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

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners) ↗

Texas issues and accepts compact privileges as an active PT Compact member. If your home state is a member, you can practice in Texas on a purchased privilege without a Texas license; otherwise, or if you are moving to Texas, the route is licensure by endorsement with the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners) — 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., no NPTE retake, the score transferred through the FSBPT.

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Verdict

PT Compact member — multistate license honored

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

Texas is an ACTIVE PT Compact member; to use a compact privilege in Texas you must pass TX JAM before the privilege issues and file a Compact Privilege Practice Location form, and Texas charges a $50 state privilege fee. On the endorsement path, 22 TAC 329.6 lets the board license by endorsement only an applicant who has NOT previously held a permanent Texas license (a former Texas licensee must use reinstatement instead). Temporary licenses are not available to endorsement applicants, but the board may grant a 180-day provisional license if required documents are delayed for reasons outside the applicant's control. The application fee is deliberately left null: the amount lives in 22 TAC 651.2 and the board's own site does not state it.

Texas requirements at a glance

Out-of-state physical therapy license transfer requirements for Texas, verified 2026-08-07
ExamNPTE is not retaken; a score report must be sent directly to the board by the board-approved reporting service (FSBPT Score Transfer Service, $90 per report), and the reported score must have satisfied licensure requirements in a state at the time the exam was taken. Texas additionally requires a passing score on the board's jurisprudence exam, the Texas Jurisprudence Assessment Module (TX JAM), before a license is issued.
Additional requirements
  • Pass the board's jurisprudence exam (TX JAM) on the Texas Physical Therapy Practice Act and board rules
  • Provide license verification from every jurisdiction in which you hold or have held a PT/PTA license, sent directly by the issuing jurisdiction
  • Have an official transcript sent directly from the degree-granting institution showing the date the degree was conferred
  • Complete a fingerprint-based criminal history record check through the Texas Department of Public Safety and the FBI
  • Submit a recent 2x2 inch passport-style color photograph with the application
Feesthe 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.
Processing timeECPTOTE 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

Step by step

  1. Confirm Texas's current requirements on the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners) website — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners) (application linked on this page).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. Pass the board's jurisprudence exam (TX JAM) on the Texas Physical Therapy Practice Act and board rules.
  5. Provide license verification from every jurisdiction in which you hold or have held a PT/PTA license, sent directly by the issuing jurisdiction.
  6. Have an official transcript sent directly from the degree-granting institution showing the date the degree was conferred.
  7. Complete a fingerprint-based criminal history record check through the Texas Department of Public Safety and the FBI.
  8. Submit a recent 2x2 inch passport-style color photograph with the application.
  9. Pay the fees (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.) and allow 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.

Official links

Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners) ↗Texas application ↗License verification ↗Physical Therapy Licensure Compact ↗

Coming from a specific state?

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

Alabama → TexasAlaska → TexasArizona → TexasArkansas → TexasCalifornia → TexasColorado → TexasConnecticut → TexasDelaware → TexasDistrict of Columbia → TexasFlorida → TexasGeorgia → TexasHawaii → TexasIdaho → TexasIllinois → TexasIndiana → TexasIowa → TexasKansas → TexasKentucky → TexasLouisiana → TexasMaine → Texas
All 50 origin states
Maryland → TexasMassachusetts → TexasMichigan → TexasMinnesota → TexasMississippi → TexasMissouri → TexasMontana → TexasNebraska → TexasNevada → TexasNew Hampshire → TexasNew Jersey → TexasNew Mexico → TexasNew York → TexasNorth Carolina → TexasNorth Dakota → TexasOhio → TexasOklahoma → TexasOregon → TexasPennsylvania → TexasRhode Island → TexasSouth Carolina → TexasSouth Dakota → TexasTennessee → TexasUtah → TexasVermont → TexasVirginia → TexasWashington → TexasWest Virginia → TexasWisconsin → TexasWyoming → Texas

Frequently asked questions

Does my physical therapy license transfer to Texas?

Texas issues and accepts compact privileges as an active PT Compact member. If your home state is a member, you can practice in Texas on a purchased privilege without a Texas license; otherwise, or if you are moving to Texas, the route is licensure by endorsement with the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners) — 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., no NPTE retake, the score transferred through the FSBPT.

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

No. NPTE is not retaken; a score report must be sent directly to the board by the board-approved reporting service (FSBPT Score Transfer Service, $90 per report), and the reported score must have satisfied licensure requirements in a state at the time the exam was taken. Texas additionally requires a passing score on the board's jurisprudence exam, the Texas Jurisprudence Assessment Module (TX JAM), before a license is issued.. No state requires a second NPTE.

How much does it cost to transfer a PT license to Texas by endorsement?

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. (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.).

How long does Texas take to process an endorsement application?

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 — 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.

Is Texas in the PT Compact?

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