Skip to content
LicenseReciprocity

Transfer Your Physical Therapy License to Kentucky: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy ↗

Kentucky issues and accepts compact privileges as an active PT Compact member. If your home state is a member, you can practice in Kentucky on a purchased privilege without a Kentucky license; otherwise, or if you are moving to Kentucky, the route is licensure by endorsement with the Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy — $225 (initial credentialing fee per 201 KAR 22:135 §2; the fee schedule lists no separate 'by endorsement' fee, so endorsement applicants pay this initial credentialing fee. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.), no NPTE retake, the score transferred through the FSBPT.

Moving to Kentucky from a specific state?

Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.

Run the Reciprocity Checker →

Verdict

PT Compact member — multistate license honored

Whether Kentucky costs you a full license or just a privilege depends on what you are actually doing. Working in Kentucky while your license and residence stay in another member state — a travel assignment, a satellite clinic, telehealth across the line — means buying a Kentucky compact privilege and keeping your home license; Kentucky charges no full-license fee for that path, though it may require its jurisprudence exam first. Relocating to Kentucky is the other case: your residence changes, Kentucky becomes your home state, and that is licensure by endorsement with the Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy, after which Kentucky can anchor privileges of its own.

Kentucky is an ACTIVE PT Compact member. Endorsement under 201 KAR 22:020 §7 requires a CAPTE degree, an active unencumbered out-of-state credential, FSBPT score transfer, and an FBI background check; the initial credentialing fee is $225 (201 KAR 22:135). All credential holders must complete the current-biennium jurisprudence exam. The board's own site (pt.ky.gov) blocks automated fetches; requirements/fee verified via the KAR on Cornell LII and the board's endorsement/jurisprudence pages surfaced in search.

Kentucky requirements at a glance

Out-of-state physical therapy license transfer requirements for Kentucky, verified 2026-07-21
ExamNPTE is not retaken; the applicant registers with the FSBPT Score Transfer Service to have the passing score (criterion-referenced standard of 600) sent to Kentucky. Kentucky also requires completion of the state open-book jurisprudence examination for the current biennium.
Additional requirements
  • Graduate of a CAPTE-accredited physical therapy program
  • Hold an active credential in another jurisdiction, verified as never revoked, suspended, on probation, or under disciplinary review
  • Register with the FSBPT Score Transfer Service to submit the NPTE passing score
  • Complete the Kentucky jurisprudence examination for the current biennium
  • Nationwide (FBI) criminal background check completed within six months of the application
Fees$225 (initial credentialing fee per 201 KAR 22:135 §2; the fee schedule lists no separate 'by endorsement' fee, so endorsement applicants pay this initial credentialing fee. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.)
Processing timethe Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications

Step by step

  1. Confirm Kentucky's current requirements on the Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy website — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy (application linked on this page).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Graduate of a CAPTE-accredited physical therapy program.
  5. Hold an active credential in another jurisdiction, verified as never revoked, suspended, on probation, or under disciplinary review.
  6. Register with the FSBPT Score Transfer Service to submit the NPTE passing score.
  7. Complete the Kentucky jurisprudence examination for the current biennium.
  8. Nationwide (FBI) criminal background check completed within six months of the application.
  9. Pay the fees ($225 (initial credentialing fee per 201 KAR 22:135 §2; the fee schedule lists no separate 'by endorsement' fee, so endorsement applicants pay this initial credentialing fee. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.)) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications.

Official links

Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy ↗Kentucky application ↗Physical Therapy Licensure Compact ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Kentucky:

Alabama → KentuckyAlaska → KentuckyArizona → KentuckyArkansas → KentuckyCalifornia → KentuckyColorado → KentuckyConnecticut → KentuckyDelaware → KentuckyDistrict of Columbia → KentuckyFlorida → KentuckyGeorgia → KentuckyIllinois → KentuckyIndiana → KentuckyIowa → KentuckyKansas → KentuckyLouisiana → KentuckyMaryland → KentuckyMichigan → KentuckyMississippi → KentuckyMissouri → Kentucky
All 42 origin states
Montana → KentuckyNebraska → KentuckyNevada → KentuckyNew Hampshire → KentuckyNew Jersey → KentuckyNew York → KentuckyNorth Carolina → KentuckyNorth Dakota → KentuckyOhio → KentuckyOklahoma → KentuckyOregon → KentuckyPennsylvania → KentuckySouth Carolina → KentuckySouth Dakota → KentuckyTennessee → KentuckyTexas → KentuckyUtah → KentuckyVermont → KentuckyVirginia → KentuckyWashington → KentuckyWest Virginia → KentuckyWisconsin → Kentucky

Frequently asked questions

Does my physical therapy license transfer to Kentucky?

Kentucky issues and accepts compact privileges as an active PT Compact member. If your home state is a member, you can practice in Kentucky on a purchased privilege without a Kentucky license; otherwise, or if you are moving to Kentucky, the route is licensure by endorsement with the Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy — $225 (initial credentialing fee per 201 KAR 22:135 §2; the fee schedule lists no separate 'by endorsement' fee, so endorsement applicants pay this initial credentialing fee. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.), no NPTE retake, the score transferred through the FSBPT.

Do I have to retake the NPTE to get licensed in Kentucky?

No. NPTE is not retaken; the applicant registers with the FSBPT Score Transfer Service to have the passing score (criterion-referenced standard of 600) sent to Kentucky. Kentucky also requires completion of the state open-book jurisprudence examination for the current biennium.. No state requires a second NPTE.

How much does it cost to transfer a PT license to Kentucky by endorsement?

$225 (initial credentialing fee per 201 KAR 22:135 §2; the fee schedule lists no separate 'by endorsement' fee, so endorsement applicants pay this initial credentialing fee. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) (initial credentialing fee per 201 KAR 22:135 §2; the fee schedule lists no separate 'by endorsement' fee, so endorsement applicants pay this initial credentialing fee. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.).

How long does Kentucky take to process an endorsement application?

the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications — the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications.

Is Kentucky in the PT Compact?

Yes — Kentucky is an active member as of 2026-07-21. A PT or PTA whose home state is also a member can buy a Kentucky compact privilege instead of a full license; relocating to Kentucky still requires licensure by endorsement.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21

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