Physical Therapy License from Arkansas to South Dakota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Yes, for working in South Dakota — both Arkansas and South 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 South Dakota without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to South Dakota, you will need a South Dakota license once South Dakota becomes your home state.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Compact privilege — work there without a second license
Both Arkansas and South 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 South Dakota Board of Physical Therapy (South Dakota Department of Health) — you buy a South Dakota compact privilege through the commission and practice on it, with your Arkansas license staying in place. Two caveats worth planning around: South 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 South Dakota rather than working there temporarily, the privilege model doesn't fit — you would change your home state by endorsing into South Dakota.
What changes, Arkansas → South Dakota
| Arkansas (current) | South 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.) | $120 (application fee payable to the SD Board of Physical Therapy per the Board's published licensing-requirements checklist; fingerprint/DCI background-check costs and the $90 FSBPT score-transfer fee are separate. NOT the PT Compact privilege 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 | the Board publishes no overall processing timeframe; it states only that DCI background-check processing averages 3-4 weeks and is outside the Board's control, and that late fingerprint submission delays application review |
| Licensing authority | Arkansas State Board of Physical Therapy (Arkansas Department of Health) | South Dakota Board of Physical Therapy (South Dakota Department of Health) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — South 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 South Dakota: purchase a PT Compact privilege for South Dakota through the compact commission and complete any South Dakota jurisprudence requirement.
- Keep your home-state license active — every privilege lapses with it.
- If you are moving your primary residence to South Dakota: apply for a South Dakota license with the South Dakota Board of Physical Therapy (South Dakota Department of Health); a privilege does not follow you when your home state changes.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does South Dakota accept an Arkansas physical therapy license?
Yes, for working in South Dakota — both Arkansas and South 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 South Dakota without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to South Dakota, you will need a South Dakota license once South Dakota becomes your home state.
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Arkansas to South Dakota?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; the applicant requests the score through FSBPT and it is sent to the Board (FSBPT Score Transfer Service, $90 per report). The Board's licensing checklist lists no South Dakota jurisprudence exam.
What does the move cost?
If you are buying a South Dakota compact privilege to work while living in Arkansas: the commission's uniform fee plus South Dakota's privilege fee. If you are relocating and taking a full South Dakota license by endorsement: $120 (application fee payable to the SD Board of Physical Therapy per the Board's published licensing-requirements checklist; fingerprint/DCI background-check costs and the $90 FSBPT score-transfer fee are separate. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.).
How long will it take?
A compact privilege issues quickly once your eligibility and any South Dakota jurisprudence exam are cleared — usually faster than a full license. A relocation endorsement runs the Board publishes no overall processing timeframe; it states only that DCI background-check processing averages 3-4 weeks and is outside the Board's control, and that late fingerprint submission delays application review.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- SD Board of Physical Therapy - Licensing Requirements (application checklist and fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- SD Board of Physical Therapy - board home page ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - state status list (Physical Therapy Compact Commission) ↗ (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)
- PT Compact — member states map ↗ (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]