Transfer Your Physical Therapy License to Minnesota: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy ↗
No compact privilege reaches Minnesota: it is a non-member state, so the only route is licensure by endorsement through the Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy. Expect $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.) and processing of 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; your NPTE passing score transfers via the FSBPT, so the exam is not repeated.
Moving to Minnesota from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Plan the timeline first, because Minnesota recognizes no compact privilege at all. You cannot legally treat a single Minnesota patient — in person or by telehealth — until the Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy issues your license, and there is no travel or telehealth shortcut around that. The steps below are the endorsement path, which is the only path into Minnesota.
Minnesota has not enacted the PT Compact and no compact legislation has been introduced, so every incoming PT must be licensed by the Board. The requirement that trips people up is statutory, not administrative: Minn. Stat. 148.721, subd. 2 demands 60 academic semester credits IN ADDITION to the CAPTE-accredited program, and those credits may not be counted from the accredited program itself. Minnesota's other unusual feature is a genuinely useful temporary permit — an applicant already licensed in good standing elsewhere may practise unsupervised on it until the board meeting that decides the application. The statutory fees ($100 application, $60 annual licence) are what the law fixes; the Board's published fee page was unreachable through bot protection during research, so any surcharge it lists is not captured here.
Minnesota requirements at a glance
| Exam | The NPTE is not retaken. Minn. Stat. 148.723 requires a passing score on the National Physical Therapy Examination administered by FSBPT (or a board-determined equivalent national examination); an already-licensed applicant moves that score to the Board through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service rather than re-testing. |
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| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | $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.) |
| 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 |
Step by step
- Confirm Minnesota's current requirements on the Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Complete a CAPTE-accredited physical therapist education program (Minn. Stat. 148.721, subd. 1).
- Complete 60 additional academic semester credits, beyond the accredited PT program, from a regionally accredited institution (Minn. Stat. 148.721, subd. 2).
- Complete a fingerprint-based criminal background check.
- Submit a certified transcript, a notarized recent full-face photograph, and recommendations from two licensed physical therapists attesting to your ethical and moral character.
- List every U.S. jurisdiction and country where you hold or have held a license, with license number, date and method of licensure.
- Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow 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.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Minnesota:
Frequently asked questions
Does my physical therapy license transfer to Minnesota?
No compact privilege reaches Minnesota: it is a non-member state, so the only route is licensure by endorsement through the Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy. Expect $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.) and processing of 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; your NPTE passing score transfers via the FSBPT, so the exam is not repeated.
Do I have to retake the NPTE to get licensed in Minnesota?
No. The NPTE is not retaken. Minn. Stat. 148.723 requires a passing score on the National Physical Therapy Examination administered by FSBPT (or a board-determined equivalent national examination); an already-licensed applicant moves that score to the Board through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service rather than re-testing.. No state requires a second NPTE.
How much does it cost to transfer a PT license to Minnesota by endorsement?
$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.) (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.).
How long does Minnesota take to process an endorsement application?
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 — 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.
Is Minnesota in the PT Compact?
No. Minnesota has not joined the compact as of 2026-08-07, so no compact privilege authorizes practice there and endorsement is the only route.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 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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