Physical Therapy License from District of Columbia to Pennsylvania: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Yes — both District of Columbia and Pennsylvania are members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If District of Columbia is your primary state of residence and you hold a multistate license, you can practice in Pennsylvania now; if you are moving your residence to Pennsylvania, apply for licensure by endorsement there and declare Pennsylvania your new primary state of residence — your multistate privilege continues.

No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken. Under 49 Pa. Code section 40.16 an applicant licensed or registered as a physical therapist in another state, territory or the District of Columbia is licensed by endorsement on evidence that the requirements there were substantially equal to Pennsylvania's at the date of that licensure, together with the professional credentials required by section 40.11. No separate Pennsylvania jurisprudence examination appears in section 40.16 or on the Board's physical therapist licensure snapshot..

If you are buying a Pennsylvania compact privilege to work while living in District of Columbia: the commission's uniform fee plus Pennsylvania's privilege fee. If you are relocating and taking a full Pennsylvania license by endorsement: $30 (49 Pa. Code section 40.5 sets 'Application for licensure by examination/endorsement' at $30 for a physical therapist; initial application for PTA certification by examination or endorsement is also $30. Related items in the same fee rule: biennial PT renewal $90, licensure through foreign training $45, temporary licence $15, verification of licensure $15, certification of examination scores or licensure $25. Criminal history record checks and the 3-hour child abuse training are billed separately by their providers.) (49 Pa. Code section 40.5 sets 'Application for licensure by examination/endorsement' at $30 for a physical therapist; initial application for PTA certification by examination or endorsement is also $30. Related items in the same fee rule: biennial PT renewal $90, licensure through foreign training $45, temporary licence $15, verification of licensure $15, certification of examination scores or licensure $25. Criminal history record checks and the 3-hour child abuse training are billed separately by their providers.).

A compact privilege issues quickly once your eligibility and any Pennsylvania jurisprudence exam are cleared — usually faster than a full license. A relocation endorsement runs Neither the Board's regulations nor the Department of State's physical therapist licensure snapshot states a processing timeframe. (Neither the Board's regulations nor the Department of State's physical therapist licensure snapshot states a processing timeframe.).