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LicenseReciprocity

Transfer Your Psychology License to Arkansas: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Arkansas Psychology Board ↗

Arkansas licenses out-of-state psychologists by endorsement rather than by any automatic exchange. The Arkansas Psychology Board reviews your credentials and accepts your existing EPPP passing score; budget $200–$400 ($200 application fee buys the application packet (payable in full or as a $50 deposit plus a $150 remainder); a further $200 registration/certification fee plus a pro-rated license fee is due at licensure. Criminal background check costs ($60 LiveScan in state) are paid separately to the Arkansas State Police) and No board-stated range. Credential reviews are conducted only at regularly scheduled Board meetings, a file must be complete by the 1st of the month to be considered at the next meeting, and a file that fails review waits for the following meeting; the Board publishes no target turnaround for processing. Arkansas participates in PSYPACT, but that only covers telepsychology and up to 30 days a year of temporary in-person work — it does not license you in Arkansas, and a move here still runs through endorsement.

Moving to Arkansas from a specific state?

Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.

Run the Reciprocity Checker →

Verdict

PSYPACT member — multistate license honored

Be precise about what you are actually trying to do in Arkansas, because the two mechanisms answer different questions. If you are staying licensed and resident elsewhere and want to see Arkansas clients by telehealth, Arkansas's PSYPACT participation is the relevant route and you never touch the Arkansas Psychology Board — you work through ASPPB and the commission instead. If you are moving to Arkansas, or want an unrestricted Arkansas license for any other reason, the compact contributes nothing at all and the endorsement steps below are your path.

Arkansas is one of the few boards whose rules use the word 'reciprocity', but it is still credential-based endorsement, not blanket reciprocity. Rule 5.6 says a psychologist licensed elsewhere may be licensed without written examination where the other jurisdiction's requirements equal or exceed Arkansas's, and the Board has DETERMINED that states party to the ASPPB Agreement of Reciprocity (criteria in effect June 1, 1999) meet that bar — but it publishes no named state list, so reciprocity_partners is left empty rather than guessed. An applicant from a state outside that group must apply under Rule 5.6.C, asking the Board to find the home jurisdiction's standards not lower than Arkansas's. A separate Senior Psychologist License exists under Rule 5.4.I for applicants with 20 years of doctoral-level licensure and no discipline, but that route still requires passing the Arkansas oral examination. Arkansas is a PSYPACT participating state, so APIT telepsychology and 30-day TAP practice into Arkansas need no Arkansas license.

Arkansas requirements at a glance

Out-of-state psychology license transfer requirements for Arkansas, verified 2026-08-07
ExamEPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — Board Rule 10.1 requires the Board to accept examination scores administered elsewhere that meet or exceed the Arkansas cut score, and Rule 5.6.A licenses a qualifying out-of-state psychologist 'without written examination'. The Board's formal interview and oral examination now applies only to applicants who applied before July 3, 2020; Arkansas has no separate written jurisprudence exam
Additional requirements
  • Qualify by one of three routes: doctoral-level licensure in a state that entered the ASPPB Agreement of Reciprocity, an ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ), or National Register certification — the CPQ and National Register routes require at least five years of active licensure in another jurisdiction
  • Pay the application fee first, then request the matching 'Agreement of Reciprocity', 'National Register' or 'CPQ' application packet from the Board's administrative staff
  • Apply to the Identification Bureau of the Arkansas State Police for a state and national criminal background check and sign a release of information to the Board
  • Have a License Verification Form completed and returned by every state board that issued a psychology license, showing issuance and expiration dates
  • Submit a Statement of Intent to Practice as a Psychologist
Fees$200–$400 ($200 application fee buys the application packet (payable in full or as a $50 deposit plus a $150 remainder); a further $200 registration/certification fee plus a pro-rated license fee is due at licensure. Criminal background check costs ($60 LiveScan in state) are paid separately to the Arkansas State Police)
Processing timeNo board-stated range. Credential reviews are conducted only at regularly scheduled Board meetings, a file must be complete by the 1st of the month to be considered at the next meeting, and a file that fails review waits for the following meeting; the Board publishes no target turnaround

Step by step

  1. Confirm Arkansas's current requirements on the Arkansas Psychology Board website — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Arkansas Psychology Board (application linked on this page).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Qualify by one of three routes: doctoral-level licensure in a state that entered the ASPPB Agreement of Reciprocity, an ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ), or National Register certification — the CPQ and National Register routes require at least five years of active licensure in another jurisdiction.
  5. Pay the application fee first, then request the matching 'Agreement of Reciprocity', 'National Register' or 'CPQ' application packet from the Board's administrative staff.
  6. Apply to the Identification Bureau of the Arkansas State Police for a state and national criminal background check and sign a release of information to the Board.
  7. Have a License Verification Form completed and returned by every state board that issued a psychology license, showing issuance and expiration dates.
  8. Submit a Statement of Intent to Practice as a Psychologist.
  9. Pay the fees ($200–$400 ($200 application fee buys the application packet (payable in full or as a $50 deposit plus a $150 remainder); a further $200 registration/certification fee plus a pro-rated license fee is due at licensure. Criminal background check costs ($60 LiveScan in state) are paid separately to the Arkansas State Police)) and allow No board-stated range. Credential reviews are conducted only at regularly scheduled Board meetings, a file must be complete by the 1st of the month to be considered at the next meeting, and a file that fails review waits for the following meeting; the Board publishes no target turnaround.

