Physical Therapy License from Montana to Nevada: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Nevada Physical Therapy Board ↗
Yes — both Montana and Nevada are members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If Montana is your primary state of residence and you hold a multistate license, you can practice in Nevada now; if you are moving your residence to Nevada, apply for licensure by endorsement there and declare Nevada your new primary state of residence — your multistate privilege continues.
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Compact multistate — already covered
Both Montana and Nevada are active PT Compact members, so this is a privilege move, not a license move. If Montana is your home state and primary residence and your license there is active, you do not apply to the Nevada Physical Therapy Board — you buy a Nevada compact privilege through the commission and practice on it, with your Montana license staying in place. Two caveats worth planning around: Nevada may require its jurisprudence exam before the privilege issues, and the privilege lapses the moment your Montana license does. If you are genuinely relocating to Nevada rather than working there temporarily, the privilege model doesn't fit — you would change your home state by endorsing into Nevada.
What changes, Montana → Nevada
| Montana (current) | Nevada (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | PT Compact member — multistate license honored | PT Compact member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $225 ($100.00 physical therapist application fee (all applicants) + $125.00 out-of-state licence application fee, per the Board's application form (rev. 2025-03-14) and licensing checklist. The department also charges an extra $5.00 litigation-fund fee to applicants and licensees of qualifying boards from 1 July 2025 (HB 227). Jurisprudence re-examination is $25 per retake and a pre-exam temporary licence is $100. Fingerprint background-check costs are separate. This is NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) | $300 (Physical Therapist application fee on the Board's published fee schedule; the $25 exam processing fee applies only to examination candidates, not endorsement candidates. + $39 fingerprint fee, which the Department of Public Safety will only accept as a money order or cashier's check. PT license then renews annually at $150. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) |
| Processing time | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for out-of-state applications; it notes only that if all other requirements are met it can issue a provisional licence with a reservation of rights, valid for 60 days, while outstanding licence verifications are completed | the Board publishes no overall processing timeframe; it warns that the fingerprint/background check alone may take up to 2 months and asks applicants to allow 10 days after submission before requesting a status update |
| Licensing authority | Montana Board of Physical, Rehabilitative, and Developmental Health Care Professionals (formerly the Board of Physical Therapy Examiners), Department of Labor & Industry | Nevada Physical Therapy Board |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Nevada sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm your current license is an active multistate license in good standing (check it in the verification system).
- If you are moving your primary residence to Nevada: apply for licensure by endorsement with the Nevada Physical Therapy Board when you move.
- Declare Nevada as your new primary state of residence on that application.
- Complete Nevada's fingerprint/background check requirement if requested.
- Keep practicing — your multistate privilege remains valid during the transition (do not let the old license lapse before the new one issues).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Nevada accept a Montana physical therapy license?
Yes — both Montana and Nevada are members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If Montana is your primary state of residence and you hold a multistate license, you can practice in Nevada now; if you are moving your residence to Nevada, apply for licensure by endorsement there and declare Nevada your new primary state of residence — your multistate privilege continues.
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Montana to Nevada?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; the score must be transferred to the Nevada jurisdiction through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service and the Board states you cannot be licensed until it arrives. Nevada also requires the Nevada Jurisprudence Assessment Module (NV JAM), an open-book exam on NRS/NAC Chapter 640 that must be passed at 80% (16 correct)..
What does the move cost?
If you are buying a Nevada compact privilege to work while living in Montana: the commission's uniform fee plus Nevada's privilege fee. If you are relocating and taking a full Nevada license by endorsement: $300 (Physical Therapist application fee on the Board's published fee schedule; the $25 exam processing fee applies only to examination candidates, not endorsement candidates. + $39 fingerprint fee, which the Department of Public Safety will only accept as a money order or cashier's check. PT license then renews annually at $150. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) (Physical Therapist application fee on the Board's published fee schedule; the $25 exam processing fee applies only to examination candidates, not endorsement candidates. + $39 fingerprint fee, which the Department of Public Safety will only accept as a money order or cashier's check. PT license then renews annually at $150. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.).
How long will it take?
A compact privilege issues quickly once your eligibility and any Nevada jurisprudence exam are cleared — usually faster than a full license. A relocation endorsement runs the Board publishes no overall processing timeframe; it warns that the fingerprint/background check alone may take up to 2 months and asks applicants to allow 10 days after submission before requesting a status update (the Board publishes no overall processing timeframe; it warns that the fingerprint/background check alone may take up to 2 months and asks applicants to allow 10 days after submission before requesting a status update).
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Nevada Physical Therapy Board - Fee Schedule ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Nevada Physical Therapy Board - Endorsement Candidate Application Guide ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact Commission - Process and Requirements (Nevada privilege fees and jurisprudence rule) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Montana Board of Physical Therapy Examiners — Physical Therapist Licensing Requirements and Application Checklist (fees, jurisprudence exam, NPTE 600, fingerprint check) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Montana Board of Physical Therapy Examiners — Application for Licensure, rev. 2025-03-14 ($100 PT + $125 out-of-state licence condition) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Montana DLI — Physical Therapy Licensing (HB 227 $5 fee notice; redirect to the consolidated board) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Montana Board of Physical, Rehabilitative, and Developmental Health Care Professionals — License Information (PT renewal 1 April; 60-day provisional licence) ↗ (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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