Skip to content
LicenseReciprocity

Physical Therapy License from Tennessee to Montana: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Montana Board of Physical, Rehabilitative, and Developmental Health Care Professionals (formerly the Board of Physical Therapy Examiners), Department of Labor & Industry ↗

Yes — both Tennessee and Montana are members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If Tennessee is your primary state of residence and you hold a multistate license, you can practice in Montana now; if you are moving your residence to Montana, apply for licensure by endorsement there and declare Montana 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 Tennessee and Montana are active PT Compact members, so this is a privilege move, not a license move. If Tennessee is your home state and primary residence and your license there is active, you do not apply to the Montana Board of Physical, Rehabilitative, and Developmental Health Care Professionals (formerly the Board of Physical Therapy Examiners), Department of Labor & Industry — you buy a Montana compact privilege through the commission and practice on it, with your Tennessee license staying in place. Two caveats worth planning around: Montana may require its jurisprudence exam before the privilege issues, and the privilege lapses the moment your Tennessee license does. If you are genuinely relocating to Montana rather than working there temporarily, the privilege model doesn't fit — you would change your home state by endorsing into Montana.

What changes, Tennessee → Montana

Side-by-side: Tennessee vs Montana (Physical Therapy (PT/PTA)), verified 2026-08-07
Tennessee (current)Montana (destination)
PT Compact statusPT Compact member — multistate license honoredPT Compact member — multistate license honored
Application fee$260–$305 (Rule 1150-01-.06 fee schedule for a PT: $150 application fee + $100 reciprocity fee + $10 biennial state regulatory fee are due when the application is filed ($260); a $45 license fee is then due before the license is issued, for $305 total. PTA equivalents are $140 + $100 + $10 + $45. Background-check vendor costs and the $90 FSBPT score-transfer fee are separate. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.)$225 ($100.00 physical therapist application fee (all applicants) + $125.00 out-of-state licence application fee, per the Board's application form (rev. 2025-03-14) and licensing checklist. The department also charges an extra $5.00 litigation-fund fee to applicants and licensees of qualifying boards from 1 July 2025 (HB 227). Jurisprudence re-examination is $25 per retake and a pre-exam temporary licence is $100. Fingerprint background-check costs are separate. This is NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.)
Processing timethe Board's rules set no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; they only require the $45 license fee to be received within 30 days of notification that it is due, or the application file is closedthe Board publishes no processing timeframe for out-of-state applications; it notes only that if all other requirements are met it can issue a provisional licence with a reservation of rights, valid for 60 days, while outstanding licence verifications are completed
Licensing authorityTennessee Board of Physical Therapy (Tennessee Department of Health)Montana Board of Physical, Rehabilitative, and Developmental Health Care Professionals (formerly the Board of Physical Therapy Examiners), Department of Labor & Industry

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Montana 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 Montana: apply for licensure by endorsement with the Montana Board of Physical, Rehabilitative, and Developmental Health Care Professionals (formerly the Board of Physical Therapy Examiners), Department of Labor & Industry when you move.
  3. Declare Montana as your new primary state of residence on that application.
  4. Complete Montana'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

Montana Board of Physical, Rehabilitative, and Developmental Health Care Professionals (formerly the Board of Physical Therapy Examiners), Department of Labor & Industry ↗Montana application ↗Physical Therapy Licensure Compact ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Montana → TennesseePhysical Therapy in TennesseePhysical Therapy in MontanaAll physical therapy statesThe PT Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Montana accept a Tennessee physical therapy license?

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

Do I retake the NPTE moving from Tennessee to Montana?

No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. The NPTE is not retaken; FSBPT must verify a passing NPTE score of 600 or higher directly to the Board. Montana also requires a completed open-book state jurisprudence examination (ARM 24.177.501), with a $25 fee for each retake..

What does the move cost?

If you are buying a Montana compact privilege to work while living in Tennessee: the commission's uniform fee plus Montana's privilege fee. If you are relocating and taking a full Montana license by endorsement: $225 ($100.00 physical therapist application fee (all applicants) + $125.00 out-of-state licence application fee, per the Board's application form (rev. 2025-03-14) and licensing checklist. The department also charges an extra $5.00 litigation-fund fee to applicants and licensees of qualifying boards from 1 July 2025 (HB 227). Jurisprudence re-examination is $25 per retake and a pre-exam temporary licence is $100. Fingerprint background-check costs are separate. This is NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) ($100.00 physical therapist application fee (all applicants) + $125.00 out-of-state licence application fee, per the Board's application form (rev. 2025-03-14) and licensing checklist. The department also charges an extra $5.00 litigation-fund fee to applicants and licensees of qualifying boards from 1 July 2025 (HB 227). Jurisprudence re-examination is $25 per retake and a pre-exam temporary licence is $100. Fingerprint background-check costs are separate. This is NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.).

How long will it take?

A compact privilege issues quickly once your eligibility and any Montana jurisprudence exam are cleared — usually faster than a full license. A relocation endorsement runs the Board publishes no processing timeframe for out-of-state applications; it notes only that if all other requirements are met it can issue a provisional licence with a reservation of rights, valid for 60 days, while outstanding licence verifications are completed (the Board publishes no processing timeframe for out-of-state applications; it notes only that if all other requirements are met it can issue a provisional licence with a reservation of rights, valid for 60 days, while outstanding licence verifications are completed).

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]