Physical Therapy License from Nebraska to North Dakota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy ↗
Yes — both Nebraska and North Dakota are members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If Nebraska is your primary state of residence and you hold a multistate license, you can practice in North Dakota now; if you are moving your residence to North Dakota, apply for licensure by endorsement there and declare North Dakota your new primary state of residence — your multistate privilege continues.
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Verdict
Compact multistate — already covered
Both Nebraska and North Dakota are active PT Compact members, so this is a privilege move, not a license move. If Nebraska is your home state and primary residence and your license there is active, you do not apply to the North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy — you buy a North Dakota compact privilege through the commission and practice on it, with your Nebraska license staying in place. Two caveats worth planning around: North Dakota may require its jurisprudence exam before the privilege issues, and the privilege lapses the moment your Nebraska license does. If you are genuinely relocating to North Dakota rather than working there temporarily, the privilege model doesn't fit — you would change your home state by endorsing into North Dakota.
What changes, Nebraska → North Dakota
| Nebraska (current) | North Dakota (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | PT Compact member — multistate license honored | PT Compact member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $133 (initial license fee stated on the DHHS Physical Therapist application; it drops to $33.25 for licenses issued May-October of odd-numbered years (the tail of the biennium) and is waived entirely for applicants under 26, low-income applicants, and military family members. + $55 Nebraska State Patrol criminal background check fee, which is never waived. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) | $200 (Non-refundable application fee set by NDAC 61.5-02-03-01(1); the same application fee applies to licensure by endorsement. Annual renewal is $100 for physical therapists ($60 for PTAs) and the late renewal fee is $50. The criminal-history background check is billed separately at cost. The $40 'compact fee' in the same rule is North Dakota's PT Compact privilege fee, not the endorsement application fee.) |
| Processing time | DHHS publishes no processing timeframe; it states only that applications are reviewed in the order received and that verification of non-citizenship documents through Homeland Security may take up to 30 days | Neither the North Dakota Administrative Code nor the Board's rules state a processing timeframe for endorsement applications. |
| Licensing authority | Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit (Board of Physical Therapy) | North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — North Dakota sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm your current license is an active multistate license in good standing.
- If you are moving your primary residence to North Dakota: apply for licensure by endorsement with the North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy when you move.
- Declare North Dakota as your new primary state of residence on that application.
- Complete North Dakota'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 North Dakota accept a Nebraska physical therapy license?
Yes — both Nebraska and North Dakota are members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If Nebraska is your primary state of residence and you hold a multistate license, you can practice in North Dakota now; if you are moving your residence to North Dakota, apply for licensure by endorsement there and declare North Dakota your new primary state of residence — your multistate privilege continues.
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Nebraska to North Dakota?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken. For licensure by endorsement from another United States jurisdiction, NDAC 61.5-02-02-02(2)(c) requires a copy of the examination scores transmitted by a score transfer service approved by the Board (the FSBPT Score Transfer Service). North Dakota also requires its own jurisprudence examination, an open-book test on the ND Practice Act and Board rules that is completed inside the online application (NDAC 61.5-02-02-01(1)(e))..
What does the move cost?
If you are buying a North Dakota compact privilege to work while living in Nebraska: the commission's uniform fee plus North Dakota's privilege fee. If you are relocating and taking a full North Dakota license by endorsement: $200 (Non-refundable application fee set by NDAC 61.5-02-03-01(1); the same application fee applies to licensure by endorsement. Annual renewal is $100 for physical therapists ($60 for PTAs) and the late renewal fee is $50. The criminal-history background check is billed separately at cost. The $40 'compact fee' in the same rule is North Dakota's PT Compact privilege fee, not the endorsement application fee.) (Non-refundable application fee set by NDAC 61.5-02-03-01(1); the same application fee applies to licensure by endorsement. Annual renewal is $100 for physical therapists ($60 for PTAs) and the late renewal fee is $50. The criminal-history background check is billed separately at cost. The $40 'compact fee' in the same rule is North Dakota's PT Compact privilege fee, not the endorsement application fee.).
How long will it take?
A compact privilege issues quickly once your eligibility and any North Dakota jurisprudence exam are cleared — usually faster than a full license. A relocation endorsement runs Neither the North Dakota Administrative Code nor the Board's rules state a processing timeframe for endorsement applications. (Neither the North Dakota Administrative Code nor the Board's rules state a processing timeframe for endorsement applications.).
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- North Dakota Administrative Code 61.5-02-03 - Fees (ND Legislative Branch) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- North Dakota Administrative Code 61.5-02-02 - Licensure (general requirements and types of licensure incl. endorsement) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- North Dakota Administrative Code Title 61.5 - ND Board of Physical Therapy (index) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - member state map ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- FSBPT - NPTE Score Transfer Service ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Nebraska DHHS - Physical Therapist Application Information and Application (exams, fees, background check) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact Commission - Process and Requirements (Nebraska privilege fees and jurisprudence rule) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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