Official links

Arkansas Psychology Board ↗Arkansas application ↗Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact ↗

Coming from a specific state?

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

Alabama → ArkansasArizona → ArkansasCalifornia → ArkansasColorado → ArkansasConnecticut → ArkansasDelaware → ArkansasDistrict of Columbia → ArkansasFlorida → ArkansasGeorgia → ArkansasIdaho → ArkansasIllinois → ArkansasIndiana → ArkansasKansas → ArkansasKentucky → ArkansasMaine → ArkansasMaryland → ArkansasMichigan → ArkansasMinnesota → ArkansasMississippi → ArkansasMissouri → Arkansas
All 42 origin states
Nebraska → ArkansasNevada → ArkansasNew Hampshire → ArkansasNew Jersey → ArkansasNew York → ArkansasNorth Carolina → ArkansasNorth Dakota → ArkansasOhio → ArkansasOklahoma → ArkansasPennsylvania → ArkansasRhode Island → ArkansasSouth Carolina → ArkansasSouth Dakota → ArkansasTennessee → ArkansasTexas → ArkansasUtah → ArkansasVermont → ArkansasVirginia → ArkansasWashington → ArkansasWest Virginia → ArkansasWisconsin → ArkansasWyoming → Arkansas

Frequently asked questions

Does my psychology license transfer to Arkansas?

Arkansas licenses out-of-state psychologists by endorsement rather than by any automatic exchange. The Arkansas Psychology Board reviews your credentials and accepts your existing EPPP passing score; budget $200–$400 ($200 application fee buys the application packet (payable in full or as a $50 deposit plus a $150 remainder); a further $200 registration/certification fee plus a pro-rated license fee is due at licensure. Criminal background check costs ($60 LiveScan in state) are paid separately to the Arkansas State Police) and No board-stated range. Credential reviews are conducted only at regularly scheduled Board meetings, a file must be complete by the 1st of the month to be considered at the next meeting, and a file that fails review waits for the following meeting; the Board publishes no target turnaround for processing. Arkansas participates in PSYPACT, but that only covers telepsychology and up to 30 days a year of temporary in-person work — it does not license you in Arkansas, and a move here still runs through endorsement.

Do I have to retake the EPPP to get licensed in Arkansas?

No. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — Board Rule 10.1 requires the Board to accept examination scores administered elsewhere that meet or exceed the Arkansas cut score, and Rule 5.6.A licenses a qualifying out-of-state psychologist 'without written examination'. The Board's formal interview and oral examination now applies only to applicants who applied before July 3, 2020; Arkansas has no separate written jurisprudence exam.

How much does it cost to get a Arkansas psychology license by endorsement?

$200–$400 ($200 application fee buys the application packet (payable in full or as a $50 deposit plus a $150 remainder); a further $200 registration/certification fee plus a pro-rated license fee is due at licensure. Criminal background check costs ($60 LiveScan in state) are paid separately to the Arkansas State Police) ($200 application fee buys the application packet (payable in full or as a $50 deposit plus a $150 remainder); a further $200 registration/certification fee plus a pro-rated license fee is due at licensure. Criminal background check costs ($60 LiveScan in state) are paid separately to the Arkansas State Police).

How long does Arkansas take to process an endorsement application?

No board-stated range. Credential reviews are conducted only at regularly scheduled Board meetings, a file must be complete by the 1st of the month to be considered at the next meeting, and a file that fails review waits for the following meeting; the Board publishes no target turnaround — No board-stated range. Credential reviews are conducted only at regularly scheduled Board meetings, a file must be complete by the 1st of the month to be considered at the next meeting, and a file that fails review waits for the following meeting; the Board publishes no target turnaround.

Is Arkansas a PSYPACT state?

Yes — Arkansas was participating as of 2026-08-07. That lets a psychologist licensed in another participating state provide telepsychology to Arkansas clients under an APIT authorization, and work in person in Arkansas for up to 30 days a year under a TAP. It does not license you in Arkansas: relocating still requires endorsement through the Arkansas Psychology Board.

Can I practice in Arkansas using PSYPACT instead of getting licensed?

Only within the compact's limits, and only if you are not moving. Telepsychology into Arkansas is covered by APIT; in-person work is capped at 30 days per calendar year under a TAP. Beyond that — and for any relocation to Arkansas — you need a Arkansas license 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]