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LicenseReciprocity

Transfer Your Physical Therapy License to North Dakota: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy ↗

North Dakota issues and accepts compact privileges as an active PT Compact member. If your home state is a member, you can practice in North Dakota on a purchased privilege without a North Dakota license; otherwise, or if you are moving to North Dakota, the route is licensure by endorsement with the North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy — $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.), no NPTE retake, the score transferred through the FSBPT.

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Verdict

PT Compact member — multistate license honored

Whether North Dakota costs you a full license or just a privilege depends on what you are actually doing. Working in North Dakota while your license and residence stay in another member state — a travel assignment, a satellite clinic, telehealth across the line — means buying a North Dakota compact privilege and keeping your home license; North Dakota charges no full-license fee for that path, though it may require its jurisprudence exam first. Relocating to North Dakota is the other case: your residence changes, North Dakota becomes your home state, and that is licensure by endorsement with the North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy, after which North Dakota can anchor privileges of its own.

North Dakota is an active PT Compact member, so a PT whose home state is also an active member can practice in ND on a compact privilege rather than endorsing; NDAC 61.5-02-02-02(3) points compact privilege holders to NDCC ch. 43-26.2. Endorsement is still required when North Dakota becomes the licensee's home state. A military spouse holding an active unencumbered out-of-state PT/PTA license may work immediately for ninety days while the North Dakota application is in progress (NDAC 61.5-02-02-06(4)). The Board's own site (ndbpt.org) refused connections from the research environment on 2026-08-07, so every value here comes from the North Dakota Administrative Code as published by the North Dakota Legislative Branch.

North Dakota requirements at a glance

Out-of-state physical therapy license transfer requirements for North Dakota, verified 2026-08-07
ExamNPTE 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)).
Additional requirements
  • Graduate from a physical therapy curriculum approved by the Board and submit an official transcript or electronic confirmation
  • Pass the North Dakota jurisprudence examination before the license issues
  • Submit verification of licensure from every jurisdiction in which you are currently licensed
  • Complete a criminal history background check
  • If you have not practiced physical therapy for three or more years, demonstrate current competence by a method the Board specifies
Fees$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 timeNeither the North Dakota Administrative Code nor the Board's rules state a processing timeframe for endorsement applications.

Step by step

  1. Confirm North Dakota's current requirements on the North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy website — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy.
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Graduate from a physical therapy curriculum approved by the Board and submit an official transcript or electronic confirmation.
  5. Pass the North Dakota jurisprudence examination before the license issues.
  6. Submit verification of licensure from every jurisdiction in which you are currently licensed.
  7. Complete a criminal history background check.
  8. If you have not practiced physical therapy for three or more years, demonstrate current competence by a method the Board specifies.
  9. Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow Neither the North Dakota Administrative Code nor the Board's rules state a processing timeframe for endorsement applications..

Official links

North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy ↗Physical Therapy Licensure Compact ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into North Dakota:

Alabama → North DakotaAlaska → North DakotaArizona → North DakotaArkansas → North DakotaCalifornia → North DakotaColorado → North DakotaConnecticut → North DakotaDelaware → North DakotaDistrict of Columbia → North DakotaFlorida → North DakotaGeorgia → North DakotaIllinois → North DakotaIndiana → North DakotaIowa → North DakotaKansas → North DakotaKentucky → North DakotaLouisiana → North DakotaMaryland → North DakotaMichigan → North DakotaMississippi → North Dakota
All 42 origin states
Missouri → North DakotaMontana → North DakotaNebraska → North DakotaNevada → North DakotaNew Hampshire → North DakotaNew Jersey → North DakotaNew York → North DakotaNorth Carolina → North DakotaOhio → North DakotaOklahoma → North DakotaOregon → North DakotaPennsylvania → North DakotaSouth Carolina → North DakotaSouth Dakota → North DakotaTennessee → North DakotaTexas → North DakotaUtah → North DakotaVermont → North DakotaVirginia → North DakotaWashington → North DakotaWest Virginia → North DakotaWisconsin → North Dakota

Frequently asked questions

Does my physical therapy license transfer to North Dakota?

North Dakota issues and accepts compact privileges as an active PT Compact member. If your home state is a member, you can practice in North Dakota on a purchased privilege without a North Dakota license; otherwise, or if you are moving to North Dakota, the route is licensure by endorsement with the North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy — $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.), no NPTE retake, the score transferred through the FSBPT.

Do I have to retake the NPTE to get licensed in North Dakota?

No. 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)).. No state requires a second NPTE.

How much does it cost to transfer a PT license to North Dakota 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 does North Dakota take to process an endorsement application?

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..

Is North Dakota in the PT Compact?

Yes — North Dakota is an active member as of 2026-08-07. A PT or PTA whose home state is also a member can buy a North Dakota compact privilege instead of a full license; relocating to North Dakota still requires licensure by endorsement.

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]