Physical Therapy License from Hawaii to Ohio: Does It Transfer? (2026)

A physical therapy license transfers from Hawaii to Ohio by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Athletic Trainers Board (OTPTAT Board) - Physical Therapy Section, verify your Hawaii license, and meet Ohio's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken for a routine transfer; FSBPT's Score Transfer Service sends the existing passing score to the physical therapy section. Ohio has one exception: under OAC 4755:2-1-04(C) an endorsement applicant who has been out of practice five or more years - defined as fewer than 500 practice hours in the prior five years - must either retake and pass the NPTE or complete an action plan approved by the physical therapy section. Note that the Ohio laws-and-rules examination is imposed by rule on licensure by EXAMINATION (OAC 4755:2-1-03(A)(2)); the endorsement rule does not itself impose it, so confirm with the Board whether the Ohio Jurisprudence Assessment Module is required on your endorsement application..

No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken for a routine transfer; FSBPT's Score Transfer Service sends the existing passing score to the physical therapy section. Ohio has one exception: under OAC 4755:2-1-04(C) an endorsement applicant who has been out of practice five or more years - defined as fewer than 500 practice hours in the prior five years - must either retake and pass the NPTE or complete an action plan approved by the physical therapy section. Note that the Ohio laws-and-rules examination is imposed by rule on licensure by EXAMINATION (OAC 4755:2-1-03(A)(2)); the endorsement rule does not itself impose it, so confirm with the Board whether the Ohio Jurisprudence Assessment Module is required on your endorsement application..

$100 (OAC 4755-4-01(B)(1) (effective August 21, 2025) caps the initial licensing fee - the fee an endorsement applicant pays - at one hundred dollars, and states that the current amount is published on the Board's website. otptat.ohio.gov and codes.ohio.gov were unreachable from the research environment on 2026-08-07, so only the rule maximum is given rather than an unverified exact figure. Biennial renewal is likewise capped at $100. The BCI/FBI criminal records check is billed separately by the record providers. This is not the PT Compact privilege fee.) (OAC 4755-4-01(B)(1) (effective August 21, 2025) caps the initial licensing fee - the fee an endorsement applicant pays - at one hundred dollars, and states that the current amount is published on the Board's website. otptat.ohio.gov and codes.ohio.gov were unreachable from the research environment on 2026-08-07, so only the rule maximum is given rather than an unverified exact figure. Biennial renewal is likewise capped at $100. The BCI/FBI criminal records check is billed separately by the record providers. This is not the PT Compact privilege fee.).

Neither the Ohio Revised Code nor the Board's rules state a processing timeframe; OAC 4755:2-1-01(E) provides only that an application still incomplete one year after filing is abandoned. — Neither the Ohio Revised Code nor the Board's rules state a processing timeframe; OAC 4755:2-1-01(E) provides only that an application still incomplete one year after filing is abandoned..