Physical Therapy License from California to Connecticut: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Connecticut Department of Public Health — Physical Therapist Licensure ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from California to Connecticut by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Physical Therapist Licensure, verify your California license, and meet Connecticut's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; Connecticut requires proof of passing the NPTE (administered by FSBPT), and the score is verified to the Department. Connecticut does not administer a separate state jurisprudence or law exam..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This direction has a payoff. California is outside the active compact, so you have had no privileges to work with — but Connecticut is an active member. Endorse into Connecticut with the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Physical Therapist Licensure, establish it as your home state and primary residence, and Connecticut becomes your springboard: from there you can buy compact privileges into every other active member state without another full license. Your NPTE score transfers through the FSBPT; you do not re-sit the exam.
What changes, California → Connecticut
| California (current) | Connecticut (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | PT Compact member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $450 (nonrefundable $300 application processing fee + $150 initial license fee (both required to obtain the license) = $450. A $49 fingerprint hard-card fee and the $50 CAL-JAM exam fee (paid to FSBPT) are separate. California is not a PT Compact state, so there is no compact-privilege fee.) | $285 ($285.00 online application fee stated on the DPH Physical Therapist Licensing Requirements page; this is the fee for a PT licensed elsewhere applying by endorsement (licensure without examination under C.G.S. Sec. 20-71). NOT a PT Compact privilege fee.) |
| Processing time | 6–7 weeks (the Board acknowledges receipt within 30 days and states a license is generally issued within 45 days (about 6-7 weeks) after all deficiencies are satisfied and scores are received) | DPH does not publish a processing timeframe for physical therapist applications. |
| Licensing authority | Physical Therapy Board of California (Department of Consumer Affairs) | Connecticut Department of Public Health — Physical Therapist Licensure |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Connecticut sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Connecticut's current requirements on the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Physical Therapist Licensure website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Physical Therapist Licensure (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a physical therapist license or registration in another U.S. state or territory, a Canadian province, or another country whose requirements the Department deems equivalent to or higher than Connecticut's.
- Successful completion of the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE).
- Graduate of an approved physical therapy education program.
- Submit an official license-verification form directly from every jurisdiction where you hold or have ever held a license.
- Pay the fees ($285 ($285.00 online application fee stated on the DPH Physical Therapist Licensing Requirements page; this is the fee for a PT licensed elsewhere applying by endorsement (licensure without examination under C.G.S. Sec. 20-71). NOT a PT Compact privilege fee.)) and allow DPH does not publish a processing timeframe for physical therapist applications..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Connecticut accept a California physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from California to Connecticut by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Physical Therapist Licensure, verify your California license, and meet Connecticut's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; Connecticut requires proof of passing the NPTE (administered by FSBPT), and the score is verified to the Department. Connecticut does not administer a separate state jurisprudence or law exam..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from California to Connecticut?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; Connecticut requires proof of passing the NPTE (administered by FSBPT), and the score is verified to the Department. Connecticut does not administer a separate state jurisprudence or law exam..
What does the move cost?
$285 ($285.00 online application fee stated on the DPH Physical Therapist Licensing Requirements page; this is the fee for a PT licensed elsewhere applying by endorsement (licensure without examination under C.G.S. Sec. 20-71). NOT a PT Compact privilege fee.) ($285.00 online application fee stated on the DPH Physical Therapist Licensing Requirements page; this is the fee for a PT licensed elsewhere applying by endorsement (licensure without examination under C.G.S. Sec. 20-71). NOT a PT Compact privilege fee.).
How long will it take?
DPH does not publish a processing timeframe for physical therapist applications. — DPH does not publish a processing timeframe for physical therapist applications..
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- CT DPH — Physical Therapist Licensing Requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 376, Sec. 20-71 — licensure without examination ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- PT Compact — member state map (Connecticut listed as actively issuing/accepting privileges) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Physical Therapy Board of California — US-Educated PT/PTA Applicant (Endorsement) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- PTBC — Endorsement Application Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- PTBC — Endorsement Examination Information (CAL-JAM) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]