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LicenseReciprocity

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

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Secretary of State (Physical Therapists) ↗

Vermont is an active PT Compact member, which opens two doors. If your home state is also a compact member and you hold an active license there, you can buy a Vermont compact privilege through the commission — a practice authorization, not a Vermont license — after meeting any Vermont jurisprudence requirement. If you are relocating to Vermont, or your home state is not a member, you apply to the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Secretary of State (Physical Therapists) for licensure by endorsement instead: $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.), with your NPTE score transferred through the FSBPT rather than retaken.

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Verdict

PT Compact member — multistate license honored

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

Vermont is an ACTIVE PT Compact member, so a PT whose home state is also a member can work in Vermont on a compact privilege (the Compact Commission lists a $95 PT/PTA privilege charge for Vermont and no Vermont jurisprudence requirement) instead of endorsing. The endorsement standard in the Physical Therapy Rule 2.5 is substantial equivalence - 'an applicant licensed in good standing in another jurisdiction may be eligible for a license in Vermont if the requirements for licensure in the other jurisdiction are substantially equivalent to those of this state.' Rule 2.6 also allows a temporary license of up to 90 days to an out-of-state licensee who has applied for endorsement, and OPR separately offers a 90-day provisional license while verification or the background check is pending. Some third-party sites list a $115 Vermont application fee - the official OPR fee schedule updated 7/1/2025 sets the physical therapist application fee at $120.

Vermont requirements at a glance

Out-of-state physical therapy license transfer requirements for Vermont, verified 2026-08-07
ExamNPTE 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.
Additional requirements
  • Graduate of a physical therapy program accredited by CAPTE (or an accreditor approved by the OPR Director)
  • Have FSBPT transfer your NPTE score directly to Vermont OPR
  • Have verification of licensure sent from every jurisdiction where you hold or have held a license
  • Complete a fingerprint-supported criminal background check (not repeated if you already completed one for a Vermont PT license with no lapse)
  • Pass an approved English proficiency exam if your native language is not English
Fees$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 timeOPR 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

Step by step

  1. Confirm Vermont's current requirements on the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Secretary of State (Physical Therapists) website — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Secretary of State (Physical Therapists) (application linked on this page).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Graduate of a physical therapy program accredited by CAPTE (or an accreditor approved by the OPR Director).
  5. Have FSBPT transfer your NPTE score directly to Vermont OPR.
  6. Have verification of licensure sent from every jurisdiction where you hold or have held a license.
  7. Complete a fingerprint-supported criminal background check (not repeated if you already completed one for a Vermont PT license with no lapse).
  8. Pass an approved English proficiency exam if your native language is not English.
  9. Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow 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.

Official links

Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Secretary of State (Physical Therapists) ↗Vermont application ↗Physical Therapy Licensure Compact ↗

Coming from a specific state?

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

Alabama → VermontAlaska → VermontArizona → VermontArkansas → VermontCalifornia → VermontColorado → VermontConnecticut → VermontDelaware → VermontDistrict of Columbia → VermontFlorida → VermontGeorgia → VermontIllinois → VermontIndiana → VermontIowa → VermontKansas → VermontKentucky → VermontLouisiana → VermontMaryland → VermontMichigan → VermontMississippi → Vermont
All 42 origin states
Missouri → VermontMontana → VermontNebraska → VermontNevada → VermontNew Hampshire → VermontNew Jersey → VermontNew York → VermontNorth Carolina → VermontNorth Dakota → VermontOhio → VermontOklahoma → VermontOregon → VermontPennsylvania → VermontSouth Carolina → VermontSouth Dakota → VermontTennessee → VermontTexas → VermontUtah → VermontVirginia → VermontWashington → VermontWest Virginia → VermontWisconsin → Vermont

Frequently asked questions

Does my physical therapy license transfer to Vermont?

Vermont is an active PT Compact member, which opens two doors. If your home state is also a compact member and you hold an active license there, you can buy a Vermont compact privilege through the commission — a practice authorization, not a Vermont license — after meeting any Vermont jurisprudence requirement. If you are relocating to Vermont, or your home state is not a member, you apply to the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Secretary of State (Physical Therapists) for licensure by endorsement instead: $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.), with your NPTE score transferred through the FSBPT rather than retaken.

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

No. 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.. No state requires a second NPTE.

How much does it cost to transfer a PT license to Vermont 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.) (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 does Vermont take to process an endorsement application?

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 — 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.

Is Vermont in the PT Compact?

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