Physical Therapy License from Michigan to New Mexico: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: New Mexico Physical Therapy Board (Regulation and Licensing Department, Boards and Commissions Division) ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from Michigan to New Mexico by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New Mexico Physical Therapy Board (Regulation and Licensing Department, Boards and Commissions Division), verify your Michigan license, and meet New Mexico's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken, but the board will only accept scores sent directly by the testing entity - scores forwarded by the applicant, an employer, or another state board are rejected. New Mexico also requires its own jurisprudence examination, taken inside the online application and repeatable until passed, at $25 per attempt..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither Michigan nor New Mexico is an active member of the PT Compact, so this is a straightforward endorsement move: the New Mexico Physical Therapy Board (Regulation and Licensing Department, Boards and Commissions Division) verifies your Michigan license, your NPTE score transfers through the FSBPT, and you complete New Mexico's jurisprudence exam and background check. Nothing about Michigan speeds up or slows down New Mexico's standard out-of-state process.
What changes, Michigan → New Mexico
| Michigan (current) | New Mexico (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | PT Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement |
| 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.) | $250 (non-refundable application for full licensure as a physical therapist under 16.20.5.8(A)(1) NMAC (PTA is $200). + a separate $25 jurisprudence exam fee per attempt under 16.20.5.8(C), and the applicant pays the NM Department of Public Safety background-check cost. Biennial renewal is $160. New Mexico is not a PT Compact state, so no privilege fee exists.) |
| Processing time | LARA's Physical Therapist Licensing Guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications | the board publishes no processing timeframe; it states only that background results arrive from the Department of Public Safety weekly and that an initial application stays valid for 12 months (16.20.3.8(J) NMAC) |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) | New Mexico Physical Therapy Board (Regulation and Licensing Department, Boards and Commissions Division) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — New Mexico sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm New Mexico's current requirements on the New Mexico Physical Therapy Board (Regulation and Licensing Department, Boards and Commissions Division) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the New Mexico Physical Therapy Board (Regulation and Licensing Department, Boards and Commissions Division) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current license in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction that meets or exceeds New Mexico's requirements.
- Pass the New Mexico jurisprudence examination within the online application and pay the $25 non-refundable exam fee.
- Submit a statewide and nationwide New Mexico Department of Public Safety criminal history background check - the application will not be processed without the results.
- Have NPTE scores sent to the board directly by the testing entity.
- Submit verification of every license held in another U.S. jurisdiction, showing status, expiration, denials, and any discipline.
- Pay the fees ($250 (non-refundable application for full licensure as a physical therapist under 16.20.5.8(A)(1) NMAC (PTA is $200). + a separate $25 jurisprudence exam fee per attempt under 16.20.5.8(C), and the applicant pays the NM Department of Public Safety background-check cost. Biennial renewal is $160. New Mexico is not a PT Compact state, so no privilege fee exists.)) and allow the board publishes no processing timeframe; it states only that background results arrive from the Department of Public Safety weekly and that an initial application stays valid for 12 months (16.20.3.8(J) NMAC).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does New Mexico accept a Michigan physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from Michigan to New Mexico by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New Mexico Physical Therapy Board (Regulation and Licensing Department, Boards and Commissions Division), verify your Michigan license, and meet New Mexico's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken, but the board will only accept scores sent directly by the testing entity - scores forwarded by the applicant, an employer, or another state board are rejected. New Mexico also requires its own jurisprudence examination, taken inside the online application and repeatable until passed, at $25 per attempt..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Michigan to New Mexico?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken, but the board will only accept scores sent directly by the testing entity - scores forwarded by the applicant, an employer, or another state board are rejected. New Mexico also requires its own jurisprudence examination, taken inside the online application and repeatable until passed, at $25 per attempt..
What does the move cost?
$250 (non-refundable application for full licensure as a physical therapist under 16.20.5.8(A)(1) NMAC (PTA is $200). + a separate $25 jurisprudence exam fee per attempt under 16.20.5.8(C), and the applicant pays the NM Department of Public Safety background-check cost. Biennial renewal is $160. New Mexico is not a PT Compact state, so no privilege fee exists.) (non-refundable application for full licensure as a physical therapist under 16.20.5.8(A)(1) NMAC (PTA is $200). + a separate $25 jurisprudence exam fee per attempt under 16.20.5.8(C), and the applicant pays the NM Department of Public Safety background-check cost. Biennial renewal is $160. New Mexico is not a PT Compact state, so no privilege fee exists.).
How long will it take?
the board publishes no processing timeframe; it states only that background results arrive from the Department of Public Safety weekly and that an initial application stays valid for 12 months (16.20.3.8(J) NMAC) — the board publishes no processing timeframe; it states only that background results arrive from the Department of Public Safety weekly and that an initial application stays valid for 12 months (16.20.3.8(J) NMAC).
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- 16.20.5.8 NMAC - Schedule of Fees, New Mexico Physical Therapy Board ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 16.20.3 NMAC - Application for Licensure and Licensure by Reciprocity (16.20.3.8, 16.20.3.11) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NM RLD Physical Therapy Board - Licensing, Registration and Renewal ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NM RLD - Physical Therapist Application User Guide (reciprocity pre-screen, mandatory jurisprudence step) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 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]