Physical Therapy License from Illinois to Louisiana: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Louisiana Physical Therapy Board (Louisiana State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners) ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from Illinois to Louisiana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Louisiana Physical Therapy Board (Louisiana State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners), verify your Illinois license, and meet Louisiana's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; the passing score must be sent to the Board through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service. Louisiana also requires all applicants to pass the Board's free online jurisprudence exam (40 questions from the Practice Act and Rules, 75% to pass)..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This direction has a payoff. Illinois is outside the active compact, so you have had no privileges to work with — but Louisiana is an active member. Endorse into Louisiana with the Louisiana Physical Therapy Board (Louisiana State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners), establish it as your home state and primary residence, and Louisiana becomes your springboard: from there you can buy compact privileges into every other active member state without another full license. Your NPTE score transfers through the FSBPT; you do not re-sit the exam.
What changes, Illinois → Louisiana
| Illinois (current) | Louisiana (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | PT Compact member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $100 (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1340.57(a)(1) sets the application fee for a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant license at $100. The separate examination-eligibility fee in that subsection applies only to examination applicants, not endorsement applicants. Renewal is calculated at $30 per year.) | $250 (PT license application fee per LAC 46:LIV §501, paid by domestic cashier's check or money order only (personal checks are returned). The $95 'compact state fee' in the same rule is the PT Compact privilege fee, NOT the reciprocity application fee.) |
| Processing time | neither IDFPR nor 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1340 publishes a processing timeframe for endorsement applications | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation (Illinois Physical Therapy Board) | Louisiana Physical Therapy Board (Louisiana State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Louisiana sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Louisiana's current requirements on the Louisiana Physical Therapy Board (Louisiana State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Louisiana Physical Therapy Board (Louisiana State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Graduate of a CAPTE-accredited physical therapy program.
- Hold a current, unrestricted license in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction.
- Have the NPTE score transferred to the Board via the FSBPT Score Transfer Service.
- Pass the Louisiana online jurisprudence exam (Practice Act and Rules) with at least 75%.
- Submit written verification of licensure for every jurisdiction where ever licensed.
- Fingerprint-based criminal background check.
- Pay the fees ($250 (PT license application fee per LAC 46:LIV §501, paid by domestic cashier's check or money order only (personal checks are returned). The $95 'compact state fee' in the same rule is the PT Compact privilege fee, NOT the reciprocity application fee.)) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Louisiana accept a Illinois physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from Illinois to Louisiana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Louisiana Physical Therapy Board (Louisiana State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners), verify your Illinois license, and meet Louisiana's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; the passing score must be sent to the Board through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service. Louisiana also requires all applicants to pass the Board's free online jurisprudence exam (40 questions from the Practice Act and Rules, 75% to pass)..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Illinois to Louisiana?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; the passing score must be sent to the Board through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service. Louisiana also requires all applicants to pass the Board's free online jurisprudence exam (40 questions from the Practice Act and Rules, 75% to pass)..
What does the move cost?
$250 (PT license application fee per LAC 46:LIV §501, paid by domestic cashier's check or money order only (personal checks are returned). The $95 'compact state fee' in the same rule is the PT Compact privilege fee, NOT the reciprocity application fee.) (PT license application fee per LAC 46:LIV §501, paid by domestic cashier's check or money order only (personal checks are returned). The $95 'compact state fee' in the same rule is the PT Compact privilege fee, NOT the reciprocity application fee.).
How long will it take?
the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications — the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- LAC 46:LIV §501 — Louisiana physical therapy fees (Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- LAC 46:LIV §151 — Application (jurisprudence exam + background check) (Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Louisiana PT Board — Reciprocity for PTs and PTAs (Non-Foreign Educated) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- IDFPR — Physical Therapy profession page (CORE applications, endorsement link, license look-up) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- IDFPR — Qualifications for Licensure: Physical Therapist (070), effective 03/2026 ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 68 Ill. Adm. Code Part 1340 — Illinois Physical Therapy Act rules (Sec. 1340.50 Endorsement, Sec. 1340.57 Fees) ↗ (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]