Physical Therapy License from Vermont to Illinois: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation (Illinois Physical Therapy Board) ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from Vermont to Illinois by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation (Illinois Physical Therapy Board), verify your Vermont license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; a report of the applicant's examination record is forwarded directly from the test reporting service (FSBPT) to the Division. Illinois has no state jurisprudence exam for physical therapists..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Moving from Vermont into Illinois leaves the compact behind: Illinois has not joined the compact, so no Vermont privilege reaches it. You transfer by licensure by endorsement with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation (Illinois Physical Therapy Board) — your NPTE score moves through the FSBPT rather than being retaken, and Illinois adds its own jurisprudence exam and background check. Your Vermont license and any privileges you hold elsewhere stay valid as long as your residence remains in Vermont; file Illinois's application before you rely on income there.
What changes, Vermont → Illinois
| Vermont (current) | Illinois (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | PT Compact member — multistate license honored | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application 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.) | $100 (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1340.57(a)(1) sets the application fee for a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant license at $100. The separate examination-eligibility fee in that subsection applies only to examination applicants, not endorsement applicants. Renewal is calculated at $30 per year.) |
| Processing time | 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 | neither IDFPR nor 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1340 publishes a processing timeframe for endorsement applications |
| Licensing authority | Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Secretary of State (Physical Therapists) | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation (Illinois Physical Therapy Board) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Illinois sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Illinois's current requirements on the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation (Illinois Physical Therapy Board) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation (Illinois Physical Therapy Board) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Be actively licensed as a physical therapist in the United States or its territories at the time of application.
- Submit certification of successful completion of an approved physical therapist program under 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1340.20.
- Have license certification sent from the state of original licensure and from the state where you are currently licensed and practicing.
- Have your NPTE examination record forwarded directly from the test reporting service.
- If your first language is not English, submit passage of the TOEFL (waived if licensed and actively practicing in a U.S. jurisdiction for the 3 years before applying).
- File the application through the IDFPR CORE online licensing system.
- Pay the fees ($100 (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1340.57(a)(1) sets the application fee for a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant license at $100. The separate examination-eligibility fee in that subsection applies only to examination applicants, not endorsement applicants. Renewal is calculated at $30 per year.)) and allow neither IDFPR nor 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1340 publishes a processing timeframe for endorsement applications.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Illinois accept a Vermont physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from Vermont to Illinois by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation (Illinois Physical Therapy Board), verify your Vermont license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; a report of the applicant's examination record is forwarded directly from the test reporting service (FSBPT) to the Division. Illinois has no state jurisprudence exam for physical therapists..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Vermont to Illinois?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; a report of the applicant's examination record is forwarded directly from the test reporting service (FSBPT) to the Division. Illinois has no state jurisprudence exam for physical therapists..
What does the move cost?
$100 (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1340.57(a)(1) sets the application fee for a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant license at $100. The separate examination-eligibility fee in that subsection applies only to examination applicants, not endorsement applicants. Renewal is calculated at $30 per year.) (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1340.57(a)(1) sets the application fee for a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant license at $100. The separate examination-eligibility fee in that subsection applies only to examination applicants, not endorsement applicants. Renewal is calculated at $30 per year.).
How long will it take?
neither IDFPR nor 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1340 publishes a processing timeframe for endorsement applications — neither IDFPR nor 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1340 publishes a processing timeframe for endorsement applications.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- IDFPR — Physical Therapy profession page (CORE applications, endorsement link, license look-up) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- IDFPR — Qualifications for Licensure: Physical Therapist (070), effective 03/2026 ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 68 Ill. Adm. Code Part 1340 — Illinois Physical Therapy Act rules (Sec. 1340.50 Endorsement, Sec. 1340.57 Fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact — States by Category ↗ (accessed 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)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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