North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — North Dakota sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm your home-state license is active and unencumbered and that your home state is your primary state of residence.
- To work in North Dakota: purchase a PT Compact privilege for North Dakota through the compact commission and complete any North Dakota jurisprudence requirement.
- Keep your home-state license active — every privilege lapses with it.
- If you are moving your primary residence to North Dakota: apply for a North Dakota license with the North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy; a privilege does not follow you when your home state changes.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does North Dakota accept an Arkansas physical therapy license?
Yes, for working in North Dakota — both Arkansas and North Dakota are active members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If Arkansas is your primary state of residence and your Arkansas license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in North Dakota without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to North Dakota, you will need a North Dakota license once North Dakota becomes your home state.
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Arkansas to North Dakota?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken. For licensure by endorsement from another United States jurisdiction, NDAC 61.5-02-02-02(2)(c) requires a copy of the examination scores transmitted by a score transfer service approved by the Board (the FSBPT Score Transfer Service). North Dakota also requires its own jurisprudence examination, an open-book test on the ND Practice Act and Board rules that is completed inside the online application (NDAC 61.5-02-02-01(1)(e)).
What does the move cost?
If you are buying a North Dakota compact privilege to work while living in Arkansas: the commission's uniform fee plus North Dakota's privilege fee. If you are relocating and taking a full North Dakota license by endorsement: $200 (Non-refundable application fee set by NDAC 61.5-02-03-01(1); the same application fee applies to licensure by endorsement. Annual renewal is $100 for physical therapists ($60 for PTAs) and the late renewal fee is $50. The criminal-history background check is billed separately at cost. The $40 'compact fee' in the same rule is North Dakota's PT Compact privilege fee, not the endorsement application fee.).
How long will it take?
A compact privilege issues quickly once your eligibility and any North Dakota jurisprudence exam are cleared — usually faster than a full license. A relocation endorsement runs Neither the North Dakota Administrative Code nor the Board's rules state a processing timeframe for endorsement applications.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- North Dakota Administrative Code 61.5-02-03 - Fees (ND Legislative Branch) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- North Dakota Administrative Code 61.5-02-02 - Licensure (general requirements and types of licensure incl. endorsement) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- North Dakota Administrative Code Title 61.5 - ND Board of Physical Therapy (index) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - member state map ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- FSBPT - NPTE Score Transfer Service ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Arkansas State Board of PT — Application Instructions for Licensure by Reciprocity (PT) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Arkansas State Board of PT — Rules (Sec. IV Methods of Licensure; Sec. VII Fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]