Psychology License from Colorado to Kentucky: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing) ↗

A psychology license transfers from Colorado to Kentucky by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing), verify your Colorado license, and meet Kentucky's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — 201 KAR 26:185 requires a verified EPPP scaled score of 500 or greater and directs the Board to accept the applicant's previous national EPPP results if the original scores met the doctoral licensure criterion at the time, and 201 KAR 26:160 Section 3 waives the EPPP fee for a candidate who already passed elsewhere. Kentucky still requires two of its own examinations: a jurisprudence examination on Kentucky mental health law (80% to pass) and a competency examination on ethical principles and professional practice (100% to pass)..

Verify this exact pair in the checker

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

Run the Reciprocity Checker →

Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Colorado and Kentucky both participate in PSYPACT, and it is worth being blunt about what that does and does not buy you, because the compact's name misleads a lot of psychologists. It does not transfer your license. Moving from Colorado to Kentucky means applying to the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing) for licensure by endorsement exactly as you would if neither state had ever joined — license verification, doctoral transcript, supervised-experience review, Kentucky's jurisprudence requirement. What the shared participation genuinely gives you is different and still valuable: while you remain licensed and resident in Colorado, you can serve Kentucky clients by telepsychology under an APIT authorization, and work in person in Kentucky for up to 30 days a year under a TAP. That can cover a transition period — it cannot cover the move.

What changes, Colorado → Kentucky

Side-by-side: Colorado vs Kentucky (Psychology (licensed psychologist)), verified 2026-08-07
	Colorado (current)	Kentucky (destination)
PSYPACT status	PSYPACT member — multistate license honored	PSYPACT member — multistate license honored
Application fee	Not verifiable from a primary source. DORA/DPO does not publish a psychologist endorsement application fee on any public page — the Psychology Applications page states only that fees are shown on the respective application, and the endorsement application itself is filed inside the DPO Online Services portal behind a login. No fee amount is asserted here rather than guessed	$100 ($100 application review fee under 201 KAR 26:160 Section 1(1)(a); an Application for Licensure as a Psychologist by Reciprocity is likewise $100 (Section 6). Separate from this application fee: $100 for the jurisprudence and competency examinations, $50 per retake of either, and a $250 initial licensure fee for the first three-year period once the process is complete. The EPPP fee is waived for a candidate who already passed the EPPP in another state. All fees are nonrefundable.)
Processing time	No board-stated range. DORA/DPO publishes no processing time for psychologist licensure by endorsement; the only related timing note on the Psychology Applications page is that a license issued within 120 days of the upcoming renewal expiration is given the next expiration date	No processing-time estimate is published in KRS 319, in 201 KAR 26, or by the Board; applications pass through the online system's primary source verification and then a final board review. Null rather than a guess.
Licensing authority	Colorado State Board of Psychologist Examiners (Department of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Professions and Occupations)	Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing)

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

Step by step

Confirm Kentucky's current requirements on the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing) website (linked below) — rules change.
Submit the endorsement application to the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing) (application linked below).
Arrange license verification from your current state.
Hold a current, valid license in good standing to practice psychology from a state, DC, a U.S. territory, or a Canadian province whose board is an ASPPB constituent member.
Document a minimum of five years of full-time practice of psychology (or the board-determined equivalent) with no discipline by any psychology licensure board.
Pass the Kentucky jurisprudence examination (80%) and the competency examination (100%).
Submit three letters of reference — at least two from persons holding a doctorate in psychology — plus official sealed transcripts and a curriculum vitae demonstrating the five years of practice.
Pay the fees ($100 ($100 application review fee under 201 KAR 26:160 Section 1(1)(a); an Application for Licensure as a Psychologist by Reciprocity is likewise $100 (Section 6). Separate from this application fee: $100 for the jurisprudence and competency examinations, $50 per retake of either, and a $250 initial licensure fee for the first three-year period once the process is complete. The EPPP fee is waived for a candidate who already passed the EPPP in another state. All fees are nonrefundable.)) and allow No processing-time estimate is published in KRS 319, in 201 KAR 26, or by the Board; applications pass through the online system's primary source verification and then a final board review. Null rather than a guess..

Official links

Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing) ↗Kentucky application ↗Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact ↗

Frequently asked questions

Does Kentucky accept a Colorado psychology license?

Do I retake the EPPP moving from Colorado to Kentucky?

No — the EPPP is passed once and your score is verified rather than retaken. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — 201 KAR 26:185 requires a verified EPPP scaled score of 500 or greater and directs the Board to accept the applicant's previous national EPPP results if the original scores met the doctoral licensure criterion at the time, and 201 KAR 26:160 Section 3 waives the EPPP fee for a candidate who already passed elsewhere. Kentucky still requires two of its own examinations: a jurisprudence examination on Kentucky mental health law (80% to pass) and a competency examination on ethical principles and professional practice (100% to pass)..

What does the move cost?

$100 ($100 application review fee under 201 KAR 26:160 Section 1(1)(a); an Application for Licensure as a Psychologist by Reciprocity is likewise $100 (Section 6). Separate from this application fee: $100 for the jurisprudence and competency examinations, $50 per retake of either, and a $250 initial licensure fee for the first three-year period once the process is complete. The EPPP fee is waived for a candidate who already passed the EPPP in another state. All fees are nonrefundable.) ($100 application review fee under 201 KAR 26:160 Section 1(1)(a); an Application for Licensure as a Psychologist by Reciprocity is likewise $100 (Section 6). Separate from this application fee: $100 for the jurisprudence and competency examinations, $50 per retake of either, and a $250 initial licensure fee for the first three-year period once the process is complete. The EPPP fee is waived for a candidate who already passed the EPPP in another state. All fees are nonrefundable.).

How long will it take?

No processing-time estimate is published in KRS 319, in 201 KAR 26, or by the Board; applications pass through the online system's primary source verification and then a final board review. Null rather than a guess. — No processing-time estimate is published in KRS 319, in 201 KAR 26, or by the Board; applications pass through the online system's primary source verification and then a final board review. Null rather than a guess..

Colorado and Kentucky are both PSYPACT states — doesn't my license transfer automatically?

No. PSYPACT never transfers a license, including between two participating states. It authorizes telepsychology into Kentucky (APIT) and in-person practice there for up to 30 days a year (TAP) while your license stays in Colorado. Relocating to Kentucky requires licensure by endorsement from the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing) like any other applicant.

Can I start seeing Kentucky clients before my Kentucky license is issued?

While your Colorado license remains active and is your home-state license, a PSYPACT authorization can cover Kentucky clients by telepsychology, and a TAP covers up to 30 days a year of in-person work there. Those are the compact's limits, and they end when Colorado stops being your licensed home state — they are a bridge during a transition, not a substitute for the Kentucky license.

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]