Physical Therapy License from Texas to North Dakota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy ↗
Yes — both Texas and North Dakota are members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If Texas is your primary state of residence and you hold a multistate license, you can practice in North Dakota now; if you are moving your residence to North Dakota, apply for licensure by endorsement there and declare North Dakota your new primary state of residence — your multistate privilege continues.
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Verdict
Compact multistate — already covered
Both Texas and North Dakota are active PT Compact members, so this is a privilege move, not a license move. If Texas is your home state and primary residence and your license there is active, you do not apply to the North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy — you buy a North Dakota compact privilege through the commission and practice on it, with your Texas license staying in place. Two caveats worth planning around: North Dakota may require its jurisprudence exam before the privilege issues, and the privilege lapses the moment your Texas license does. If you are genuinely relocating to North Dakota rather than working there temporarily, the privilege model doesn't fit — you would change your home state by endorsing into North Dakota.
What changes, Texas → North Dakota
| Texas (current) | North Dakota (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | PT Compact member — multistate license honored | PT Compact member — multistate license honored |
| 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. | $200 (Non-refundable application fee set by NDAC 61.5-02-03-01(1); the same application fee applies to licensure by endorsement. Annual renewal is $100 for physical therapists ($60 for PTAs) and the late renewal fee is $50. The criminal-history background check is billed separately at cost. The $40 'compact fee' in the same rule is North Dakota's PT Compact privilege fee, not the endorsement application fee.) |
| 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 | Neither the North Dakota Administrative Code nor the Board's rules state a processing timeframe for endorsement applications. |
| Licensing authority | Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners) | North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — North Dakota sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm your current license is an active multistate license in good standing.
- If you are moving your primary residence to North Dakota: apply for licensure by endorsement with the North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy when you move.
- Declare North Dakota as your new primary state of residence on that application.
- Complete North Dakota's fingerprint/background check requirement if requested.
- 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 North Dakota accept a Texas physical therapy license?
Yes — both Texas and North Dakota are members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If Texas is your primary state of residence and you hold a multistate license, you can practice in North Dakota now; if you are moving your residence to North Dakota, apply for licensure by endorsement there and declare North Dakota your new primary state of residence — your multistate privilege continues.
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Texas to North Dakota?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken. For licensure by endorsement from another United States jurisdiction, NDAC 61.5-02-02-02(2)(c) requires a copy of the examination scores transmitted by a score transfer service approved by the Board (the FSBPT Score Transfer Service). North Dakota also requires its own jurisprudence examination, an open-book test on the ND Practice Act and Board rules that is completed inside the online application (NDAC 61.5-02-02-01(1)(e))..
What does the move cost?
If you are buying a North Dakota compact privilege to work while living in Texas: the commission's uniform fee plus North Dakota's privilege fee. If you are relocating and taking a full North Dakota license by endorsement: $200 (Non-refundable application fee set by NDAC 61.5-02-03-01(1); the same application fee applies to licensure by endorsement. Annual renewal is $100 for physical therapists ($60 for PTAs) and the late renewal fee is $50. The criminal-history background check is billed separately at cost. The $40 'compact fee' in the same rule is North Dakota's PT Compact privilege fee, not the endorsement application fee.) (Non-refundable application fee set by NDAC 61.5-02-03-01(1); the same application fee applies to licensure by endorsement. Annual renewal is $100 for physical therapists ($60 for PTAs) and the late renewal fee is $50. The criminal-history background check is billed separately at cost. The $40 'compact fee' in the same rule is North Dakota's PT Compact privilege fee, not the endorsement application fee.).
How long will it take?
A compact privilege issues quickly once your eligibility and any North Dakota jurisprudence exam are cleared — usually faster than a full license. A relocation endorsement runs Neither the North Dakota Administrative Code nor the Board's rules state a processing timeframe for endorsement applications. (Neither the North Dakota Administrative Code nor the Board's rules state a processing timeframe for endorsement applications.).
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- North Dakota Administrative Code 61.5-02-03 - Fees (ND Legislative Branch) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- North Dakota Administrative Code 61.5-02-02 - Licensure (general requirements and types of licensure incl. endorsement) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- North Dakota Administrative Code Title 61.5 - ND Board of Physical Therapy (index) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - member state map ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- FSBPT - NPTE Score Transfer Service ↗ (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)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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