Physical Therapy License from Georgia to Minnesota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from Georgia to Minnesota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy, verify your Georgia license, and meet Minnesota's endorsement requirements. The NPTE is not retaken. Minn. Stat. 148.723 requires a passing score on the National Physical Therapy Examination administered by FSBPT (or a board-determined equivalent national examination); an already-licensed applicant moves that score to the Board through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service rather than re-testing..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Moving from Georgia into Minnesota leaves the compact behind: Minnesota has not joined the compact, so no Georgia privilege reaches it. You transfer by licensure by endorsement with the Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy — your NPTE score moves through the FSBPT rather than being retaken, and Minnesota 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 Minnesota's application before you rely on income there.
What changes, Georgia → Minnesota
| Georgia (current) | Minnesota (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | PT Compact member — multistate license honored | Licensure by endorsement |
| 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.) | $100–$160 (Minn. Stat. 148.715 fixes the board application fee at $100 and annual licensure at $60, so roughly $160 is due to become licensed in year one; a temporary permit is a further $25. The fingerprint-based criminal background check is billed separately by the vendor. The Board's own fee page could not be retrieved during research (mn.gov bot protection), so only the statutory amounts are stated. Minnesota is NOT a PT Compact state, so no compact privilege fee exists here.) |
| 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; under Minn. Stat. 148.71, subd. 2(b) an applicant already licensed in good standing in another state may practise on a temporary permit WITHOUT supervision, but only until the board meeting at which the application is considered |
| Licensing authority | Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy (Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division) | Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Minnesota sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Minnesota's current requirements on the Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Complete a CAPTE-accredited physical therapist education program (Minn. Stat. 148.721, subd. 1).
- Complete 60 additional academic semester credits, beyond the accredited PT program, from a regionally accredited institution (Minn. Stat. 148.721, subd. 2).
- Complete a fingerprint-based criminal background check.
- Submit a certified transcript, a notarized recent full-face photograph, and recommendations from two licensed physical therapists attesting to your ethical and moral character.
- List every U.S. jurisdiction and country where you hold or have held a license, with license number, date and method of licensure.
- Pay the fees ($100–$160 (Minn. Stat. 148.715 fixes the board application fee at $100 and annual licensure at $60, so roughly $160 is due to become licensed in year one; a temporary permit is a further $25. The fingerprint-based criminal background check is billed separately by the vendor. The Board's own fee page could not be retrieved during research (mn.gov bot protection), so only the statutory amounts are stated. Minnesota is NOT a PT Compact state, so no compact privilege fee exists here.)) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe; under Minn. Stat. 148.71, subd. 2(b) an applicant already licensed in good standing in another state may practise on a temporary permit WITHOUT supervision, but only until the board meeting at which the application is considered.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Minnesota accept a Georgia physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from Georgia to Minnesota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy, verify your Georgia license, and meet Minnesota's endorsement requirements. The NPTE is not retaken. Minn. Stat. 148.723 requires a passing score on the National Physical Therapy Examination administered by FSBPT (or a board-determined equivalent national examination); an already-licensed applicant moves that score to the Board through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service rather than re-testing..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Georgia to Minnesota?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. The NPTE is not retaken. Minn. Stat. 148.723 requires a passing score on the National Physical Therapy Examination administered by FSBPT (or a board-determined equivalent national examination); an already-licensed applicant moves that score to the Board through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service rather than re-testing..
What does the move cost?
$100–$160 (Minn. Stat. 148.715 fixes the board application fee at $100 and annual licensure at $60, so roughly $160 is due to become licensed in year one; a temporary permit is a further $25. The fingerprint-based criminal background check is billed separately by the vendor. The Board's own fee page could not be retrieved during research (mn.gov bot protection), so only the statutory amounts are stated. Minnesota is NOT a PT Compact state, so no compact privilege fee exists here.) (Minn. Stat. 148.715 fixes the board application fee at $100 and annual licensure at $60, so roughly $160 is due to become licensed in year one; a temporary permit is a further $25. The fingerprint-based criminal background check is billed separately by the vendor. The Board's own fee page could not be retrieved during research (mn.gov bot protection), so only the statutory amounts are stated. Minnesota is NOT a PT Compact state, so no compact privilege fee exists here.).
How long will it take?
the Board publishes no processing timeframe; under Minn. Stat. 148.71, subd. 2(b) an applicant already licensed in good standing in another state may practise on a temporary permit WITHOUT supervision, but only until the board meeting at which the application is considered — the Board publishes no processing timeframe; under Minn. Stat. 148.71, subd. 2(b) an applicant already licensed in good standing in another state may practise on a temporary permit WITHOUT supervision, but only until the board meeting at which the application is considered.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy — PT Licensure application pathways (applicant licensed in another state; fingerprint-based background check) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Minn. Stat. 148.715 — Fees (Office of the Revisor of Statutes) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Minn. Stat. 148.721 — Educational requirements for licensed physical therapist ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Minn. Stat. 148.723 — Examination for licensed physical therapist (NPTE) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Minn. Stat. 148.705 — Application; contents (transcript, two PT recommendations, licensure history) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Minn. Stat. 148.71 — Temporary permits (out-of-state applicant may practise unsupervised) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact — member state status map ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 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
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