Psychology License from California to Maryland: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Maryland Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Maryland Department of Health) ↗
A psychology license transfers from California to Maryland by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Maryland Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Maryland Department of Health), verify your California license, and meet Maryland's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers — COMAR 10.36.01.06 lets the Board waive the national examination for an applicant currently licensed in another state who already achieved a scaled score of 500 (or at least 73% on a pre-2002 administration), whose state did not require the EPPP, or who holds a current ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification; the Maryland State jurisprudence examination (75% to pass, prepared and scored by the Board) may not be waived under the reciprocity provisions.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
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 Maryland participates. Endorse into Maryland through the Maryland Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Maryland Department of Health), 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, Maryland's jurisprudence requirement applied — but what it unlocks afterwards is considerably more than a single state.
What changes, California → Maryland
| California (current) | Maryland (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PSYPACT status | Licensure by endorsement | PSYPACT 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) | $300 (COMAR 10.36.06.02 licensure application fee $300. Separately: State (Maryland jurisprudence) examination $250; national examination $650 if the EPPP is not waived; verification of licensure $20. Biennial renewal $400.) |
| Processing time | 4–6 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) | Neither the Board's licensing page nor COMAR states a processing-time estimate; applicants are directed to contact the Board. |
| Licensing authority | California Board of Psychology (Department of Consumer Affairs) | Maryland Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Maryland Department of Health) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Maryland sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Maryland's current requirements on the Maryland Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Maryland Department of Health) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Maryland Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Maryland Department of Health) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Document a doctoral degree in psychology and at least 2 years of professional supervised experience in psychology.
- Pass the Maryland State jurisprudence examination with a score of at least 75 percent.
- Request waiver of the EPPP by documenting a qualifying prior score or a current ASPPB CPQ.
- Complete a criminal history records check and be at least 18 years old and of good moral character.
- If you neither reside nor practice in Maryland, submit a statement showing that your licensure would be in the interest of the citizens or government of Maryland for Board approval.
- Pay the fees ($300 (COMAR 10.36.06.02 licensure application fee $300. Separately: State (Maryland jurisprudence) examination $250; national examination $650 if the EPPP is not waived; verification of licensure $20. Biennial renewal $400.)) and allow Neither the Board's licensing page nor COMAR states a processing-time estimate; applicants are directed to contact the Board..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Maryland accept a California psychology license?
A psychology license transfers from California to Maryland by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Maryland Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Maryland Department of Health), verify your California license, and meet Maryland's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers — COMAR 10.36.01.06 lets the Board waive the national examination for an applicant currently licensed in another state who already achieved a scaled score of 500 (or at least 73% on a pre-2002 administration), whose state did not require the EPPP, or who holds a current ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification; the Maryland State jurisprudence examination (75% to pass, prepared and scored by the Board) may not be waived under the reciprocity provisions.
Do I retake the EPPP moving from California to Maryland?
No — the EPPP is passed once and your score is verified rather than retaken. EPPP passing score transfers — COMAR 10.36.01.06 lets the Board waive the national examination for an applicant currently licensed in another state who already achieved a scaled score of 500 (or at least 73% on a pre-2002 administration), whose state did not require the EPPP, or who holds a current ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification; the Maryland State jurisprudence examination (75% to pass, prepared and scored by the Board) may not be waived under the reciprocity provisions.
What does the move cost?
$300 (COMAR 10.36.06.02 licensure application fee $300. Separately: State (Maryland jurisprudence) examination $250; national examination $650 if the EPPP is not waived; verification of licensure $20. Biennial renewal $400.) (COMAR 10.36.06.02 licensure application fee $300. Separately: State (Maryland jurisprudence) examination $250; national examination $650 if the EPPP is not waived; verification of licensure $20. Biennial renewal $400.).
How long will it take?
Neither the Board's licensing page nor COMAR states a processing-time estimate; applicants are directed to contact the Board. — Neither the Board's licensing page nor COMAR states a processing-time estimate; applicants are directed to contact the Board..
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Maryland Board of Examiners of Psychologists — Psychologist License (application portal for new and transferring psychologists) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- COMAR 10.36.01.06 — Examinations Required for Licensure or Registration (EPPP waiver, CPQ, Maryland Examination not waivable) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- COMAR 10.36.01.05 — Applications for Licensure from Nonresidents ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- COMAR 10.36.06.02 — Board of Examiners of Psychologists fee schedule ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Md. Health Occupations Article §18-302 — Qualifications of applicants for psychologist licensure ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- California Board of Psychology — Out-of-State Application for Licensure as a Psychologist (Categories A/B/C, SPE and credential substitutes, CPLEE, prelicensure coursework, fingerprints) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- California Board of Psychology — Frequently Asked Questions (no licensing reciprocity; EPPP score transfer from ASPPB; 180-day pre-licensure practice for an applicant licensed elsewhere) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- California Board of Psychology — 2024 Fee Schedule ($236 initial application, $127 CPLEE application, $231 initial licensure, $233 out-of-state fingerprint hard card) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- California Board of Psychology — Application Processing Timeframes (approximately 1.5 months / 4-6 weeks per item; updated July 16, 2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PSYPACT — PSYPACT Map/States (California is not a PSYPACT member) ↗ (accessed 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]