Psychology License from Arizona to Tennessee: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) ↗
A psychology license transfers from Arizona to Tennessee by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health), verify your Arizona license, and meet Tennessee's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — a reciprocity applicant submits proof of a written examination score meeting Tennessee standards, or after five years of continuous good-standing licensure may substitute ABPP certification, National Register listing, or an ASPPB CPQ; the Tennessee ethics and jurisprudence examination is required and Rule 1180-02-.03(14) states it shall never be waived.
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Arizona and Tennessee both participate in PSYPACT, and it is worth being blunt about what that does and does not buy you, because the compact's name misleads a lot of psychologists. It does not transfer your license. Moving from Arizona to Tennessee means applying to the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) for licensure by endorsement exactly as you would if neither state had ever joined — license verification, doctoral transcript, supervised-experience review, Tennessee's jurisprudence requirement. What the shared participation genuinely gives you is different and still valuable: while you remain licensed and resident in Arizona, you can serve Tennessee clients by telepsychology under an APIT authorization, and work in person in Tennessee for up to 30 days a year under a TAP. That can cover a transition period — it cannot cover the move.
What changes, Arizona → Tennessee
| Arizona (current) | Tennessee (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PSYPACT status | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $350 ($350 nonrefundable application fee, paid online at submission; the Arizona DPS fingerprint clearance card fee is paid separately to DPS) | $175–$375 (PH-1034 requires a $175 nonrefundable application fee plus a $200 licensure fee at submission; a $10 state regulatory fee and a $100 ethics and jurisprudence exam fee are also due, for a board-stated total of $485. Temporary license adds $100; provisional license adds $125. Fingerprint/background-check vendor charges are billed separately.) |
| Processing time | 4–17 weeks (A.A.C. R4-26-208 Table 1 sets, for an application for licensure by credential, a 30-day administrative completeness review, a 90-day substantive review and a 120-day overall time frame; both clocks are suspended while requested documents are outstanding, and the Application Review Committee meets about twelve times a year, so real-world time depends on how fast verifiers respond) | 4–6 weeks (Board-stated: materials are typically in the applicant's file within two weeks of the postmark and, absent complicating factors, average application processing time is four to six weeks.) |
| Licensing authority | Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners | Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Tennessee sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Tennessee's current requirements on the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a valid psychologist license in good standing in another jurisdiction and have license verification, including disciplinary history, sent from every jurisdiction ever licensed.
- Pass the Tennessee ethics and jurisprudence examination, which the board schedules after the EPPP requirement is satisfied and which may never be waived.
- Have a criminal background check submitted directly from the vendor identified in the board's application materials.
- Document a qualifying doctoral program, internship, and postdoctoral supervised experience for Health Service Provider designation, which may not be waived even under the ABPP/National Register/CPQ shortcut.
- Submit three letters of recommendation from psychologists, two of whom must be licensed, with licensure endorsement forms.
- Pay the fees ($175–$375 (PH-1034 requires a $175 nonrefundable application fee plus a $200 licensure fee at submission; a $10 state regulatory fee and a $100 ethics and jurisprudence exam fee are also due, for a board-stated total of $485. Temporary license adds $100; provisional license adds $125. Fingerprint/background-check vendor charges are billed separately.)) and allow 4–6 weeks (Board-stated: materials are typically in the applicant's file within two weeks of the postmark and, absent complicating factors, average application processing time is four to six weeks.).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Tennessee accept a Arizona psychology license?
A psychology license transfers from Arizona to Tennessee by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health), verify your Arizona license, and meet Tennessee's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — a reciprocity applicant submits proof of a written examination score meeting Tennessee standards, or after five years of continuous good-standing licensure may substitute ABPP certification, National Register listing, or an ASPPB CPQ; the Tennessee ethics and jurisprudence examination is required and Rule 1180-02-.03(14) states it shall never be waived.
Do I retake the EPPP moving from Arizona to Tennessee?
No — the EPPP is passed once and your score is verified rather than retaken. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — a reciprocity applicant submits proof of a written examination score meeting Tennessee standards, or after five years of continuous good-standing licensure may substitute ABPP certification, National Register listing, or an ASPPB CPQ; the Tennessee ethics and jurisprudence examination is required and Rule 1180-02-.03(14) states it shall never be waived.
What does the move cost?
$175–$375 (PH-1034 requires a $175 nonrefundable application fee plus a $200 licensure fee at submission; a $10 state regulatory fee and a $100 ethics and jurisprudence exam fee are also due, for a board-stated total of $485. Temporary license adds $100; provisional license adds $125. Fingerprint/background-check vendor charges are billed separately.) (PH-1034 requires a $175 nonrefundable application fee plus a $200 licensure fee at submission; a $10 state regulatory fee and a $100 ethics and jurisprudence exam fee are also due, for a board-stated total of $485. Temporary license adds $100; provisional license adds $125. Fingerprint/background-check vendor charges are billed separately.).
How long will it take?
4–6 weeks (Board-stated: materials are typically in the applicant's file within two weeks of the postmark and, absent complicating factors, average application processing time is four to six weeks.) — Board-stated: materials are typically in the applicant's file within two weeks of the postmark and, absent complicating factors, average application processing time is four to six weeks..
Arizona and Tennessee are both PSYPACT states — doesn't my license transfer automatically?
No. PSYPACT never transfers a license, including between two participating states. It authorizes telepsychology into Tennessee (APIT) and in-person practice there for up to 30 days a year (TAP) while your license stays in Arizona. Relocating to Tennessee requires licensure by endorsement from the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) like any other applicant.
Can I start seeing Tennessee clients before my Tennessee license is issued?
While your Arizona license remains active and is your home-state license, a PSYPACT authorization can cover Tennessee clients by telepsychology, and a TAP covers up to 30 days a year of in-person work there. Those are the compact's limits, and they end when Arizona stops being your licensed home state — they are a bridge during a transition, not a substitute for the Tennessee license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology — board page, applications and forms ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Tennessee Rules 1180-02, Rules Governing Psychologists (July 2026 revision) — reciprocity 1180-02-.03(12), endorsement (13), jurisprudence exam never waived (14), examinations 1180-02-.04 ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Tennessee Psychologist Application PH-1034 — fees, processing time, EPPP and ethics/jurisprudence exam instructions ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners — Instructions for Psychologist Application for Licensure by Credential (credentials accepted, 5-year licensure, $350 fee, required documents) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners — Fees ($350 initial application) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- A.R.S. § 32-2071.01(D) — requirements for licensure; credentials (CPQ, National Register with five years, ABPP) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- A.R.S. § 32-2072 — examinations; national examination and Board's additional examination; ABPP/CPQ exemption ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners — A.A.C. Title 4 Ch. 26 rules (R4-26-203.01 licensure by credential; R4-26-208 and Table 1 time frames) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PSYPACT — PSYPACT Map/States (Arizona participating) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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