Physical Therapy License from Missouri to Tennessee: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Yes, for working in Tennessee — both Missouri and Tennessee are active members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If Missouri is your primary state of residence and your Missouri license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in Tennessee without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Tennessee, you will need a Tennessee license once Tennessee becomes your home state.
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Verdict
Compact privilege — work there without a second license
Both Missouri and Tennessee are active PT Compact members, so this is a privilege move, not a license move. If Missouri is your home state and primary residence and your license there is active, you do not apply to the Tennessee Board of Physical Therapy (Tennessee Department of Health) — you buy a Tennessee compact privilege through the commission and practice on it, with your Missouri license staying in place. Two caveats worth planning around: Tennessee may require its jurisprudence exam before the privilege issues, and the privilege lapses the moment your Missouri license does. If you are genuinely relocating to Tennessee rather than working there temporarily, the privilege model doesn't fit — you would change your home state by endorsing into Tennessee.
What changes, Missouri → Tennessee
| Missouri (current) | Tennessee (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | Licensure by endorsement · PT Compact privilege (not a license) | Licensure by endorsement · PT Compact privilege (not a license) |
| Application fee | $25 ($25.00 application fee for the physical therapist application — the same form and fee used by an applicant already licensed in another state. A temporary licence costs an extra $10.00 but is available to first-time examination applicants only. The Board cannot take credit or debit cards for the initial application fee. Fingerprint background-check costs are paid separately to the state vendor. This is NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) | $260–$305 (Rule 1150-01-.06 fee schedule for a PT: $150 application fee + $100 reciprocity fee + $10 biennial state regulatory fee are due when the application is filed ($260); a $45 license fee is then due before the license is issued, for $305 total. PTA equivalents are $140 + $100 + $10 + $45. Background-check vendor costs and the $90 FSBPT score-transfer fee are separate. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) |
| Processing time | 6–10 weeks (the Board asks applicants to allow a minimum of 4-6 weeks for initial processing once the application and fee are in office, plus a further 2-4 weeks after the file goes to final review for approval; deficiencies or Board backlog lengthen this) | the Board's rules set no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; they only require the $45 license fee to be received within 30 days of notification that it is due, or the application file is closed |
| Licensing authority | Missouri Board of Registration for the Healing Arts — Advisory Commission for Physical Therapists (Division of Professional Registration) | Tennessee Board of Physical Therapy (Tennessee Department of Health) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Tennessee sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm your home-state license is active and unencumbered and that your home state is your primary state of residence.
- To work in Tennessee: purchase a PT Compact privilege for Tennessee through the compact commission and complete any Tennessee jurisprudence requirement.
- Keep your home-state license active — every privilege lapses with it.
- If you are moving your primary residence to Tennessee: apply for a Tennessee license with the Tennessee Board of Physical Therapy (Tennessee Department of Health); a privilege does not follow you when your home state changes.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Tennessee accept a Missouri physical therapy license?
Yes, for working in Tennessee — both Missouri and Tennessee are active members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If Missouri is your primary state of residence and your Missouri license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in Tennessee without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Tennessee, you will need a Tennessee license once Tennessee becomes your home state.
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Missouri to Tennessee?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; passing scores must be sent directly from the examining service to the Board's administrative office (FSBPT Score Transfer Service, $90 per report), and reciprocity candidates must have passed the licensing examination at a criterion-referenced passing point. Tennessee requires no jurisprudence exam to obtain the license, but every renewal cycle 4 of the required continuing-competence hours must be ethics and jurisprudence courses of at least 2 hours each.
What does the move cost?
If you are buying a Tennessee compact privilege to work while living in Missouri: the commission's uniform fee plus Tennessee's privilege fee. If you are relocating and taking a full Tennessee license by endorsement: $260–$305 (Rule 1150-01-.06 fee schedule for a PT: $150 application fee + $100 reciprocity fee + $10 biennial state regulatory fee are due when the application is filed ($260); a $45 license fee is then due before the license is issued, for $305 total. PTA equivalents are $140 + $100 + $10 + $45. Background-check vendor costs and the $90 FSBPT score-transfer fee are separate. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.).
How long will it take?
A compact privilege issues quickly once your eligibility and any Tennessee jurisprudence exam are cleared — usually faster than a full license. A relocation endorsement runs the Board's rules set no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; they only require the $45 license fee to be received within 30 days of notification that it is due, or the application file is closed.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Rules of the Tennessee Board of Physical Therapy, Chapter 1150-01 (December 2025 revision) - Rules 1150-01-.04 Qualifications, .05 Procedures, .06 Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Tennessee Department of Health - Board of Physical Therapy ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - state status list (Physical Therapy Compact Commission) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- FSBPT - NPTE Score Transfer Service ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Missouri Board of Registration for the Healing Arts — Instructions for the Physical Therapist Application (fees, processing times, jurisprudence exam, background check, FSBPT score transfer) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Missouri Division of Professional Registration — Advisory Commission for Physical Therapists ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact — member state status map ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]