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LicenseReciprocity

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

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Michigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) ↗

Michigan has enacted the PT Compact but is not yet issuing or accepting compact privileges (as of 2026-08-07), so no privilege authorizes practice there yet. Every incoming PT or PTA needs a Michigan license by endorsement through the Michigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs): $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.), your NPTE score transferred via the FSBPT rather than retaken, processing LARA's Physical Therapist Licensing Guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications.

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Verdict

PT Compact enacted — not yet issuing

Michigan is in the compact's waiting room: the law is on the books but the board is not yet issuing or accepting privileges (as of 2026-08-07). Treat Michigan exactly like a non-member state for now — a full endorsement application, no privilege shortcut in either direction. When Michigan activates, PTs residing there will be able to buy privileges into other member states; this page is updated when that happens.

Michigan has ENACTED the PT Compact but is NOT yet issuing or accepting compact privileges (commission map re-checked 2026-08-07, which lists Michigan under 'Enacted Legislation — Not Yet Issuing or Accepting'). Until it goes live there is no compact privilege route in or out, so an out-of-state PT must obtain a Michigan license by endorsement through the MiPLUS online system. Michigan charges the same $319.75 whether you qualify by examination or by endorsement, and licenses on a 3-year cycle. Two Michigan-specific hurdles catch transferring therapists: the PSI-delivered state jurisprudence exam, which is required of ALL applicants including those endorsing in (R 338.7136) and is NOT mentioned anywhere in LARA's own licensing guide, and the mandatory human-trafficking and implicit-bias trainings. The endorsement path accepts the Canadian Physiotherapy Competency Examination in place of the NPTE for Canadian licensees. Fee, cycle length, jurisprudence requirement and trainings were all read live from michigan.gov on 2026-08-07 (guide revision 2026-01-26); an earlier $220.50 figure taken from an archived 2-year-cycle guide was superseded and has been corrected. legislature.mi.gov and the LARA administrative-rules repository both refused connections, so the underlying MCL and rule text could not be read directly.

Michigan requirements at a glance

Out-of-state physical therapy license transfer requirements for Michigan, verified 2026-08-07
ExamThe NPTE is not retaken. Verification of a passing NPTE score — or, for a licensee of a Canadian province, the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators Physiotherapy Competency Examination — must be sent to LARA directly by the testing agency, arranged through FSBPT score transfer. A passing score on the Michigan Physical Therapist Jurisprudence Examination, delivered by PSI, is also required on the endorsement path.
Additional requirements
  • Pass the Michigan Physical Therapist Jurisprudence Examination through PSI
  • Have every U.S. state or country where you hold or have held a license send verification directly to LARA showing no pending discipline or sanctions
  • Complete the criminal background check using the instructions in your Application Confirmation letter
  • Complete the one-time human trafficking identification training required by Administrative Rule 338.7126
  • Complete 2 hours of implicit bias training within the 5 years immediately preceding issuance of the license
  • Demonstrate a working knowledge of English (program taught in English, 60 college-level credits from an English-speaking institution, or an approved English proficiency exam)
Fees$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.)
Processing timeLARA's Physical Therapist Licensing Guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications

Step by step

  1. Confirm Michigan's current requirements on the Michigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) website — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Michigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) (application linked on this page).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Pass the Michigan Physical Therapist Jurisprudence Examination through PSI.
  5. Have every U.S. state or country where you hold or have held a license send verification directly to LARA showing no pending discipline or sanctions.
  6. Complete the criminal background check using the instructions in your Application Confirmation letter.
  7. Complete the one-time human trafficking identification training required by Administrative Rule 338.7126.
  8. Complete 2 hours of implicit bias training within the 5 years immediately preceding issuance of the license.
  9. Demonstrate a working knowledge of English (program taught in English, 60 college-level credits from an English-speaking institution, or an approved English proficiency exam).
  10. Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow LARA's Physical Therapist Licensing Guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications.

Official links

Michigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) ↗Michigan application ↗

Coming from a specific state?

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

Alabama → MichiganAlaska → MichiganArizona → MichiganArkansas → MichiganCalifornia → MichiganColorado → MichiganConnecticut → MichiganDelaware → MichiganDistrict of Columbia → MichiganFlorida → MichiganGeorgia → MichiganHawaii → MichiganIdaho → MichiganIllinois → MichiganIndiana → MichiganIowa → MichiganKansas → MichiganKentucky → MichiganLouisiana → MichiganMaine → Michigan
All 50 origin states
Maryland → MichiganMassachusetts → MichiganMinnesota → MichiganMississippi → MichiganMissouri → MichiganMontana → MichiganNebraska → MichiganNevada → MichiganNew Hampshire → MichiganNew Jersey → MichiganNew Mexico → MichiganNew York → MichiganNorth Carolina → MichiganNorth Dakota → MichiganOhio → MichiganOklahoma → MichiganOregon → MichiganPennsylvania → MichiganRhode Island → MichiganSouth Carolina → MichiganSouth Dakota → MichiganTennessee → MichiganTexas → MichiganUtah → MichiganVermont → MichiganVirginia → MichiganWashington → MichiganWest Virginia → MichiganWisconsin → MichiganWyoming → Michigan

Frequently asked questions

Does my physical therapy license transfer to Michigan?

Michigan has enacted the PT Compact but is not yet issuing or accepting compact privileges (as of 2026-08-07), so no privilege authorizes practice there yet. Every incoming PT or PTA needs a Michigan license by endorsement through the Michigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs): $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.), your NPTE score transferred via the FSBPT rather than retaken, processing LARA's Physical Therapist Licensing Guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications.

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

No. The NPTE is not retaken. Verification of a passing NPTE score — or, for a licensee of a Canadian province, the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators Physiotherapy Competency Examination — must be sent to LARA directly by the testing agency, arranged through FSBPT score transfer. A passing score on the Michigan Physical Therapist Jurisprudence Examination, delivered by PSI, is also required on the endorsement path.. No state requires a second NPTE.

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

$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.) (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.).

How long does Michigan take to process an endorsement application?

LARA's Physical Therapist Licensing Guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications — LARA's Physical Therapist Licensing Guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications.

Is Michigan in the PT Compact?

Michigan has enacted the compact but is not yet an active member — it is not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-08-07. Endorsement is the only working path in.

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]