Physical Therapy License from North Carolina to Rhode Island: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Rhode Island Board of Physical Therapy (Rhode Island Department of Health) ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from North Carolina to Rhode Island by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Rhode Island Board of Physical Therapy (Rhode Island Department of Health), verify your North Carolina license, and meet Rhode Island's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; the FSBPT-approved national examination scores must be submitted directly to the Board (FSBPT Score Transfer Service, $90 per report). The Rhode Island PT regulation imposes no separate state jurisprudence exam..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Moving from North Carolina into Rhode Island leaves the compact behind: Rhode Island has enacted the compact but is not yet issuing or accepting privileges, so no North Carolina privilege reaches it. You transfer by licensure by endorsement with the Rhode Island Board of Physical Therapy (Rhode Island Department of Health) — your NPTE score moves through the FSBPT rather than being retaken, and Rhode Island adds its own jurisprudence exam and background check. Your North Carolina license and any privileges you hold elsewhere stay valid as long as your residence remains in North Carolina; file Rhode Island's application before you rely on income there.
What changes, North Carolina → Rhode Island
| North Carolina (current) | Rhode Island (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | PT Compact member — multistate license honored | PT Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | The Board's fee rule is 21 NCAC 48F .0102 (readopted eff. May 1, 2019), but on 2026-08-07 neither the rule text nor the Board's published Schedule of Fees could be retrieved from an official source - the Board's application host (www2.ncptboard.org) returned 403 and the NC OAH / NC Rules code servers were unreachable. No amount is stated rather than guess. Confirm the current endorsement application fee directly with the Board. | $155 (physical therapist initial application fee (examination or endorsement) per the RI DOH fee structure, 216-RICR-10-05-2; non-refundable. PTA is $50. BCI/background-check costs and the $90 FSBPT score-transfer fee are separate. NOT a PT Compact privilege fee - Rhode Island does not issue privileges.) |
| Processing time | The Board publishes no processing timeframe; 21 NCAC 48B .0102(a) provides only that each endorsement application is considered on an individual basis. | neither the Board's regulation (216-RICR-40-05-13) nor the DOH fee structure states a processing timeframe for endorsement applications |
| Licensing authority | North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners | Rhode Island Board of Physical Therapy (Rhode Island Department of Health) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Rhode Island sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Rhode Island's current requirements on the Rhode Island Board of Physical Therapy (Rhode Island Department of Health) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Rhode Island Board of Physical Therapy (Rhode Island Department of Health).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Submit a licensure-status statement from the physical therapy board of every state where you hold or have held a license.
- Have your FSBPT-approved national examination scores sent directly to the Board.
- Submit a full Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) report; out-of-state applicants obtain it from their state of residence.
- Do not practice physical therapy in Rhode Island until the endorsement license has actually been issued.
- Pay the fees ($155 (physical therapist initial application fee (examination or endorsement) per the RI DOH fee structure, 216-RICR-10-05-2; non-refundable. PTA is $50. BCI/background-check costs and the $90 FSBPT score-transfer fee are separate. NOT a PT Compact privilege fee - Rhode Island does not issue privileges.)) and allow neither the Board's regulation (216-RICR-40-05-13) nor the DOH fee structure states a processing timeframe for endorsement applications.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Rhode Island accept a North Carolina physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from North Carolina to Rhode Island by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Rhode Island Board of Physical Therapy (Rhode Island Department of Health), verify your North Carolina license, and meet Rhode Island's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; the FSBPT-approved national examination scores must be submitted directly to the Board (FSBPT Score Transfer Service, $90 per report). The Rhode Island PT regulation imposes no separate state jurisprudence exam..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from North Carolina to Rhode Island?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; the FSBPT-approved national examination scores must be submitted directly to the Board (FSBPT Score Transfer Service, $90 per report). The Rhode Island PT regulation imposes no separate state jurisprudence exam..
What does the move cost?
$155 (physical therapist initial application fee (examination or endorsement) per the RI DOH fee structure, 216-RICR-10-05-2; non-refundable. PTA is $50. BCI/background-check costs and the $90 FSBPT score-transfer fee are separate. NOT a PT Compact privilege fee - Rhode Island does not issue privileges.) (physical therapist initial application fee (examination or endorsement) per the RI DOH fee structure, 216-RICR-10-05-2; non-refundable. PTA is $50. BCI/background-check costs and the $90 FSBPT score-transfer fee are separate. NOT a PT Compact privilege fee - Rhode Island does not issue privileges.).
How long will it take?
neither the Board's regulation (216-RICR-40-05-13) nor the DOH fee structure states a processing timeframe for endorsement applications — neither the Board's regulation (216-RICR-40-05-13) nor the DOH fee structure states a processing timeframe for endorsement applications.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- 216-RICR-40-05-13 - Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants (RI Secretary of State, Rules & Regulations) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 216-RICR-10-05-2 - RI Department of Health Fee Structure for Licensing ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - state status list (Physical Therapy Compact Commission) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- FSBPT - Licensing Authorities Contact Information ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- FSBPT - NPTE Score Transfer Service ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NC Office of Administrative Hearings - rule text, 21 NCAC 48B .0102 Licenses by Endorsement (with 48E .0104, 48F .0101, 48G .0105, 48G .0203) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NC OAH - G.S. 150B-21.3A periodic review report for 21 NCAC 48, Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (rule inventory incl. 48E .0105, 48E .0113, 48F .0102) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NC Board of Physical Therapy Examiners - official site ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - member state map ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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