Physical Therapy License from California to Texas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners) ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from California to Texas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners), verify your California license, and meet Texas's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; a score report must be sent directly to the board by the board-approved reporting service (FSBPT Score Transfer Service, $90 per report), and the reported score must have satisfied licensure requirements in a state at the time the exam was taken. Texas additionally requires a passing score on the board's jurisprudence exam, the Texas Jurisprudence Assessment Module (TX JAM), before a license is issued..
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
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 Texas is an active member. Endorse into Texas with the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners), establish it as your home state and primary residence, and Texas 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 → Texas
| California (current) | Texas (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.) | the non-refundable application fee is set by the Executive Council in 22 TAC 651.2 (Physical Therapy Board Fees); ECPTOTE publishes no amount on its own pages and links out to the Texas Secretary of State TAC viewer, which is a JavaScript portal that could not be retrieved on 2026-08-07, so no figure is asserted here. The fee is WAIVED for military service members, military spouses and military veterans. Separate from this: the PT Compact privilege costs $50 to Texas plus the Commission's fee, and the FSBPT score transfer costs $90. |
| 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) | ECPTOTE states it is not publishing current processing times because of high application volume; the only fixed period in rule is that an application for licensure is valid for one year after the board receives it |
| Licensing authority | Physical Therapy Board of California (Department of Consumer Affairs) | Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Texas sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Texas's current requirements on the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Pass the board's jurisprudence exam (TX JAM) on the Texas Physical Therapy Practice Act and board rules.
- Provide license verification from every jurisdiction in which you hold or have held a PT/PTA license, sent directly by the issuing jurisdiction.
- Have an official transcript sent directly from the degree-granting institution showing the date the degree was conferred.
- Complete a fingerprint-based criminal history record check through the Texas Department of Public Safety and the FBI.
- Submit a recent 2x2 inch passport-style color photograph with the application.
- Pay the fees (the non-refundable application fee is set by the Executive Council in 22 TAC 651.2 (Physical Therapy Board Fees); ECPTOTE publishes no amount on its own pages and links out to the Texas Secretary of State TAC viewer, which is a JavaScript portal that could not be retrieved on 2026-08-07, so no figure is asserted here. The fee is WAIVED for military service members, military spouses and military veterans. Separate from this: the PT Compact privilege costs $50 to Texas plus the Commission's fee, and the FSBPT score transfer costs $90.) and allow ECPTOTE states it is not publishing current processing times because of high application volume; the only fixed period in rule is that an application for licensure is valid for one year after the board receives it.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Texas accept a California physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from California to Texas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners), verify your California license, and meet Texas's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; a score report must be sent directly to the board by the board-approved reporting service (FSBPT Score Transfer Service, $90 per report), and the reported score must have satisfied licensure requirements in a state at the time the exam was taken. Texas additionally requires a passing score on the board's jurisprudence exam, the Texas Jurisprudence Assessment Module (TX JAM), before a license is issued..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from California to Texas?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; a score report must be sent directly to the board by the board-approved reporting service (FSBPT Score Transfer Service, $90 per report), and the reported score must have satisfied licensure requirements in a state at the time the exam was taken. Texas additionally requires a passing score on the board's jurisprudence exam, the Texas Jurisprudence Assessment Module (TX JAM), before a license is issued..
What does the move cost?
the non-refundable application fee is set by the Executive Council in 22 TAC 651.2 (Physical Therapy Board Fees); ECPTOTE publishes no amount on its own pages and links out to the Texas Secretary of State TAC viewer, which is a JavaScript portal that could not be retrieved on 2026-08-07, so no figure is asserted here. The fee is WAIVED for military service members, military spouses and military veterans. Separate from this: the PT Compact privilege costs $50 to Texas plus the Commission's fee, and the FSBPT score transfer costs $90. (the non-refundable application fee is set by the Executive Council in 22 TAC 651.2 (Physical Therapy Board Fees); ECPTOTE publishes no amount on its own pages and links out to the Texas Secretary of State TAC viewer, which is a JavaScript portal that could not be retrieved on 2026-08-07, so no figure is asserted here. The fee is WAIVED for military service members, military spouses and military veterans. Separate from this: the PT Compact privilege costs $50 to Texas plus the Commission's fee, and the FSBPT score transfer costs $90.).
How long will it take?
ECPTOTE states it is not publishing current processing times because of high application volume; the only fixed period in rule is that an application for licensure is valid for one year after the board receives it — ECPTOTE states it is not publishing current processing times because of high application volume; the only fixed period in rule is that an application for licensure is valid for one year after the board receives it.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners Rules (November 2025) - 22 TAC 329.1 General Licensure Requirements and 329.6 Licensure by Endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- ECPTOTE - PT Apply by Endorsement (application steps) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- ECPTOTE - PT Compact page (Texas privilege fee and TX JAM requirement) ↗ (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)
- 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
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]