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LicenseReciprocity

Physical Therapy License from Georgia to North Dakota: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy ↗

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

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Verdict

Compact multistate — already covered

Both Georgia and North Dakota are active PT Compact members, so this is a privilege move, not a license move. If Georgia is your home state and primary residence and your license there is active, you do not apply to the North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy — you buy a North Dakota compact privilege through the commission and practice on it, with your Georgia license staying in place. Two caveats worth planning around: North Dakota may require its jurisprudence exam before the privilege issues, and the privilege lapses the moment your Georgia license does. If you are genuinely relocating to North Dakota rather than working there temporarily, the privilege model doesn't fit — you would change your home state by endorsing into North Dakota.

What changes, Georgia → North Dakota

Side-by-side: Georgia vs North Dakota (Physical Therapy (PT/PTA)), verified 2026-08-07
Georgia (current)North Dakota (destination)
PT Compact statusPT Compact member — multistate license honoredPT Compact member — multistate license honored
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.)$200 (Non-refundable application fee set by NDAC 61.5-02-03-01(1); the same application fee applies to licensure by endorsement. Annual renewal is $100 for physical therapists ($60 for PTAs) and the late renewal fee is $50. The criminal-history background check is billed separately at cost. The $40 'compact fee' in the same rule is North Dakota's PT Compact privilege fee, not the endorsement application fee.)
Processing time3–5 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)Neither the North Dakota Administrative Code nor the Board's rules state a processing timeframe for endorsement applications.
Licensing authorityGeorgia State Board of Physical Therapy (Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division)North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy

The destination column is what you must satisfy — North Dakota sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm your current license is an active multistate license in good standing.
  2. If you are moving your primary residence to North Dakota: apply for licensure by endorsement with the North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy when you move.
  3. Declare North Dakota as your new primary state of residence on that application.
  4. Complete North Dakota's fingerprint/background check requirement if requested.
  5. 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 North Dakota accept a Georgia physical therapy license?

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

Do I retake the NPTE moving from Georgia to North Dakota?

No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken. For licensure by endorsement from another United States jurisdiction, NDAC 61.5-02-02-02(2)(c) requires a copy of the examination scores transmitted by a score transfer service approved by the Board (the FSBPT Score Transfer Service). North Dakota also requires its own jurisprudence examination, an open-book test on the ND Practice Act and Board rules that is completed inside the online application (NDAC 61.5-02-02-01(1)(e))..

What does the move cost?

If you are buying a North Dakota compact privilege to work while living in Georgia: the commission's uniform fee plus North Dakota's privilege fee. If you are relocating and taking a full North Dakota license by endorsement: $200 (Non-refundable application fee set by NDAC 61.5-02-03-01(1); the same application fee applies to licensure by endorsement. Annual renewal is $100 for physical therapists ($60 for PTAs) and the late renewal fee is $50. The criminal-history background check is billed separately at cost. The $40 'compact fee' in the same rule is North Dakota's PT Compact privilege fee, not the endorsement application fee.) (Non-refundable application fee set by NDAC 61.5-02-03-01(1); the same application fee applies to licensure by endorsement. Annual renewal is $100 for physical therapists ($60 for PTAs) and the late renewal fee is $50. The criminal-history background check is billed separately at cost. The $40 'compact fee' in the same rule is North Dakota's PT Compact privilege fee, not the endorsement application fee.).

How long will it take?

A compact privilege issues quickly once your eligibility and any North Dakota jurisprudence exam are cleared — usually faster than a full license. A relocation endorsement runs Neither the North Dakota Administrative Code nor the Board's rules state a processing timeframe for endorsement applications. (Neither the North Dakota Administrative Code nor the Board's rules state a processing timeframe for endorsement applications.).

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 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]