Physical Therapy License from California to Virginia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions) ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from California to Virginia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions), verify your California license, and meet Virginia's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; 18VAC112-20-65 requires documentation that the board-prescribed national examination was passed, and FSBPT transfers the score to the licensing authority. Virginia's endorsement regulation imposes no state jurisprudence examination, and the PT Compact Commission lists no Virginia jurisprudence requirement..
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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 Virginia is an active member. Endorse into Virginia with the Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions), establish it as your home state and primary residence, and Virginia 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 → Virginia
| California (current) | Virginia (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.) | $140 (licensure-by-endorsement application fee for a physical therapist under 18VAC112-20-27 (most recently amended June 18, 2025); the PTA endorsement fee is $100. Active PT renewal is $135 biennially. The $50 compact privilege fee and the $75 direct access certification fee in the same section are separate charges. Criminal background check costs are not included.) |
| 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; its FAQ states only that an application remains valid for one year before a new application and fee are required |
| Licensing authority | Physical Therapy Board of California (Department of Consumer Affairs) | Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Virginia sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Virginia's current requirements on the Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current, unrestricted PT license in a U.S. state, territory, the District of Columbia, or Canada.
- Graduate of a CAPTE-accredited program, or document at least 2,500 hours of patient care in the five years immediately preceding application.
- Document at least 320 hours of active practice within the four years immediately preceding application, or complete an approved 320-hour traineeship.
- Submit a current National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) report.
- Complete the criminal background check required by Va. Code 54.1-3484.
- Pay the fees ($140 (licensure-by-endorsement application fee for a physical therapist under 18VAC112-20-27 (most recently amended June 18, 2025); the PTA endorsement fee is $100. Active PT renewal is $135 biennially. The $50 compact privilege fee and the $75 direct access certification fee in the same section are separate charges. Criminal background check costs are not included.)) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe; its FAQ states only that an application remains valid for one year before a new application and fee are required.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Virginia accept a California physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from California to Virginia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions), verify your California license, and meet Virginia's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; 18VAC112-20-65 requires documentation that the board-prescribed national examination was passed, and FSBPT transfers the score to the licensing authority. Virginia's endorsement regulation imposes no state jurisprudence examination, and the PT Compact Commission lists no Virginia jurisprudence requirement..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from California to Virginia?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; 18VAC112-20-65 requires documentation that the board-prescribed national examination was passed, and FSBPT transfers the score to the licensing authority. Virginia's endorsement regulation imposes no state jurisprudence examination, and the PT Compact Commission lists no Virginia jurisprudence requirement..
What does the move cost?
$140 (licensure-by-endorsement application fee for a physical therapist under 18VAC112-20-27 (most recently amended June 18, 2025); the PTA endorsement fee is $100. Active PT renewal is $135 biennially. The $50 compact privilege fee and the $75 direct access certification fee in the same section are separate charges. Criminal background check costs are not included.) (licensure-by-endorsement application fee for a physical therapist under 18VAC112-20-27 (most recently amended June 18, 2025); the PTA endorsement fee is $100. Active PT renewal is $135 biennially. The $50 compact privilege fee and the $75 direct access certification fee in the same section are separate charges. Criminal background check costs are not included.).
How long will it take?
the Board publishes no processing timeframe; its FAQ states only that an application remains valid for one year before a new application and fee are required — the Board publishes no processing timeframe; its FAQ states only that an application remains valid for one year before a new application and fee are required.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- 18VAC112-20-27 - Fees (Virginia Board of Physical Therapy) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 18VAC112-20-65 - Requirements for licensure by endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Virginia Board of Physical Therapy - Licensure FAQ ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - member state map ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - how to get privileges (state fee and jurisprudence table) ↗ (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]