Physical Therapy License from District of Columbia 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) ↗
Yes — both District of Columbia and Texas 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 Texas now; if you are moving your residence to Texas, apply for licensure by endorsement there and declare Texas your new primary state of residence — your multistate privilege continues.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Compact multistate — already covered
Both District of Columbia and Texas are active PT Compact members, so this is a privilege move, not a license move. If District of Columbia is your home state and primary residence and your license there is active, you do not apply to the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners) — you buy a Texas compact privilege through the commission and practice on it, with your District of Columbia license staying in place. Two caveats worth planning around: Texas may require its jurisprudence exam before the privilege issues, and the privilege lapses the moment your District of Columbia license does. If you are genuinely relocating to Texas rather than working there temporarily, the privilege model doesn't fit — you would change your home state by endorsing into Texas.
What changes, District of Columbia → Texas
| District of Columbia (current) | Texas (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | PT Compact member — multistate license honored | PT Compact member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $264 ($264 combined application and license fee paid online (DC Health licensing portal), per the DC endorsement checklist; a separate $50 criminal background check fee is paid online with the application. Licenses run biennially, expiring Jan 31 of odd-numbered years. NOT the PT 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 | DC Health does not publish a processing timeframe for endorsement applications. | 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 | District of Columbia Board of Physical Therapy (DC Health) | 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 your current license is an active multistate license in good standing (check it in the verification system).
- If you are moving your primary residence to Texas: apply for licensure by endorsement with the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners) when you move.
- Declare Texas as your new primary state of residence on that application.
- Complete Texas's fingerprint/background check requirement if requested.
- Keep practicing — your multistate privilege remains valid during the transition (do not let the old license lapse before the new one issues).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Texas accept a District of Columbia physical therapy license?
Yes — both District of Columbia and Texas 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 Texas now; if you are moving your residence to Texas, apply for licensure by endorsement there and declare Texas your new primary state of residence — your multistate privilege continues.
Do I retake the NPTE moving from District of Columbia 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?
If you are buying a Texas compact privilege to work while living in District of Columbia: the commission's uniform fee plus Texas's privilege fee. If you are relocating and taking a full Texas license by endorsement: 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?
A compact privilege issues quickly once your eligibility and any Texas jurisprudence exam are cleared — usually faster than a full license. A relocation endorsement runs 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)
- DC Health — Physical Therapist New License Application (Endorsement) Checklist ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- D.C. Code § 3-1205.07 — Reciprocity and endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- PT Compact — member state map ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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