Physical Therapy License from Illinois to Virginia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions) ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from Illinois to Virginia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions), verify your Illinois license, and meet Virginia's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; 18VAC112-20-65 requires documentation that the board-prescribed national examination was passed, and FSBPT transfers the score to the licensing authority. Virginia's endorsement regulation imposes no state jurisprudence examination, and the PT Compact Commission lists no Virginia jurisprudence requirement..
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
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 Virginia is an active member. Endorse into Virginia with the Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions), establish it as your home state and primary residence, and Virginia 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 → Virginia
| Illinois (current) | Virginia (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.) | $140 (licensure-by-endorsement application fee for a physical therapist under 18VAC112-20-27 (most recently amended June 18, 2025); the PTA endorsement fee is $100. Active PT renewal is $135 biennially. The $50 compact privilege fee and the $75 direct access certification fee in the same section are separate charges. Criminal background check costs are not included.) |
| Processing time | neither IDFPR nor 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1340 publishes a processing timeframe for endorsement applications | the Board publishes no processing timeframe; its FAQ states only that an application remains valid for one year before a new application and fee are required |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation (Illinois Physical Therapy Board) | Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Virginia sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Virginia's current requirements on the Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current, unrestricted PT license in a U.S. state, territory, the District of Columbia, or Canada.
- Graduate of a CAPTE-accredited program, or document at least 2,500 hours of patient care in the five years immediately preceding application.
- Document at least 320 hours of active practice within the four years immediately preceding application, or complete an approved 320-hour traineeship.
- Submit a current National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) report.
- Complete the criminal background check required by Va. Code 54.1-3484.
- Pay the fees ($140 (licensure-by-endorsement application fee for a physical therapist under 18VAC112-20-27 (most recently amended June 18, 2025); the PTA endorsement fee is $100. Active PT renewal is $135 biennially. The $50 compact privilege fee and the $75 direct access certification fee in the same section are separate charges. Criminal background check costs are not included.)) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe; its FAQ states only that an application remains valid for one year before a new application and fee are required.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Virginia accept a Illinois physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from Illinois to Virginia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions), verify your Illinois license, and meet Virginia's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; 18VAC112-20-65 requires documentation that the board-prescribed national examination was passed, and FSBPT transfers the score to the licensing authority. Virginia's endorsement regulation imposes no state jurisprudence examination, and the PT Compact Commission lists no Virginia jurisprudence requirement..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Illinois to Virginia?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; 18VAC112-20-65 requires documentation that the board-prescribed national examination was passed, and FSBPT transfers the score to the licensing authority. Virginia's endorsement regulation imposes no state jurisprudence examination, and the PT Compact Commission lists no Virginia jurisprudence requirement..
What does the move cost?
$140 (licensure-by-endorsement application fee for a physical therapist under 18VAC112-20-27 (most recently amended June 18, 2025); the PTA endorsement fee is $100. Active PT renewal is $135 biennially. The $50 compact privilege fee and the $75 direct access certification fee in the same section are separate charges. Criminal background check costs are not included.) (licensure-by-endorsement application fee for a physical therapist under 18VAC112-20-27 (most recently amended June 18, 2025); the PTA endorsement fee is $100. Active PT renewal is $135 biennially. The $50 compact privilege fee and the $75 direct access certification fee in the same section are separate charges. Criminal background check costs are not included.).
How long will it take?
the Board publishes no processing timeframe; its FAQ states only that an application remains valid for one year before a new application and fee are required — the Board publishes no processing timeframe; its FAQ states only that an application remains valid for one year before a new application and fee are required.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- 18VAC112-20-27 - Fees (Virginia Board of Physical Therapy) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 18VAC112-20-65 - Requirements for licensure by endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Virginia Board of Physical Therapy - Licensure FAQ ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - member state map ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - how to get privileges (state fee and jurisprudence table) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 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]