Transfer Your Physical Therapy License to Montana: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Montana Board of Physical, Rehabilitative, and Developmental Health Care Professionals (formerly the Board of Physical Therapy Examiners), Department of Labor & Industry ↗
Montana is an active PT Compact member, which opens two doors. If your home state is also a compact member and you hold an active license there, you can buy a Montana compact privilege through the commission — a practice authorization, not a Montana license — after meeting any Montana jurisprudence requirement. If you are relocating to Montana, or your home state is not a member, you apply to the Montana Board of Physical, Rehabilitative, and Developmental Health Care Professionals (formerly the Board of Physical Therapy Examiners), Department of Labor & Industry for licensure by endorsement instead: $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.), with your NPTE score transferred through the FSBPT rather than retaken.
Moving to Montana from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
PT Compact member — multistate license honored
Whether Montana costs you a full license or just a privilege depends on what you are actually doing. Working in Montana while your license and residence stay in another member state — a travel assignment, a satellite clinic, telehealth across the line — means buying a Montana compact privilege and keeping your home license; Montana charges no full-license fee for that path, though it may require its jurisprudence exam first. Relocating to Montana is the other case: your residence changes, Montana becomes your home state, and that is licensure by endorsement with the Montana Board of Physical, Rehabilitative, and Developmental Health Care Professionals (formerly the Board of Physical Therapy Examiners), Department of Labor & Industry, after which Montana can anchor privileges of its own.
Montana is an ACTIVE PT Compact member, so a PT whose home state is also an active member can work here on a compact privilege instead of applying for a Montana licence. If you do relicense here, Montana does not issue a separate 'endorsement' licence: an out-of-state licensee files the ordinary application and pays a $125 out-of-state surcharge on top of the $100 application fee. Montana is one of the states that sets an explicit NPTE score floor (a scaled score of 600 or higher, verified by FSBPT) and requires an open-book jurisprudence exam with a $25 charge per retake. The Board of Physical Therapy Examiners has been folded into the consolidated Board of Physical, Rehabilitative, and Developmental Health Care Professionals, and the department's own PT page now redirects there; forms still carry the old board name. PT licences renew annually on 1 April.
Montana requirements at a glance
| Exam | The NPTE is not retaken; FSBPT must verify a passing NPTE score of 600 or higher directly to the Board. Montana also requires a completed open-book state jurisprudence examination (ARM 24.177.501), with a $25 fee for each retake. |
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| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | $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.) |
| 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 |
Step by step
- Confirm Montana's current requirements on the Montana Board of Physical, Rehabilitative, and Developmental Health Care Professionals (formerly the Board of Physical Therapy Examiners), Department of Labor & Industry website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Montana Board of Physical, Rehabilitative, and Developmental Health Care Professionals (formerly the Board of Physical Therapy Examiners), Department of Labor & Industry (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Pass the Montana open-book jurisprudence examination (ARM 24.177.501).
- Submit fingerprints for a Montana Department of Justice and FBI criminal background check (MCA 37-11-312).
- Provide a certificate of graduation or transcripts from a CAPTE-accredited physical therapy program.
- Have licence verifications sent from every jurisdiction where you hold or have held a licence (ARM 24.177.507).
- Foreign-trained applicants must submit an FCCPT educational evaluation and, from a non-English-speaking culture, a passing TOEFL score (ARM 24.177.510).
- Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow 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.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Montana:
All 42 origin states
Frequently asked questions
Does my physical therapy license transfer to Montana?
Montana is an active PT Compact member, which opens two doors. If your home state is also a compact member and you hold an active license there, you can buy a Montana compact privilege through the commission — a practice authorization, not a Montana license — after meeting any Montana jurisprudence requirement. If you are relocating to Montana, or your home state is not a member, you apply to the Montana Board of Physical, Rehabilitative, and Developmental Health Care Professionals (formerly the Board of Physical Therapy Examiners), Department of Labor & Industry for licensure by endorsement instead: $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.), with your NPTE score transferred through the FSBPT rather than retaken.
Do I have to retake the NPTE to get licensed in Montana?
No. The NPTE is not retaken; FSBPT must verify a passing NPTE score of 600 or higher directly to the Board. Montana also requires a completed open-book state jurisprudence examination (ARM 24.177.501), with a $25 fee for each retake.. No state requires a second NPTE.
How much does it cost to transfer a PT license to Montana by endorsement?
$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.) ($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.).
How long does Montana take to process an endorsement application?
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 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.
Is Montana in the PT Compact?
Yes — Montana is an active member as of 2026-08-07. A PT or PTA whose home state is also a member can buy a Montana compact privilege instead of a full license; relocating to Montana still requires licensure by endorsement.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 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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