Physical Therapy License from Michigan 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 Michigan 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 Michigan 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..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Michigan and Maine have both enacted the PT Compact, but neither is issuing or accepting privileges yet — so for now this is an ordinary endorsement move with better weather coming. Endorse into Maine through the Maine Board of Physical Therapy (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation): your NPTE score transfers via the FSBPT, and Maine applies its own jurisprudence and background requirements. When both states activate, this exact move could become a privilege purchase instead.
What changes, Michigan → Maine
| Michigan (current) | Maine (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | PT Compact enacted — not yet issuing | PT Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $319.75 (single combined charge labelled 'Application Fee + 3 year license fee', identical for a Physical Therapist license by examination OR by endorsement; payable only by Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover. LARA does not publish the application/license split anywhere on its live site, so the two components are not separately stated. The PSI jurisprudence exam fee and criminal background check costs are billed separately and are not published by LARA. Michigan licenses on a 3-year cycle; renewal is $297.75 and relicensure $339.75.) | $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 time | LARA's Physical Therapist Licensing Guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) | 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
- Confirm Maine's current requirements on the Maine Board of Physical Therapy (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Maine Board of Physical Therapy (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Graduate of a board-approved, CAPTE-accredited physical therapy educational program.
- Submit the Application by Endorsement (for applicants currently licensed in another state).
- Have the NPTE passing score transferred to the Board via the FSBPT Score Transfer Service.
- Submit verification of every license ever held, even if not currently active.
- Submit a reference form and an official transcript (if not previously on file).
- Criminal background check.
- 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
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Maine accept a Michigan physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from Michigan 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 Michigan 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 Michigan 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.
- Maine Board of Physical Therapy — Licensing (PT/PTA) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Maine Board of Physical Therapy — Applications & Forms ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Michigan LARA — Physical Therapy Licensing Guide and FAQs, revision date 2026-01-26 (read live from michigan.gov; $319.75 exam-or-endorsement fee, 3-year cycle, human trafficking + implicit bias training) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Michigan LARA — Board of Physical Therapy, licensing information (guide link source) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Michigan LARA — Physical Therapy Examination (Michigan Jurisprudence Exam required of ALL applicants, delivered by PSI) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact — member state status map ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- FSBPT — NPTE Score Transfer Service ↗ (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]