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

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: South Dakota Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Department of Social Services) ↗

A psychology license transfers from California to South Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Dakota Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Department of Social Services), verify your California license, and meet South Dakota's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) and South Dakota does not require the EPPP Part 2 (EPPPII). South Dakota's state exam is an oral examination on the ASPPB Code of Conduct and mandatory reporting (75% to pass), but the Board voted on 2023-09-08 to waive the oral examination, effective 2023-09-09, for applicants who meet the licensure-by-endorsement requirements. Under SDCL 36-27A-17 the Board may also, at its discretion, exempt an ABPP diplomate holding a current out-of-state license from examination requirements.

Verify this exact pair in the checker

Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.

Run the Reciprocity Checker →

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 South Dakota participates. Endorse into South Dakota through the South Dakota Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Department of Social Services), 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, South Dakota's jurisprudence requirement applied — but what it unlocks afterwards is considerably more than a single state.

What changes, California → South Dakota

Side-by-side: California vs South Dakota (Psychology (licensed psychologist)), verified 2026-08-07
	California (current)	South Dakota (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 ($300.00 Application for Licensure fee. A separate initial licensure fee is prorated by the month the license is granted — $200.00 (July-September), $150.00 (October-December), $100.00 (January-March), $50.00 (April-June) — and annual renewal is $300.00. Oral examination fees are included in the application fee; a retake of a failed oral exam is $200.00. EPPP fees are paid directly to the national examination company)
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)	The Board publishes no processing-time estimate. Timing depends on Board review-officer approval of the completed file and, for applicants who do not qualify for the endorsement oral-exam waiver, on scheduling the oral examination
Licensing authority	California Board of Psychology (Department of Consumer Affairs)	South Dakota Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Department of Social Services)

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

Step by step

Confirm South Dakota's current requirements on the South Dakota Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Department of Social Services) website (linked below) — rules change.
Submit the endorsement application to the South Dakota Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Department of Social Services) (application linked below).
Arrange license verification from your current state.
Qualify under SDCL 36-1D-1 — hold a current license from another jurisdiction whose requirements are substantially equivalent to or exceed South Dakota's, demonstrate competency as determined by the Board, and be in good standing with no disqualifying discipline.
Submit the Board's Application for Licensure (there is no separate endorsement form) with the Verification of All Past/Present Licensure Form.
Have official transcripts from all graduate programs sent directly from the institution to the Board office.
Note that an ASPPB CPQ or National Register credential is recognized by the Board to expedite the paperwork but does not remove the requirement to submit a full application.
Pay the fees ($300 ($300.00 Application for Licensure fee. A separate initial licensure fee is prorated by the month the license is granted — $200.00 (July-September), $150.00 (October-December), $100.00 (January-March), $50.00 (April-June) — and annual renewal is $300.00. Oral examination fees are included in the application fee; a retake of a failed oral exam is $200.00. EPPP fees are paid directly to the national examination company)) and allow The Board publishes no processing-time estimate. Timing depends on Board review-officer approval of the completed file and, for applicants who do not qualify for the endorsement oral-exam waiver, on scheduling the oral examination.

Official links

South Dakota Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Department of Social Services) ↗South Dakota application ↗Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact ↗

Frequently asked questions

Does South Dakota accept a California psychology license?

Do I retake the EPPP moving from California to South Dakota?

No — the EPPP is passed once and your score is verified rather than retaken. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) and South Dakota does not require the EPPP Part 2 (EPPPII). South Dakota's state exam is an oral examination on the ASPPB Code of Conduct and mandatory reporting (75% to pass), but the Board voted on 2023-09-08 to waive the oral examination, effective 2023-09-09, for applicants who meet the licensure-by-endorsement requirements. Under SDCL 36-27A-17 the Board may also, at its discretion, exempt an ABPP diplomate holding a current out-of-state license from examination requirements.

What does the move cost?

$300 ($300.00 Application for Licensure fee. A separate initial licensure fee is prorated by the month the license is granted — $200.00 (July-September), $150.00 (October-December), $100.00 (January-March), $50.00 (April-June) — and annual renewal is $300.00. Oral examination fees are included in the application fee; a retake of a failed oral exam is $200.00. EPPP fees are paid directly to the national examination company) ($300.00 Application for Licensure fee. A separate initial licensure fee is prorated by the month the license is granted — $200.00 (July-September), $150.00 (October-December), $100.00 (January-March), $50.00 (April-June) — and annual renewal is $300.00. Oral examination fees are included in the application fee; a retake of a failed oral exam is $200.00. EPPP fees are paid directly to the national examination company).

How long will it take?

The Board publishes no processing-time estimate. Timing depends on Board review-officer approval of the completed file and, for applicants who do not qualify for the endorsement oral-exam waiver, on scheduling the oral examination — The Board publishes no processing-time estimate. Timing depends on Board review-officer approval of the completed file and, for applicants who do not qualify for the endorsement oral-exam waiver, on scheduling the oral examination.

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]