Physical Therapy License from Montana to Virginia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Yes, for working in Virginia — both Montana and Virginia are active members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If Montana is your primary state of residence and your Montana license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in Virginia without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Virginia, you will need a Virginia license once Virginia becomes your home state.
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Verdict
Compact privilege — work there without a second license
Both Montana and Virginia 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 Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions) — you buy a Virginia compact privilege through the commission and practice on it, with your Montana license staying in place. Two caveats worth planning around: Virginia 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 Virginia rather than working there temporarily, the privilege model doesn't fit — you would change your home state by endorsing into Virginia.
What changes, Montana → Virginia
| Montana (current) | Virginia (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | Licensure by endorsement · PT Compact privilege (not a license) | Licensure by endorsement · PT Compact privilege (not a license) |
| 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.) | $140 (licensure-by-endorsement application fee for a physical therapist under 18VAC112-20-27 (most recently amended June 18, 2025); the PTA endorsement fee is $100. Active PT renewal is $135 biennially. The $50 compact privilege fee and the $75 direct access certification fee in the same section are separate charges. Criminal background check costs are not included.) |
| 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 processing timeframe; its FAQ states only that an application remains valid for one year before a new application and fee are required |
| Licensing authority | Montana Board of Physical, Rehabilitative, and Developmental Health Care Professionals (formerly the Board of Physical Therapy Examiners), Department of Labor & Industry | Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Virginia 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 Virginia: purchase a PT Compact privilege for Virginia through the compact commission and complete any Virginia jurisprudence requirement.
- Keep your home-state license active — every privilege lapses with it.
- If you are moving your primary residence to Virginia: apply for a Virginia license with the Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions); a privilege does not follow you when your home state changes.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Virginia accept a Montana physical therapy license?
Yes, for working in Virginia — both Montana and Virginia are active members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If Montana is your primary state of residence and your Montana license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in Virginia without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Virginia, you will need a Virginia license once Virginia becomes your home state.
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Montana to Virginia?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; 18VAC112-20-65 requires documentation that the board-prescribed national examination was passed, and FSBPT transfers the score to the licensing authority. Virginia's endorsement regulation imposes no state jurisprudence examination, and the PT Compact Commission lists no Virginia jurisprudence requirement.
What does the move cost?
If you are buying a Virginia compact privilege to work while living in Montana: the commission's uniform fee plus Virginia's privilege fee. If you are relocating and taking a full Virginia license by endorsement: $140 (licensure-by-endorsement application fee for a physical therapist under 18VAC112-20-27 (most recently amended June 18, 2025); the PTA endorsement fee is $100. Active PT renewal is $135 biennially. The $50 compact privilege fee and the $75 direct access certification fee in the same section are separate charges. Criminal background check costs are not included.).
How long will it take?
A compact privilege issues quickly once your eligibility and any Virginia jurisprudence exam are cleared — usually faster than a full license. A relocation endorsement runs the Board publishes no processing timeframe; its FAQ states only that an application remains valid for one year before a new application and fee are required.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- 18VAC112-20-27 - Fees (Virginia Board of Physical Therapy) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 18VAC112-20-65 - Requirements for licensure by endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Virginia Board of Physical Therapy - Licensure FAQ ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - member state map ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - how to get privileges (state fee and jurisprudence table) ↗ (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)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]