Physical Therapy License from Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas into New Mexico leaves the compact behind: New Mexico has not joined the compact, so no Texas 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 Texas license and any privileges you hold elsewhere stay valid as long as your residence remains in Texas; file New Mexico's application before you rely on income there.
What changes, Texas → New Mexico
| Texas (current) | New Mexico (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | PT Compact member — multistate license honored | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | the non-refundable application fee is set by the Executive Council in 22 TAC 651.2 (Physical Therapy Board Fees); ECPTOTE publishes no amount on its own pages and links out to the Texas Secretary of State TAC viewer, which is a JavaScript portal that could not be retrieved on 2026-08-07, so no figure is asserted here. The fee is WAIVED for military service members, military spouses and military veterans. Separate from this: the PT Compact privilege costs $50 to Texas plus the Commission's fee, and the FSBPT score transfer costs $90. | $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 | ECPTOTE states it is not publishing current processing times because of high application volume; the only fixed period in rule is that an application for licensure is valid for one year after the board receives it | 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 | Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners) | 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 Texas physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas 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)
- Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners Rules (November 2025) - 22 TAC 329.1 General Licensure Requirements and 329.6 Licensure by Endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- ECPTOTE - PT Apply by Endorsement (application steps) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- ECPTOTE - PT Compact page (Texas privilege fee and TX JAM requirement) ↗ (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 Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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