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LicenseReciprocity

Physical Therapy License from North Dakota to Texas: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners) ↗

Yes — both North Dakota and Texas are members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If North Dakota is your primary state of residence and you hold a multistate license, you can practice in Texas now; if you are moving your residence to Texas, apply for licensure by endorsement there and declare Texas your new primary state of residence — your multistate privilege continues.

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Verdict

Compact multistate — already covered

Both North Dakota and Texas are active PT Compact members, so this is a privilege move, not a license move. If North Dakota is your home state and primary residence and your license there is active, you do not apply to the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners) — you buy a Texas compact privilege through the commission and practice on it, with your North Dakota license staying in place. Two caveats worth planning around: Texas may require its jurisprudence exam before the privilege issues, and the privilege lapses the moment your North Dakota license does. If you are genuinely relocating to Texas rather than working there temporarily, the privilege model doesn't fit — you would change your home state by endorsing into Texas.

What changes, North Dakota → Texas

Side-by-side: North Dakota vs Texas (Physical Therapy (PT/PTA)), verified 2026-08-07
North Dakota (current)Texas (destination)
PT Compact statusPT Compact member — multistate license honoredPT Compact member — multistate license honored
Application 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.)the non-refundable application fee is set by the Executive Council in 22 TAC 651.2 (Physical Therapy Board Fees); ECPTOTE publishes no amount on its own pages and links out to the Texas Secretary of State TAC viewer, which is a JavaScript portal that could not be retrieved on 2026-08-07, so no figure is asserted here. The fee is WAIVED for military service members, military spouses and military veterans. Separate from this: the PT Compact privilege costs $50 to Texas plus the Commission's fee, and the FSBPT score transfer costs $90.
Processing timeNeither the North Dakota Administrative Code nor the Board's rules state a processing timeframe for endorsement applications.ECPTOTE states it is not publishing current processing times because of high application volume; the only fixed period in rule is that an application for licensure is valid for one year after the board receives it
Licensing authorityNorth Dakota Board of Physical TherapyTexas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners)

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Texas sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm your current license is an active multistate license in good standing (check it in the verification system).
  2. If you are moving your primary residence to Texas: apply for licensure by endorsement with the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners) when you move.
  3. Declare Texas as your new primary state of residence on that application.
  4. Complete Texas's fingerprint/background check requirement if requested.
  5. 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 Texas accept a North Dakota physical therapy license?

Yes — both North Dakota and Texas are members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If North Dakota is your primary state of residence and you hold a multistate license, you can practice in Texas now; if you are moving your residence to Texas, apply for licensure by endorsement there and declare Texas your new primary state of residence — your multistate privilege continues.

Do I retake the NPTE moving from North Dakota to Texas?

No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; a score report must be sent directly to the board by the board-approved reporting service (FSBPT Score Transfer Service, $90 per report), and the reported score must have satisfied licensure requirements in a state at the time the exam was taken. Texas additionally requires a passing score on the board's jurisprudence exam, the Texas Jurisprudence Assessment Module (TX JAM), before a license is issued..

What does the move cost?

If you are buying a Texas compact privilege to work while living in North Dakota: the commission's uniform fee plus Texas's privilege fee. If you are relocating and taking a full Texas license by endorsement: the non-refundable application fee is set by the Executive Council in 22 TAC 651.2 (Physical Therapy Board Fees); ECPTOTE publishes no amount on its own pages and links out to the Texas Secretary of State TAC viewer, which is a JavaScript portal that could not be retrieved on 2026-08-07, so no figure is asserted here. The fee is WAIVED for military service members, military spouses and military veterans. Separate from this: the PT Compact privilege costs $50 to Texas plus the Commission's fee, and the FSBPT score transfer costs $90. (the non-refundable application fee is set by the Executive Council in 22 TAC 651.2 (Physical Therapy Board Fees); ECPTOTE publishes no amount on its own pages and links out to the Texas Secretary of State TAC viewer, which is a JavaScript portal that could not be retrieved on 2026-08-07, so no figure is asserted here. The fee is WAIVED for military service members, military spouses and military veterans. Separate from this: the PT Compact privilege costs $50 to Texas plus the Commission's fee, and the FSBPT score transfer costs $90.).

How long will it take?

A compact privilege issues quickly once your eligibility and any Texas jurisprudence exam are cleared — usually faster than a full license. A relocation endorsement runs ECPTOTE states it is not publishing current processing times because of high application volume; the only fixed period in rule is that an application for licensure is valid for one year after the board receives it (ECPTOTE states it is not publishing current processing times because of high application volume; the only fixed period in rule is that an application for licensure is valid for one year after the board receives it).

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]