Physical Therapy License from Minnesota to Georgia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy (Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division) ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from Minnesota to Georgia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy (Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division), verify your Minnesota license, and meet Georgia's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; you request FSBPT to send an official copy of your NPTE score directly to the Board. Georgia additionally requires passing the Georgia Jurisprudence Assessment Module (GA JAM), administered by FSBPT..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This direction has a payoff. Minnesota is outside the active compact, so you have had no privileges to work with — but Georgia is an active member. Endorse into Georgia with the Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy (Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division), establish it as your home state and primary residence, and Georgia 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, Minnesota → Georgia
| Minnesota (current) | Georgia (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | PT Compact member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $100–$160 (Minn. Stat. 148.715 fixes the board application fee at $100 and annual licensure at $60, so roughly $160 is due to become licensed in year one; a temporary permit is a further $25. The fingerprint-based criminal background check is billed separately by the vendor. The Board's own fee page could not be retrieved during research (mn.gov bot protection), so only the statutory amounts are stated. Minnesota is NOT a PT Compact state, so no compact privilege fee exists here.) | $85 ($75 physical therapist application fee plus the $10 paper-application processing fee; the Board states the online application is NOT available to endorsement/reciprocity applicants, so the $5 online processing fee does not apply. Fingerprint/background-check costs are paid separately to the vendor, and the GA JAM is $65 paid to FSBPT. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) |
| Processing time | the Board publishes no processing timeframe; under Minn. Stat. 148.71, subd. 2(b) an applicant already licensed in good standing in another state may practise on a temporary permit WITHOUT supervision, but only until the board meeting at which the application is considered | 3–5 weeks (the Board states individual application documents are generally reviewed within 15 business days (~3 weeks), and up to 25 business days (~5 weeks) when deficiencies are found; applications requiring full Board review take longer and must be complete two weeks before a meeting) |
| Licensing authority | Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy | Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy (Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Georgia sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Georgia's current requirements on the Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy (Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy (Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current license in good standing and have practiced in another jurisdiction within the past 2 years.
- Have an official transcript sent directly from your CAPTE-accredited program showing graduation date and degree conferred.
- Pass the Georgia Jurisprudence Assessment Module (GA JAM) through FSBPT.
- Complete a fingerprint background check through the GAPS Applicant Processing Service (Idemia/Fieldprint).
- Have license verification sent directly to the Board from every state where you have ever been licensed.
- Document 26 hours of continuing education completed within the past 2 years.
- Pay the fees ($85 ($75 physical therapist application fee plus the $10 paper-application processing fee; the Board states the online application is NOT available to endorsement/reciprocity applicants, so the $5 online processing fee does not apply. Fingerprint/background-check costs are paid separately to the vendor, and the GA JAM is $65 paid to FSBPT. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.)) and allow 3–5 weeks (the Board states individual application documents are generally reviewed within 15 business days (~3 weeks), and up to 25 business days (~5 weeks) when deficiencies are found; applications requiring full Board review take longer and must be complete two weeks before a meeting).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Georgia accept a Minnesota physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from Minnesota to Georgia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy (Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division), verify your Minnesota license, and meet Georgia's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; you request FSBPT to send an official copy of your NPTE score directly to the Board. Georgia additionally requires passing the Georgia Jurisprudence Assessment Module (GA JAM), administered by FSBPT..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Minnesota to Georgia?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; you request FSBPT to send an official copy of your NPTE score directly to the Board. Georgia additionally requires passing the Georgia Jurisprudence Assessment Module (GA JAM), administered by FSBPT..
What does the move cost?
$85 ($75 physical therapist application fee plus the $10 paper-application processing fee; the Board states the online application is NOT available to endorsement/reciprocity applicants, so the $5 online processing fee does not apply. Fingerprint/background-check costs are paid separately to the vendor, and the GA JAM is $65 paid to FSBPT. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) ($75 physical therapist application fee plus the $10 paper-application processing fee; the Board states the online application is NOT available to endorsement/reciprocity applicants, so the $5 online processing fee does not apply. Fingerprint/background-check costs are paid separately to the vendor, and the GA JAM is $65 paid to FSBPT. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.).
How long will it take?
3–5 weeks (the Board states individual application documents are generally reviewed within 15 business days (~3 weeks), and up to 25 business days (~5 weeks) when deficiencies are found; applications requiring full Board review take longer and must be complete two weeks before a meeting) — the Board states individual application documents are generally reviewed within 15 business days (~3 weeks), and up to 25 business days (~5 weeks) when deficiencies are found; applications requiring full Board review take longer and must be complete two weeks before a meeting.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy — Fee Schedule ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy — Instruction Sheet for Application for Licensure ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy — FAQ (reciprocity, processing, CE, background check) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact — Compact Privilege Fee, Jurisprudence and Waiver Table ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact — States by Category ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy — PT Licensure application pathways (applicant licensed in another state; fingerprint-based background check) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Minn. Stat. 148.715 — Fees (Office of the Revisor of Statutes) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Minn. Stat. 148.721 — Educational requirements for licensed physical therapist ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Minn. Stat. 148.723 — Examination for licensed physical therapist (NPTE) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Minn. Stat. 148.705 — Application; contents (transcript, two PT recommendations, licensure history) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Minn. Stat. 148.71 — Temporary permits (out-of-state applicant may practise unsupervised) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact — member state status map ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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