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LicenseReciprocity

Physical Therapy License from Maine to North Carolina: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners ↗

A physical therapy license transfers from Maine to North Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners, verify your Maine license, and meet North Carolina's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken. Under 21 NCAC 48B .0102(b) the Board accepts the examination on which the out-of-state license was granted, in a format approved by the Board (the FSBPT Score Transfer Service); if the scores are unavailable from the other state the applicant must have them issued by the testing agency, and if the total score does not meet the North Carolina passing level in 21 NCAC 48D .0105 the exam must be repeated at the applicant's cost. Every endorsement applicant must also complete the North Carolina Jurisprudence Exercise (21 NCAC 48B .0102(d))..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

This direction has a payoff. Maine is outside the active compact, so you have had no privileges to work with — but North Carolina is an active member. Endorse into North Carolina with the North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners, establish it as your home state and primary residence, and North Carolina 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, Maine → North Carolina

Side-by-side: Maine vs North Carolina (Physical Therapy (PT/PTA)), verified 2026-08-07
Maine (current)North Carolina (destination)
PT Compact statusPT Compact enacted — not yet issuingPT Compact member — multistate license honored
Application fee$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.)The Board's fee rule is 21 NCAC 48F .0102 (readopted eff. May 1, 2019), but on 2026-08-07 neither the rule text nor the Board's published Schedule of Fees could be retrieved from an official source - the Board's application host (www2.ncptboard.org) returned 403 and the NC OAH / NC Rules code servers were unreachable. No amount is stated rather than guess. Confirm the current endorsement application fee directly with the Board.
Processing timethe Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applicationsThe Board publishes no processing timeframe; 21 NCAC 48B .0102(a) provides only that each endorsement application is considered on an individual basis.
Licensing authorityMaine Board of Physical Therapy (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation)North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners

The destination column is what you must satisfy — North Carolina sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm North Carolina's current requirements on the North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners.
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. Have been initially licensed in another state by examination - endorsement is available only on that basis.
  5. Submit verification of a license in effect on the date the North Carolina application was filed (21 NCAC 48E .0105).
  6. Complete the Board's online Jurisprudence Exercise on the Practice Act, Board rules and position statements.
  7. Meet the North Carolina passing score in 21 NCAC 48D .0105 or retake and pay for the PT exam.
  8. Disclose criminal history as required by Board rule 21 NCAC 48E .0113.
  9. Pay the fees (The Board's fee rule is 21 NCAC 48F .0102 (readopted eff. May 1, 2019), but on 2026-08-07 neither the rule text nor the Board's published Schedule of Fees could be retrieved from an official source - the Board's application host (www2.ncptboard.org) returned 403 and the NC OAH / NC Rules code servers were unreachable. No amount is stated rather than guess. Confirm the current endorsement application fee directly with the Board.) and allow The Board publishes no processing timeframe; 21 NCAC 48B .0102(a) provides only that each endorsement application is considered on an individual basis..

Official links

North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners ↗License verification ↗Physical Therapy Licensure Compact ↗

Related guides

Reverse: North Carolina → MainePhysical Therapy in MainePhysical Therapy in North CarolinaAll physical therapy statesThe PT Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does North Carolina accept a Maine physical therapy license?

A physical therapy license transfers from Maine to North Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners, verify your Maine license, and meet North Carolina's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken. Under 21 NCAC 48B .0102(b) the Board accepts the examination on which the out-of-state license was granted, in a format approved by the Board (the FSBPT Score Transfer Service); if the scores are unavailable from the other state the applicant must have them issued by the testing agency, and if the total score does not meet the North Carolina passing level in 21 NCAC 48D .0105 the exam must be repeated at the applicant's cost. Every endorsement applicant must also complete the North Carolina Jurisprudence Exercise (21 NCAC 48B .0102(d))..

Do I retake the NPTE moving from Maine to North Carolina?

No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken. Under 21 NCAC 48B .0102(b) the Board accepts the examination on which the out-of-state license was granted, in a format approved by the Board (the FSBPT Score Transfer Service); if the scores are unavailable from the other state the applicant must have them issued by the testing agency, and if the total score does not meet the North Carolina passing level in 21 NCAC 48D .0105 the exam must be repeated at the applicant's cost. Every endorsement applicant must also complete the North Carolina Jurisprudence Exercise (21 NCAC 48B .0102(d))..

What does the move cost?

The Board's fee rule is 21 NCAC 48F .0102 (readopted eff. May 1, 2019), but on 2026-08-07 neither the rule text nor the Board's published Schedule of Fees could be retrieved from an official source - the Board's application host (www2.ncptboard.org) returned 403 and the NC OAH / NC Rules code servers were unreachable. No amount is stated rather than guess. Confirm the current endorsement application fee directly with the Board. (The Board's fee rule is 21 NCAC 48F .0102 (readopted eff. May 1, 2019), but on 2026-08-07 neither the rule text nor the Board's published Schedule of Fees could be retrieved from an official source - the Board's application host (www2.ncptboard.org) returned 403 and the NC OAH / NC Rules code servers were unreachable. No amount is stated rather than guess. Confirm the current endorsement application fee directly with the Board.).

How long will it take?

The Board publishes no processing timeframe; 21 NCAC 48B .0102(a) provides only that each endorsement application is considered on an individual basis. — The Board publishes no processing timeframe; 21 NCAC 48B .0102(a) provides only that each endorsement application is considered on an individual basis..

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]