Skip to content
LicenseReciprocity

Physical Therapy License from Illinois 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 Illinois 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 Illinois 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..

Verify this exact pair in the checker

Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.

Run the Reciprocity Checker →

Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Neither Illinois nor Maine is an active member of the PT Compact, so this is a straightforward endorsement move: the Maine Board of Physical Therapy (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) verifies your Illinois license, your NPTE score transfers through the FSBPT, and you complete Maine's jurisprudence exam and background check. Nothing about Illinois speeds up or slows down Maine's standard out-of-state process.

What changes, Illinois → Maine

Side-by-side: Illinois vs Maine (Physical Therapy (PT/PTA)), verified 2026-08-07
Illinois (current)Maine (destination)
PT Compact statusLicensure by endorsementPT Compact enacted — not yet issuing
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.)$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 timeneither IDFPR nor 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1340 publishes a processing timeframe for endorsement applicationsthe Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications
Licensing authorityIllinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation (Illinois Physical Therapy Board)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

  1. Confirm Maine's current requirements on the Maine Board of Physical Therapy (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Maine Board of Physical Therapy (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Graduate of a board-approved, CAPTE-accredited physical therapy educational program.
  5. Submit the Application by Endorsement (for applicants currently licensed in another state).
  6. Have the NPTE passing score transferred to the Board via the FSBPT Score Transfer Service.
  7. Submit verification of every license ever held, even if not currently active.
  8. Submit a reference form and an official transcript (if not previously on file).
  9. Criminal background check.
  10. 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

Maine Board of Physical Therapy (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) ↗Maine application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Maine → IllinoisPhysical Therapy in IllinoisPhysical Therapy in MaineAll physical therapy statesThe PT Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Maine accept a Illinois physical therapy license?

A physical therapy license transfers from Illinois 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 Illinois 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 Illinois 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.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]