Physical Therapy License from Tennessee to Vermont: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Yes, for working in Vermont — both Tennessee and Vermont are active members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If Tennessee is your primary state of residence and your Tennessee license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in Vermont without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Vermont, you will need a Vermont license once Vermont becomes your home state.
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Verdict
Compact privilege — work there without a second license
Both Tennessee and Vermont 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 Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Secretary of State (Physical Therapists) — you buy a Vermont compact privilege through the commission and practice on it, with your Tennessee license staying in place. Two caveats worth planning around: Vermont 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 Vermont rather than working there temporarily, the privilege model doesn't fit — you would change your home state by endorsing into Vermont.
What changes, Tennessee → Vermont
| Tennessee (current) | Vermont (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | Licensure by endorsement · PT Compact privilege (not a license) | Licensure by endorsement · PT Compact privilege (not a license) |
| 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.) | $120 (physical therapist application fee (code 040) on OPR's Initial Licensing/Renewal Fees & Dates schedule updated 7/1/2025; the license then renews at $180 biennially on September 30 of even years. Fingerprint/background-check vendor costs are separate. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) |
| Processing time | the 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 closed | OPR publishes no processing timeframe for PT endorsement applications; it states a 90-day provisional license can issue when everything except the licensure verification or background-check result is complete |
| Licensing authority | Tennessee Board of Physical Therapy (Tennessee Department of Health) | Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Secretary of State (Physical Therapists) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Vermont sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm your home-state license is active and unencumbered and that your home state is your primary state of residence.
- To work in Vermont: purchase a PT Compact privilege for Vermont through the compact commission and complete any Vermont jurisprudence requirement.
- Keep your home-state license active — every privilege lapses with it.
- If you are moving your primary residence to Vermont: apply for a Vermont license with the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Secretary of State (Physical Therapists); a privilege does not follow you when your home state changes.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Vermont accept a Tennessee physical therapy license?
Yes, for working in Vermont — both Tennessee and Vermont are active members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If Tennessee is your primary state of residence and your Tennessee license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in Vermont without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Vermont, you will need a Vermont license once Vermont becomes your home state.
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Tennessee to Vermont?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; OPR accepts the passing score through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service (the OPR endorsement instructions link a 'Physical Therapists Score Transfer' step). Vermont imposes no state jurisprudence examination - neither the Physical Therapy Rule nor the PT Compact Commission's state requirements table lists one.
What does the move cost?
If you are buying a Vermont compact privilege to work while living in Tennessee: the commission's uniform fee plus Vermont's privilege fee. If you are relocating and taking a full Vermont license by endorsement: $120 (physical therapist application fee (code 040) on OPR's Initial Licensing/Renewal Fees & Dates schedule updated 7/1/2025; the license then renews at $180 biennially on September 30 of even years. Fingerprint/background-check vendor costs are separate. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.).
How long will it take?
A compact privilege issues quickly once your eligibility and any Vermont jurisprudence exam are cleared — usually faster than a full license. A relocation endorsement runs OPR publishes no processing timeframe for PT endorsement applications; it states a 90-day provisional license can issue when everything except the licensure verification or background-check result is complete.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Vermont OPR - Physical Therapist Forms & Instructions ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Vermont OPR - Initial Licensing/Renewal Fees & Dates (updated 7/1/2025) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Vermont OPR - Administrative Rules for Physical Therapists (eff. June 1, 2013) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - member state map ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - how to get privileges (state fee and jurisprudence table) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Rules of the Tennessee Board of Physical Therapy, Chapter 1150-01 (December 2025 revision) - Rules 1150-01-.04 Qualifications, .05 Procedures, .06 Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Tennessee Department of Health - Board of Physical Therapy ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - state status list (Physical Therapy Compact Commission) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- FSBPT - NPTE Score Transfer Service ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]