Physical Therapy License from Georgia to Maine: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Maine Board of Physical Therapy (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from Georgia to Maine by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Maine Board of Physical Therapy (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation), verify your Georgia license, and meet Maine's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; the FSBPT forwards the passing score directly to the Board (Score Transfer Service). The Board may waive the examination requirement for an applicant currently licensed in another state who previously passed an equivalent qualifying examination. No state jurisprudence exam..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Moving from Georgia into Maine leaves the compact behind: Maine has enacted the compact but is not yet issuing or accepting privileges, so no Georgia privilege reaches it. You transfer by licensure by endorsement with the Maine Board of Physical Therapy (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) — your NPTE score moves through the FSBPT rather than being retaken, and Maine adds its own jurisprudence exam and background check. Your Georgia license and any privileges you hold elsewhere stay valid as long as your residence remains in Georgia; file Maine's application before you rely on income there.
What changes, Georgia → Maine
| Georgia (current) | Maine (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | PT Compact member — multistate license honored | PT Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $85 ($75 physical therapist application fee plus the $10 paper-application processing fee; the Board states the online application is NOT available to endorsement/reciprocity applicants, so the $5 online processing fee does not apply. Fingerprint/background-check costs are paid separately to the vendor, and the GA JAM is $65 paid to FSBPT. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) | $30 (PT license fee for the endorsement applicant; + $21 criminal-background-check fee (in notes, not the range). NOT a PT Compact privilege fee — Maine is not yet issuing privileges.) |
| Processing time | 3–5 weeks (the Board states individual application documents are generally reviewed within 15 business days (~3 weeks), and up to 25 business days (~5 weeks) when deficiencies are found; applications requiring full Board review take longer and must be complete two weeks before a meeting) | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications |
| Licensing authority | Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy (Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division) | Maine Board of Physical Therapy (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Maine sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Maine's current requirements on the Maine Board of Physical Therapy (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Maine Board of Physical Therapy (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Graduate of a board-approved, CAPTE-accredited physical therapy educational program.
- Submit the Application by Endorsement (for applicants currently licensed in another state).
- Have the NPTE passing score transferred to the Board via the FSBPT Score Transfer Service.
- Submit verification of every license ever held, even if not currently active.
- Submit a reference form and an official transcript (if not previously on file).
- Criminal background check.
- Pay the fees ($30 (PT license fee for the endorsement applicant; + $21 criminal-background-check fee (in notes, not the range). NOT a PT Compact privilege fee — Maine is not yet issuing privileges.)) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Maine accept a Georgia physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from Georgia to Maine by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Maine Board of Physical Therapy (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation), verify your Georgia license, and meet Maine's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; the FSBPT forwards the passing score directly to the Board (Score Transfer Service). The Board may waive the examination requirement for an applicant currently licensed in another state who previously passed an equivalent qualifying examination. No state jurisprudence exam..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Georgia to Maine?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; the FSBPT forwards the passing score directly to the Board (Score Transfer Service). The Board may waive the examination requirement for an applicant currently licensed in another state who previously passed an equivalent qualifying examination. No state jurisprudence exam..
What does the move cost?
$30 (PT license fee for the endorsement applicant; + $21 criminal-background-check fee (in notes, not the range). NOT a PT Compact privilege fee — Maine is not yet issuing privileges.) (PT license fee for the endorsement applicant; + $21 criminal-background-check fee (in notes, not the range). NOT a PT Compact privilege fee — Maine is not yet issuing privileges.).
How long will it take?
the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications — the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Maine Board of Physical Therapy — Licensing (PT/PTA) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Maine Board of Physical Therapy — Applications & Forms ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy — Fee Schedule ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy — Instruction Sheet for Application for Licensure ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy — FAQ (reciprocity, processing, CE, background check) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact — Compact Privilege Fee, Jurisprudence and Waiver Table ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact — States by Category ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]