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LicenseReciprocity

Psychology License from California to Arizona: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners ↗

A psychology license transfers from California to Arizona by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners, verify your California license, and meet Arizona's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — under A.R.S. § 32-2072 an ABPP diplomate or an ASPPB CPQ holder satisfies the national examination requirement outright, and a National Register applicant must have ASPPB send the passing EPPP score directly to the Arizona Board. The Board is authorized by A.R.S. § 32-2072 to give an additional examination on Arizona law and professional ethics, but its licensure-by-credential instructions require no jurisprudence exam.

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

This direction has a payoff worth planning around. California is outside PSYPACT, so you have had no compact authorizations to work with — but Arizona participates. Endorse into Arizona through the Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners, make it your licensed home state, and that license becomes an anchor: from there an ASPPB E.Passport and APIT authorization let you serve clients across every other participating state without another full license. The endorsement itself is still an ordinary application — EPPP score accepted, credentials reviewed, Arizona's jurisprudence requirement applied — but what it unlocks afterwards is considerably more than a single state.

What changes, California → Arizona

Side-by-side: California vs Arizona (Psychology (licensed psychologist)), verified 2026-08-07
California (current)Arizona (destination)
PSYPACT statusLicensure by endorsementPSYPACT member — multistate license honored
Application fee$236 ($236 psychologist initial application fee (2024 fee schedule, the current schedule published by the Board). Separately + $127 for the CPLEE application and + $231 for initial licensure; out-of-state fingerprint hard card processing is $233)$350 ($350 nonrefundable application fee, paid online at submission; the Arizona DPS fingerprint clearance card fee is paid separately to DPS)
Processing time4–6 weeks (Board states processing takes approximately 1.5 months (4-6 weeks) for applications, subsequent documents/correspondence and requested deficiency documents. Because the application, the CPLEE request and the request for initial licensure are each processed separately at that pace, total time from filing to a California license is considerably longer)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)
Licensing authorityCalifornia Board of Psychology (Department of Consumer Affairs)Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Arizona sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm Arizona's current requirements on the Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold one of the three credentials the Board recognizes — ABPP diplomate/specialist, ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ), or National Register of Health Service Psychologists — a license in another state alone does not qualify.
  5. Have been licensed as a psychologist in another U.S. state or Canadian province for five or more years.
  6. Obtain an Arizona Department of Public Safety fingerprint clearance card, or submit proof that the DPS application was filed.
  7. Submit a National Practitioner Data Bank self-query processed within 30 days of the application submission date.
  8. Have verification of every psychology license ever held, active or not, sent directly to the Board by each jurisdiction.
  9. Submit a completed Arizona Statement of Citizenship and Alien Status form with proof of lawful presence.
  10. Pay the fees ($350 ($350 nonrefundable application fee, paid online at submission; the Arizona DPS fingerprint clearance card fee is paid separately to DPS)) and allow 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).

Official links

Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners ↗Arizona application ↗Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Arizona → CaliforniaPsychology in CaliforniaPsychology in ArizonaAll psychology statesThe PSYPACT explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Arizona accept a California psychology license?

A psychology license transfers from California to Arizona by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners, verify your California license, and meet Arizona's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — under A.R.S. § 32-2072 an ABPP diplomate or an ASPPB CPQ holder satisfies the national examination requirement outright, and a National Register applicant must have ASPPB send the passing EPPP score directly to the Arizona Board. The Board is authorized by A.R.S. § 32-2072 to give an additional examination on Arizona law and professional ethics, but its licensure-by-credential instructions require no jurisprudence exam.

Do I retake the EPPP moving from California to Arizona?

No — the EPPP is passed once and your score is verified rather than retaken. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — under A.R.S. § 32-2072 an ABPP diplomate or an ASPPB CPQ holder satisfies the national examination requirement outright, and a National Register applicant must have ASPPB send the passing EPPP score directly to the Arizona Board. The Board is authorized by A.R.S. § 32-2072 to give an additional examination on Arizona law and professional ethics, but its licensure-by-credential instructions require no jurisprudence exam.

What does the move cost?

$350 ($350 nonrefundable application fee, paid online at submission; the Arizona DPS fingerprint clearance card fee is paid separately to DPS) ($350 nonrefundable application fee, paid online at submission; the Arizona DPS fingerprint clearance card fee is paid separately to DPS).

How long will it take?

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) — 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.

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

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