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LicenseReciprocity

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

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions) ↗

Yes — Virginia participates in the PT Compact as an active member. A PT or PTA whose home state is also a member purchases a Virginia compact privilege rather than a second license, keeping their home credential in place; relocating to Virginia or coming from a non-member home state means licensure by endorsement through the Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions) ($140 (licensure-by-endorsement application fee for a physical therapist under 18VAC112-20-27 (most recently amended June 18, 2025); the PTA endorsement fee is $100. Active PT renewal is $135 biennially. The $50 compact privilege fee and the $75 direct access certification fee in the same section are separate charges. Criminal background check costs are not included.)), NPTE score moved by FSBPT transfer, processing the Board publishes no processing timeframe; its FAQ states only that an application remains valid for one year before a new application and fee are required.

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Verdict

PT Compact member — multistate license honored

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

Virginia is an ACTIVE PT Compact member, so a PT whose home state is also a member can practice in Virginia on a compact privilege (the Commission lists a $95 PT/PTA privilege charge and no Virginia jurisprudence requirement; the Board's own regulation sets the Virginia compact privilege fee at $50) rather than endorsing. The distinctive Virginia endorsement gate is practice volume: 320 hours of active practice in the past four years, with a 320-hour traineeship as the fallback, plus an alternative 2,500-hour patient-care route for applicants whose education does not meet the standard. A current NPDB report is required - unusual among PT boards. All virginia.gov hosts were unreachable from this research host on 2026-08-07; the two Administrative Code sections and the Board FAQ were read through a text-extraction proxy of those exact official URLs.

Virginia requirements at a glance

Out-of-state physical therapy license transfer requirements for Virginia, verified 2026-08-07
ExamNPTE is not retaken; 18VAC112-20-65 requires documentation that the board-prescribed national examination was passed, and FSBPT transfers the score to the licensing authority. Virginia's endorsement regulation imposes no state jurisprudence examination, and the PT Compact Commission lists no Virginia jurisprudence requirement.
Additional requirements
  • Hold a current, unrestricted PT license in a U.S. state, territory, the District of Columbia, or Canada
  • Graduate of a CAPTE-accredited program, or document at least 2,500 hours of patient care in the five years immediately preceding application
  • Document at least 320 hours of active practice within the four years immediately preceding application, or complete an approved 320-hour traineeship
  • Submit a current National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) report
  • Complete the criminal background check required by Va. Code 54.1-3484
Fees$140 (licensure-by-endorsement application fee for a physical therapist under 18VAC112-20-27 (most recently amended June 18, 2025); the PTA endorsement fee is $100. Active PT renewal is $135 biennially. The $50 compact privilege fee and the $75 direct access certification fee in the same section are separate charges. Criminal background check costs are not included.)
Processing timethe Board publishes no processing timeframe; its FAQ states only that an application remains valid for one year before a new application and fee are required

Step by step

  1. Confirm Virginia's current requirements on the Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions) website — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions) (application linked on this page).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold a current, unrestricted PT license in a U.S. state, territory, the District of Columbia, or Canada.
  5. Graduate of a CAPTE-accredited program, or document at least 2,500 hours of patient care in the five years immediately preceding application.
  6. Document at least 320 hours of active practice within the four years immediately preceding application, or complete an approved 320-hour traineeship.
  7. Submit a current National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) report.
  8. Complete the criminal background check required by Va. Code 54.1-3484.
  9. Pay the fees ($140 (licensure-by-endorsement application fee for a physical therapist under 18VAC112-20-27 (most recently amended June 18, 2025); the PTA endorsement fee is $100. Active PT renewal is $135 biennially. The $50 compact privilege fee and the $75 direct access certification fee in the same section are separate charges. Criminal background check costs are not included.)) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe; its FAQ states only that an application remains valid for one year before a new application and fee are required.

Official links

Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions) ↗Virginia application ↗Physical Therapy Licensure Compact ↗

Coming from a specific state?

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

Alabama → VirginiaAlaska → VirginiaArizona → VirginiaArkansas → VirginiaCalifornia → VirginiaColorado → VirginiaConnecticut → VirginiaDelaware → VirginiaDistrict of Columbia → VirginiaFlorida → VirginiaGeorgia → VirginiaIllinois → VirginiaIndiana → VirginiaIowa → VirginiaKansas → VirginiaKentucky → VirginiaLouisiana → VirginiaMaryland → VirginiaMichigan → VirginiaMississippi → Virginia
All 42 origin states
Missouri → VirginiaMontana → VirginiaNebraska → VirginiaNevada → VirginiaNew Hampshire → VirginiaNew Jersey → VirginiaNew York → VirginiaNorth Carolina → VirginiaNorth Dakota → VirginiaOhio → VirginiaOklahoma → VirginiaOregon → VirginiaPennsylvania → VirginiaSouth Carolina → VirginiaSouth Dakota → VirginiaTennessee → VirginiaTexas → VirginiaUtah → VirginiaVermont → VirginiaWashington → VirginiaWest Virginia → VirginiaWisconsin → Virginia

Frequently asked questions

Does my physical therapy license transfer to Virginia?

Yes — Virginia participates in the PT Compact as an active member. A PT or PTA whose home state is also a member purchases a Virginia compact privilege rather than a second license, keeping their home credential in place; relocating to Virginia or coming from a non-member home state means licensure by endorsement through the Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions) ($140 (licensure-by-endorsement application fee for a physical therapist under 18VAC112-20-27 (most recently amended June 18, 2025); the PTA endorsement fee is $100. Active PT renewal is $135 biennially. The $50 compact privilege fee and the $75 direct access certification fee in the same section are separate charges. Criminal background check costs are not included.)), NPTE score moved by FSBPT transfer, processing the Board publishes no processing timeframe; its FAQ states only that an application remains valid for one year before a new application and fee are required.

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

No. NPTE is not retaken; 18VAC112-20-65 requires documentation that the board-prescribed national examination was passed, and FSBPT transfers the score to the licensing authority. Virginia's endorsement regulation imposes no state jurisprudence examination, and the PT Compact Commission lists no Virginia jurisprudence requirement.. No state requires a second NPTE.

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

$140 (licensure-by-endorsement application fee for a physical therapist under 18VAC112-20-27 (most recently amended June 18, 2025); the PTA endorsement fee is $100. Active PT renewal is $135 biennially. The $50 compact privilege fee and the $75 direct access certification fee in the same section are separate charges. Criminal background check costs are not included.) (licensure-by-endorsement application fee for a physical therapist under 18VAC112-20-27 (most recently amended June 18, 2025); the PTA endorsement fee is $100. Active PT renewal is $135 biennially. The $50 compact privilege fee and the $75 direct access certification fee in the same section are separate charges. Criminal background check costs are not included.).

How long does Virginia take to process an endorsement application?

the Board publishes no processing timeframe; its FAQ states only that an application remains valid for one year before a new application and fee are required — the Board publishes no processing timeframe; its FAQ states only that an application remains valid for one year before a new application and fee are required.

Is Virginia in the PT Compact?

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