Physical Therapy License from New York to Montana: Does It Transfer? (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 ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from New York to Montana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Montana Board of Physical, Rehabilitative, and Developmental Health Care Professionals (formerly the Board of Physical Therapy Examiners), Department of Labor & Industry, verify your New York license, and meet Montana's endorsement requirements. 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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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This direction has a payoff. New York is outside the active compact, so you have had no privileges to work with — but Montana is an active member. Endorse into Montana with the Montana Board of Physical, Rehabilitative, and Developmental Health Care Professionals (formerly the Board of Physical Therapy Examiners), Department of Labor & Industry, establish it as your home state and primary residence, and Montana becomes your springboard: from there you can buy compact privileges into every other active member state without another full license. Your NPTE score transfers through the FSBPT; you do not re-sit the exam.
What changes, New York → Montana
| New York (current) | Montana (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | PT Compact member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $294 (combined fee for licensure and first registration as a physical therapist; the same $294 applies whether you qualify by endorsement or by the standard route (PTA is $103). An optional limited permit costs a further $70, is non-refundable, and is valid 6 months. New York is not a PT Compact state, so no privilege fee exists.) | $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 Office of the Professions publishes no processing timeframe for physical therapy applications | 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 |
| Licensing authority | New York State Board for Physical Therapy (NYSED Office of the Professions) | Montana Board of Physical, Rehabilitative, and Developmental Health Care Professionals (formerly the Board of Physical Therapy Examiners), Department of Labor & Industry |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Montana sets the rules for this move.
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 (linked below) — 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 below).
- 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
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Montana accept a New York physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from New York to Montana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Montana Board of Physical, Rehabilitative, and Developmental Health Care Professionals (formerly the Board of Physical Therapy Examiners), Department of Labor & Industry, verify your New York license, and meet Montana's endorsement requirements. 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..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from New York to Montana?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. 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..
What does the move cost?
$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 will it take?
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.
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)
- NYSED Office of the Professions - Physical Therapy License Requirements (fees, licensure by endorsement, limited permits) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NYSED Office of the Professions - Physical Therapy License Application Forms ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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