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LicenseReciprocity

Psychology License from California to District of Columbia: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: District of Columbia Board of Psychology (DC Health, Health Regulation and Licensing Administration) ↗

A psychology license transfers from California to District of Columbia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the District of Columbia Board of Psychology (DC Health, Health Regulation and Licensing Administration), verify your California license, and meet District of Columbia's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) for an already-licensed applicant; an ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ) may be submitted in lieu of the official transcript, the EPPP score and the supervision forms. A District of Columbia jurisprudence requirement applies, but the Board states there is no DC exam at this time — the applicant reads the Board's jurisprudence study material and signs an Attestation Statement Form.

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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 District of Columbia participates. Endorse into District of Columbia through the District of Columbia Board of Psychology (DC Health, Health Regulation and Licensing Administration), 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, District of Columbia's jurisprudence requirement applied — but what it unlocks afterwards is considerably more than a single state.

What changes, California → District of Columbia

Side-by-side: California vs District of Columbia (Psychology (licensed psychologist)), verified 2026-08-07
California (current)District of Columbia (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)$322 ($322 combined application and license fee paid online; the criminal background check is an additional $50 paid online with the application)
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)The Board publishes no processing-time estimate; the checklist notes that incomplete supervision or verification documents delay review
Licensing authorityCalifornia Board of Psychology (Department of Consumer Affairs)District of Columbia Board of Psychology (DC Health, Health Regulation and Licensing Administration)

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

Step by step

  1. Confirm District of Columbia's current requirements on the District of Columbia Board of Psychology (DC Health, Health Regulation and Licensing Administration) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the District of Columbia Board of Psychology (DC Health, Health Regulation and Licensing Administration) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Submit official verification of licensure from every state or jurisdiction in which you have ever held a professional license, sent directly by the issuing board.
  5. Document 4,000 total pre-doctoral and post-doctoral supervised hours on the Board's verification forms, or substitute at least two years of licensed unsupervised practice with a resume and Nature of Practice Statement, or a CPQ or National Register credential.
  6. Sign the DC Jurisprudence Examination Attestation Statement Form after reading the Board's study material.
  7. Complete the criminal background check ordered with the online application.
  8. Submit three Character Reference Forms from people who are not relatives, instructors or employers and have known you at least one year.
  9. Pay the fees ($322 ($322 combined application and license fee paid online; the criminal background check is an additional $50 paid online with the application)) and allow The Board publishes no processing-time estimate; the checklist notes that incomplete supervision or verification documents delay review.

Official links

District of Columbia Board of Psychology (DC Health, Health Regulation and Licensing Administration) ↗District of Columbia application ↗Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact ↗

Related guides

Reverse: District of Columbia → CaliforniaPsychology in CaliforniaPsychology in District of ColumbiaAll psychology statesThe PSYPACT explained

Frequently asked questions

Does District of Columbia accept a California psychology license?

A psychology license transfers from California to District of Columbia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the District of Columbia Board of Psychology (DC Health, Health Regulation and Licensing Administration), verify your California license, and meet District of Columbia's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) for an already-licensed applicant; an ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ) may be submitted in lieu of the official transcript, the EPPP score and the supervision forms. A District of Columbia jurisprudence requirement applies, but the Board states there is no DC exam at this time — the applicant reads the Board's jurisprudence study material and signs an Attestation Statement Form.

Do I retake the EPPP moving from California to District of Columbia?

No — the EPPP is passed once and your score is verified rather than retaken. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) for an already-licensed applicant; an ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ) may be submitted in lieu of the official transcript, the EPPP score and the supervision forms. A District of Columbia jurisprudence requirement applies, but the Board states there is no DC exam at this time — the applicant reads the Board's jurisprudence study material and signs an Attestation Statement Form.

What does the move cost?

$322 ($322 combined application and license fee paid online; the criminal background check is an additional $50 paid online with the application) ($322 combined application and license fee paid online; the criminal background check is an additional $50 paid online with the application).

How long will it take?

The Board publishes no processing-time estimate; the checklist notes that incomplete supervision or verification documents delay review — The Board publishes no processing-time estimate; the checklist notes that incomplete supervision or verification documents delay review.

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]