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LicenseReciprocity

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

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: California Board of Psychology (Department of Consumer Affairs) ↗

To practice in California you need a California license, obtained by endorsement through the California Board of Psychology (Department of Consumer Affairs): license verification, doctoral transcript, supervised-experience review, and your EPPP score accepted as already passed ($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), processing 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)). California does not participate in PSYPACT, so no compact authorization reaches it and endorsement is the only route.

Moving to California from a specific state?

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

California is outside PSYPACT entirely, which makes the planning simple if slower: there is no telepsychology authorization and no temporary-practice window to fall back on. You cannot lawfully see a client physically located in California — in person or by video — until the California Board of Psychology (Department of Consumer Affairs) licenses you. The endorsement steps below are the only route in.

Read this row carefully: the Board states plainly that California does NOT provide licensing reciprocity. What it has is a defined out-of-state applicant pathway. An applicant licensed elsewhere for more than two years files as 'Category C', keeps the doctoral degree and the previously passed EPPP (transferred through ASPPB rather than retaken), and may substitute a National Register, ABPP or CPQ credential for supervised-experience verification forms — that is why endorsement_available is true. But there is no shortcut around the CPLEE or around the six California prelicensure courses, and supervised professional experience is still documented unless one of those three credentials is held. California is one of seven states that never joined PSYPACT, so there is no APIT telepsychology or 30-day TAP route into California either: practising with California clients requires a California license, apart from the statutory allowance letting a psychologist licensed elsewhere who has already applied here practise for up to 180 calendar days.

California requirements at a glance

Out-of-state psychology license transfer requirements for California, verified 2026-08-07
ExamEPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — an out-of-state applicant who already passed the EPPP requests an ASPPB score transfer to California instead of re-testing, and the Board's out-of-state pathway for applicants licensed two or more years does not include an EPPP step. Every applicant must still pass the California Psychology Laws and Ethics Examination (CPLEE); it is never waived
Additional requirements
  • Have held a psychologist license based on a doctoral degree in another state, Canadian province or U.S. territory for at least two years to use the Board's Category C out-of-state pathway
  • Document 3,000 hours of supervised professional experience with at least 1,500 postdoctoral, or substitute a National Register Health Service Psychologist credential, ABPP certification, or an ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ)
  • Pass the California Psychology Laws and Ethics Examination (CPLEE)
  • Complete the six prelicensure coursework requirements before licensure — human sexuality, alcohol/chemical dependency, child abuse assessment, spousal/partner abuse, aging and long-term care, and suicide risk assessment
  • Submit fingerprints to the California DOJ and the FBI; out-of-state applicants use hard cards, which take at least four weeks to process
Fees$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)
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)

Step by step

  1. Confirm California's current requirements on the California Board of Psychology (Department of Consumer Affairs) website — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the California Board of Psychology (Department of Consumer Affairs) (application linked on this page).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Have held a psychologist license based on a doctoral degree in another state, Canadian province or U.S. territory for at least two years to use the Board's Category C out-of-state pathway.
  5. Document 3,000 hours of supervised professional experience with at least 1,500 postdoctoral, or substitute a National Register Health Service Psychologist credential, ABPP certification, or an ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ).
  6. Pass the California Psychology Laws and Ethics Examination (CPLEE).
  7. Complete the six prelicensure coursework requirements before licensure — human sexuality, alcohol/chemical dependency, child abuse assessment, spousal/partner abuse, aging and long-term care, and suicide risk assessment.
  8. Submit fingerprints to the California DOJ and the FBI; out-of-state applicants use hard cards, which take at least four weeks to process.
  9. Pay the fees ($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)) and allow 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).

Official links

California Board of Psychology (Department of Consumer Affairs) ↗California application ↗

Coming from a specific state?

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

Alabama → CaliforniaAlaska → CaliforniaArizona → CaliforniaArkansas → CaliforniaColorado → CaliforniaConnecticut → CaliforniaDelaware → CaliforniaDistrict of Columbia → CaliforniaFlorida → CaliforniaGeorgia → CaliforniaHawaii → CaliforniaIdaho → CaliforniaIllinois → CaliforniaIndiana → CaliforniaIowa → CaliforniaKansas → CaliforniaKentucky → CaliforniaLouisiana → CaliforniaMaine → CaliforniaMaryland → California
All 50 origin states
Massachusetts → CaliforniaMichigan → CaliforniaMinnesota → CaliforniaMississippi → CaliforniaMissouri → CaliforniaMontana → CaliforniaNebraska → CaliforniaNevada → CaliforniaNew Hampshire → CaliforniaNew Jersey → CaliforniaNew Mexico → CaliforniaNew York → CaliforniaNorth Carolina → CaliforniaNorth Dakota → CaliforniaOhio → CaliforniaOklahoma → CaliforniaOregon → CaliforniaPennsylvania → CaliforniaRhode Island → CaliforniaSouth Carolina → CaliforniaSouth Dakota → CaliforniaTennessee → CaliforniaTexas → CaliforniaUtah → CaliforniaVermont → CaliforniaVirginia → CaliforniaWashington → CaliforniaWest Virginia → CaliforniaWisconsin → CaliforniaWyoming → California

Frequently asked questions

Does my psychology license transfer to California?

To practice in California you need a California license, obtained by endorsement through the California Board of Psychology (Department of Consumer Affairs): license verification, doctoral transcript, supervised-experience review, and your EPPP score accepted as already passed ($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), processing 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)). California does not participate in PSYPACT, so no compact authorization reaches it and endorsement is the only route.

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

No. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — an out-of-state applicant who already passed the EPPP requests an ASPPB score transfer to California instead of re-testing, and the Board's out-of-state pathway for applicants licensed two or more years does not include an EPPP step. Every applicant must still pass the California Psychology Laws and Ethics Examination (CPLEE); it is never waived.

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

$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) ($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).

How long does California take to process an endorsement application?

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) — 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.

Is California a PSYPACT state?

No. California had not joined PSYPACT as of 2026-08-07, so no compact authorization reaches California — including for telehealth — and a California license by endorsement is the only way to practice with clients located there.

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]