Physical Therapy License from California to Oregon: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Oregon Board of Physical Therapy (Oregon Physical Therapist Licensing Board) ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from California to Oregon by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Oregon Board of Physical Therapy (Oregon Physical Therapist Licensing Board), verify your California license, and meet Oregon's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; if Oregon was not designated as a score recipient when you sat the exam, request a Score Transfer directly from FSBPT and it is sent to the Board. Oregon additionally requires the Oregon Jurisprudence Examination (OR-JAM), a timed 90-minute, 50-question multiple-choice exam on Oregon statutes and administrative rules, which must be taken within the six months immediately preceding approval of your application..
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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 Oregon is an active member. Endorse into Oregon with the Oregon Board of Physical Therapy (Oregon Physical Therapist Licensing Board), establish it as your home state and primary residence, and Oregon 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 → Oregon
| California (current) | Oregon (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.) | $187 (OAR 848-005-0020(1) sets the PT/PTA Endorsement Application fee at $187.00 plus the actual cost to the Board of conducting a nationwide background verification. Distinct items in the same rule: PT license renewal $200 (plus workforce survey and background verification costs), PTA renewal $130, military spouse temporary permit $99, temporary permit $50. The PT/PTA compact privilege fee of $102.00 in that rule is the PT Compact privilege charge, not the endorsement 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) | The Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications in its rules or on its Applying for Licensure page. |
| Licensing authority | Physical Therapy Board of California (Department of Consumer Affairs) | Oregon Board of Physical Therapy (Oregon Physical Therapist Licensing Board) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Oregon sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Oregon's current requirements on the Oregon Board of Physical Therapy (Oregon Physical Therapist Licensing Board) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Oregon Board of Physical Therapy (Oregon Physical Therapist Licensing Board) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Pass the Oregon Jurisprudence Examination (OR-JAM) within the six months before your application is approved.
- Complete a fingerprint-based nationwide criminal background check; results must be no more than six months old at approval.
- Submit verification of every physical therapy, PTA or other healthcare license you hold or have held.
- Request an FSBPT score transfer if Oregon was not an original recipient of your NPTE score.
- Pay the fees ($187 (OAR 848-005-0020(1) sets the PT/PTA Endorsement Application fee at $187.00 plus the actual cost to the Board of conducting a nationwide background verification. Distinct items in the same rule: PT license renewal $200 (plus workforce survey and background verification costs), PTA renewal $130, military spouse temporary permit $99, temporary permit $50. The PT/PTA compact privilege fee of $102.00 in that rule is the PT Compact privilege charge, not the endorsement fee.)) and allow The Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications in its rules or on its Applying for Licensure page..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Oregon accept a California physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from California to Oregon by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Oregon Board of Physical Therapy (Oregon Physical Therapist Licensing Board), verify your California license, and meet Oregon's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; if Oregon was not designated as a score recipient when you sat the exam, request a Score Transfer directly from FSBPT and it is sent to the Board. Oregon additionally requires the Oregon Jurisprudence Examination (OR-JAM), a timed 90-minute, 50-question multiple-choice exam on Oregon statutes and administrative rules, which must be taken within the six months immediately preceding approval of your application..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from California to Oregon?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; if Oregon was not designated as a score recipient when you sat the exam, request a Score Transfer directly from FSBPT and it is sent to the Board. Oregon additionally requires the Oregon Jurisprudence Examination (OR-JAM), a timed 90-minute, 50-question multiple-choice exam on Oregon statutes and administrative rules, which must be taken within the six months immediately preceding approval of your application..
What does the move cost?
$187 (OAR 848-005-0020(1) sets the PT/PTA Endorsement Application fee at $187.00 plus the actual cost to the Board of conducting a nationwide background verification. Distinct items in the same rule: PT license renewal $200 (plus workforce survey and background verification costs), PTA renewal $130, military spouse temporary permit $99, temporary permit $50. The PT/PTA compact privilege fee of $102.00 in that rule is the PT Compact privilege charge, not the endorsement fee.) (OAR 848-005-0020(1) sets the PT/PTA Endorsement Application fee at $187.00 plus the actual cost to the Board of conducting a nationwide background verification. Distinct items in the same rule: PT license renewal $200 (plus workforce survey and background verification costs), PTA renewal $130, military spouse temporary permit $99, temporary permit $50. The PT/PTA compact privilege fee of $102.00 in that rule is the PT Compact privilege charge, not the endorsement fee.).
How long will it take?
The Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications in its rules or on its Applying for Licensure page. — The Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications in its rules or on its Applying for Licensure page..
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- OAR 848-005-0020 Board Fees and Refunds (Oregon Secretary of State, Oregon Administrative Rules Database) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Oregon Board of Physical Therapy - Applying for Licensure (OR-JAM, background check, score transfer, license verifications) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - member state map ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- FSBPT - NPTE Score Transfer Service ↗ (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 2026-08-07
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