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LicenseReciprocity

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

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

Pennsylvania is an active PT Compact member, which opens two doors. If your home state is also a compact member and you hold an active license there, you can buy a Pennsylvania compact privilege through the commission — a practice authorization, not a Pennsylvania license — after meeting any Pennsylvania jurisprudence requirement. If you are relocating to Pennsylvania, or your home state is not a member, you apply to the Pennsylvania State Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State) for licensure by endorsement instead: $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.), with your NPTE score transferred through the FSBPT rather than retaken.

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Verdict

PT Compact member — multistate license honored

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

Pennsylvania is an active PT Compact member, so a PT whose home state is also an active member can work in Pennsylvania on a compact privilege instead of endorsing. Pennsylvania's $30 endorsement application fee is among the lowest in the country - do not confuse it with the $90 biennial renewal or the $45 foreign-training application. Alongside the classic section 40.16 endorsement route, Act 41 of 2019 gives every Pennsylvania board authority to endorse a licensee from a jurisdiction with substantially equivalent requirements who is active, in good standing, and free of discipline or disqualifying criminal conviction; the two routes coexist, so applicants should check which one the Board applies to their file.

Pennsylvania requirements at a glance

Out-of-state physical therapy license transfer requirements for Pennsylvania, verified 2026-08-07
ExamNPTE 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.
Additional requirements
  • Submit a written application on Board forms with the professional credentials required by 49 Pa. Code section 40.11
  • Provide evidence satisfactory to the Board that you are licensed or registered as a physical therapist elsewhere under requirements substantially equal to Pennsylvania's
  • Complete at least 3 hours of Board-approved training in child abuse recognition and reporting for initial licensure
  • Pay the licensure-by-endorsement fee prescribed in 49 Pa. Code section 40.5
Fees$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 timeNeither the Board's regulations nor the Department of State's physical therapist licensure snapshot states a processing timeframe.

Step by step

  1. Confirm Pennsylvania's current requirements on the Pennsylvania State Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State) website — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Pennsylvania State Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State) (application linked on this page).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Submit a written application on Board forms with the professional credentials required by 49 Pa. Code section 40.11.
  5. Provide evidence satisfactory to the Board that you are licensed or registered as a physical therapist elsewhere under requirements substantially equal to Pennsylvania's.
  6. Complete at least 3 hours of Board-approved training in child abuse recognition and reporting for initial licensure.
  7. Pay the licensure-by-endorsement fee prescribed in 49 Pa. Code section 40.5.
  8. Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow Neither the Board's regulations nor the Department of State's physical therapist licensure snapshot states a processing timeframe..

Official links

Pennsylvania State Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State) ↗Pennsylvania application ↗Physical Therapy Licensure Compact ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Pennsylvania:

Alabama → PennsylvaniaAlaska → PennsylvaniaArizona → PennsylvaniaArkansas → PennsylvaniaCalifornia → PennsylvaniaColorado → PennsylvaniaConnecticut → PennsylvaniaDelaware → PennsylvaniaDistrict of Columbia → PennsylvaniaFlorida → PennsylvaniaGeorgia → PennsylvaniaHawaii → PennsylvaniaIdaho → PennsylvaniaIllinois → PennsylvaniaIndiana → PennsylvaniaIowa → PennsylvaniaKansas → PennsylvaniaKentucky → PennsylvaniaLouisiana → PennsylvaniaMaine → Pennsylvania
All 50 origin states
Maryland → PennsylvaniaMassachusetts → PennsylvaniaMichigan → PennsylvaniaMinnesota → PennsylvaniaMississippi → PennsylvaniaMissouri → PennsylvaniaMontana → PennsylvaniaNebraska → PennsylvaniaNevada → PennsylvaniaNew Hampshire → PennsylvaniaNew Jersey → PennsylvaniaNew Mexico → PennsylvaniaNew York → PennsylvaniaNorth Carolina → PennsylvaniaNorth Dakota → PennsylvaniaOhio → PennsylvaniaOklahoma → PennsylvaniaOregon → PennsylvaniaRhode Island → PennsylvaniaSouth Carolina → PennsylvaniaSouth Dakota → PennsylvaniaTennessee → PennsylvaniaTexas → PennsylvaniaUtah → PennsylvaniaVermont → PennsylvaniaVirginia → PennsylvaniaWashington → PennsylvaniaWest Virginia → PennsylvaniaWisconsin → PennsylvaniaWyoming → Pennsylvania

Frequently asked questions

Does my physical therapy license transfer to Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania is an active PT Compact member, which opens two doors. If your home state is also a compact member and you hold an active license there, you can buy a Pennsylvania compact privilege through the commission — a practice authorization, not a Pennsylvania license — after meeting any Pennsylvania jurisprudence requirement. If you are relocating to Pennsylvania, or your home state is not a member, you apply to the Pennsylvania State Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State) for licensure by endorsement instead: $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.), with your NPTE score transferred through the FSBPT rather than retaken.

Do I have to retake the NPTE to get licensed in Pennsylvania?

No. 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.. No state requires a second NPTE.

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

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..

Is Pennsylvania in the PT Compact?

Yes — Pennsylvania is an active member as of 2026-08-07. A PT or PTA whose home state is also a member can buy a Pennsylvania compact privilege instead of a full license; relocating to Pennsylvania 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]