Physical Therapy License from Ohio to New Mexico: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: New Mexico Physical Therapy Board (Regulation and Licensing Department, Boards and Commissions Division) ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from Ohio to New Mexico by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New Mexico Physical Therapy Board (Regulation and Licensing Department, Boards and Commissions Division), verify your Ohio license, and meet New Mexico's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken, but the board will only accept scores sent directly by the testing entity - scores forwarded by the applicant, an employer, or another state board are rejected. New Mexico also requires its own jurisprudence examination, taken inside the online application and repeatable until passed, at $25 per attempt..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Moving from Ohio into New Mexico leaves the compact behind: New Mexico has not joined the compact, so no Ohio privilege reaches it. You transfer by licensure by endorsement with the New Mexico Physical Therapy Board (Regulation and Licensing Department, Boards and Commissions Division) — your NPTE score moves through the FSBPT rather than being retaken, and New Mexico adds its own jurisprudence exam and background check. Your Ohio license and any privileges you hold elsewhere stay valid as long as your residence remains in Ohio; file New Mexico's application before you rely on income there.
What changes, Ohio → New Mexico
| Ohio (current) | New Mexico (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | PT Compact member — multistate license honored | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $100 (OAC 4755-4-01(B)(1) (effective August 21, 2025) caps the initial licensing fee - the fee an endorsement applicant pays - at one hundred dollars, and states that the current amount is published on the Board's website. otptat.ohio.gov and codes.ohio.gov were unreachable from the research environment on 2026-08-07, so only the rule maximum is given rather than an unverified exact figure. Biennial renewal is likewise capped at $100. The BCI/FBI criminal records check is billed separately by the record providers. This is not the PT Compact privilege fee.) | $250 (non-refundable application for full licensure as a physical therapist under 16.20.5.8(A)(1) NMAC (PTA is $200). + a separate $25 jurisprudence exam fee per attempt under 16.20.5.8(C), and the applicant pays the NM Department of Public Safety background-check cost. Biennial renewal is $160. New Mexico is not a PT Compact state, so no privilege fee exists.) |
| Processing time | Neither the Ohio Revised Code nor the Board's rules state a processing timeframe; OAC 4755:2-1-01(E) provides only that an application still incomplete one year after filing is abandoned. | the board publishes no processing timeframe; it states only that background results arrive from the Department of Public Safety weekly and that an initial application stays valid for 12 months (16.20.3.8(J) NMAC) |
| Licensing authority | Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Athletic Trainers Board (OTPTAT Board) - Physical Therapy Section | New Mexico Physical Therapy Board (Regulation and Licensing Department, Boards and Commissions Division) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — New Mexico sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm New Mexico's current requirements on the New Mexico Physical Therapy Board (Regulation and Licensing Department, Boards and Commissions Division) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the New Mexico Physical Therapy Board (Regulation and Licensing Department, Boards and Commissions Division) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current license in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction that meets or exceeds New Mexico's requirements.
- Pass the New Mexico jurisprudence examination within the online application and pay the $25 non-refundable exam fee.
- Submit a statewide and nationwide New Mexico Department of Public Safety criminal history background check - the application will not be processed without the results.
- Have NPTE scores sent to the board directly by the testing entity.
- Submit verification of every license held in another U.S. jurisdiction, showing status, expiration, denials, and any discipline.
- Pay the fees ($250 (non-refundable application for full licensure as a physical therapist under 16.20.5.8(A)(1) NMAC (PTA is $200). + a separate $25 jurisprudence exam fee per attempt under 16.20.5.8(C), and the applicant pays the NM Department of Public Safety background-check cost. Biennial renewal is $160. New Mexico is not a PT Compact state, so no privilege fee exists.)) and allow the board publishes no processing timeframe; it states only that background results arrive from the Department of Public Safety weekly and that an initial application stays valid for 12 months (16.20.3.8(J) NMAC).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does New Mexico accept a Ohio physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from Ohio to New Mexico by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New Mexico Physical Therapy Board (Regulation and Licensing Department, Boards and Commissions Division), verify your Ohio license, and meet New Mexico's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken, but the board will only accept scores sent directly by the testing entity - scores forwarded by the applicant, an employer, or another state board are rejected. New Mexico also requires its own jurisprudence examination, taken inside the online application and repeatable until passed, at $25 per attempt..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Ohio to New Mexico?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken, but the board will only accept scores sent directly by the testing entity - scores forwarded by the applicant, an employer, or another state board are rejected. New Mexico also requires its own jurisprudence examination, taken inside the online application and repeatable until passed, at $25 per attempt..
What does the move cost?
$250 (non-refundable application for full licensure as a physical therapist under 16.20.5.8(A)(1) NMAC (PTA is $200). + a separate $25 jurisprudence exam fee per attempt under 16.20.5.8(C), and the applicant pays the NM Department of Public Safety background-check cost. Biennial renewal is $160. New Mexico is not a PT Compact state, so no privilege fee exists.) (non-refundable application for full licensure as a physical therapist under 16.20.5.8(A)(1) NMAC (PTA is $200). + a separate $25 jurisprudence exam fee per attempt under 16.20.5.8(C), and the applicant pays the NM Department of Public Safety background-check cost. Biennial renewal is $160. New Mexico is not a PT Compact state, so no privilege fee exists.).
How long will it take?
the board publishes no processing timeframe; it states only that background results arrive from the Department of Public Safety weekly and that an initial application stays valid for 12 months (16.20.3.8(J) NMAC) — the board publishes no processing timeframe; it states only that background results arrive from the Department of Public Safety weekly and that an initial application stays valid for 12 months (16.20.3.8(J) NMAC).
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- 16.20.5.8 NMAC - Schedule of Fees, New Mexico Physical Therapy Board ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 16.20.3 NMAC - Application for Licensure and Licensure by Reciprocity (16.20.3.8, 16.20.3.11) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NM RLD Physical Therapy Board - Licensing, Registration and Renewal ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NM RLD - Physical Therapist Application User Guide (reciprocity pre-screen, mandatory jurisprudence step) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Ohio OTPTAT Board - Physical Therapy Laws and Rules, effective April 3, 2026 (LSC-authenticated ORC and OAC text: OAC 4755:2-1-01, 4755:2-1-03, 4755:2-1-04, 4755-3-05, 4755-4-01, 4755-4-02) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - member state map ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- FSBPT - NPTE Score Transfer Service ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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