Skip to content
LicenseReciprocity

Physical Therapy License from Oregon to Pennsylvania: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Pennsylvania State Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State) ↗

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

Verify this exact pair in the checker

Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.

Run the Reciprocity Checker →

Verdict

Compact multistate — already covered

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

What changes, Oregon → Pennsylvania

Side-by-side: Oregon vs Pennsylvania (Physical Therapy (PT/PTA)), verified 2026-08-07
Oregon (current)Pennsylvania (destination)
PT Compact statusPT Compact member — multistate license honoredPT Compact member — multistate license honored
Application fee$187 (OAR 848-005-0020(1) sets the PT/PTA Endorsement Application fee at $187.00 plus the actual cost to the Board of conducting a nationwide background verification. Distinct items in the same rule: PT license renewal $200 (plus workforce survey and background verification costs), PTA renewal $130, military spouse temporary permit $99, temporary permit $50. The PT/PTA compact privilege fee of $102.00 in that rule is the PT Compact privilege charge, not the endorsement fee.)$30 (49 Pa. Code section 40.5 sets 'Application for licensure by examination/endorsement' at $30 for a physical therapist; initial application for PTA certification by examination or endorsement is also $30. Related items in the same fee rule: biennial PT renewal $90, licensure through foreign training $45, temporary licence $15, verification of licensure $15, certification of examination scores or licensure $25. Criminal history record checks and the 3-hour child abuse training are billed separately by their providers.)
Processing timeThe Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications in its rules or on its Applying for Licensure page.Neither the Board's regulations nor the Department of State's physical therapist licensure snapshot states a processing timeframe.
Licensing authorityOregon Board of Physical Therapy (Oregon Physical Therapist Licensing Board)Pennsylvania State Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State)

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

Step by step

  1. Confirm your current license is an active multistate license in good standing.
  2. If you are moving your primary residence to Pennsylvania: apply for licensure by endorsement with the Pennsylvania State Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State) when you move.
  3. Declare Pennsylvania as your new primary state of residence on that application.
  4. Complete Pennsylvania'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 Pennsylvania accept a Oregon physical therapy license?

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

Do I retake the NPTE moving from Oregon to Pennsylvania?

No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken. Under 49 Pa. Code section 40.16 an applicant licensed or registered as a physical therapist in another state, territory or the District of Columbia is licensed by endorsement on evidence that the requirements there were substantially equal to Pennsylvania's at the date of that licensure, together with the professional credentials required by section 40.11. No separate Pennsylvania jurisprudence examination appears in section 40.16 or on the Board's physical therapist licensure snapshot..

What does the move cost?

If you are buying a Pennsylvania compact privilege to work while living in Oregon: the commission's uniform fee plus Pennsylvania's privilege fee. If you are relocating and taking a full Pennsylvania license by endorsement: $30 (49 Pa. Code section 40.5 sets 'Application for licensure by examination/endorsement' at $30 for a physical therapist; initial application for PTA certification by examination or endorsement is also $30. Related items in the same fee rule: biennial PT renewal $90, licensure through foreign training $45, temporary licence $15, verification of licensure $15, certification of examination scores or licensure $25. Criminal history record checks and the 3-hour child abuse training are billed separately by their providers.) (49 Pa. Code section 40.5 sets 'Application for licensure by examination/endorsement' at $30 for a physical therapist; initial application for PTA certification by examination or endorsement is also $30. Related items in the same fee rule: biennial PT renewal $90, licensure through foreign training $45, temporary licence $15, verification of licensure $15, certification of examination scores or licensure $25. Criminal history record checks and the 3-hour child abuse training are billed separately by their providers.).

How long will it take?

A compact privilege issues quickly once your eligibility and any Pennsylvania jurisprudence exam are cleared — usually faster than a full license. A relocation endorsement runs Neither the Board's regulations nor the Department of State's physical therapist licensure snapshot states a processing timeframe. (Neither the Board's regulations nor the Department of State's physical therapist licensure snapshot states a processing timeframe.).

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]