Transfer Your Psychology License to Montana: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Montana Board of Psychologists (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division) ↗
Your psychology license does not transfer to Montana automatically — you apply to the Montana Board of Psychologists (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division) for licensure by endorsement. The board verifies your active license, doctoral degree, and supervised experience and accepts your existing EPPP score rather than re-testing you. Expect $175 (Application fee stated on the Board's license-information page for both Psychologist and Psychologist Licensed by Experience. A postdoctoral supervision application is a separate $25 where applicable; renewal is $600 active / $1,200 late. Background-check costs are not published here.), processing Neither the Board's license-information page nor its statutes page states a processing-time range for psychologist applications.. Montana has enacted PSYPACT but was not yet participating as of 2026-08-07, so no compact authorization reaches it and endorsement is the only route.
Moving to Montana from a specific state?
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Verdict
PSYPACT enacted — not yet issuing
Montana sits in the compact's waiting room: PSYPACT is enacted in law but Montana was not yet participating as of 2026-08-07, so no APIT or TAP authorization reaches Montana clients and no Montana license can anchor one. For now treat Montana exactly like a non-participating state — endorsement through the Montana Board of Psychologists (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division) is the only way to practice here, and this page is updated when participation begins.
Montana has no psychology-specific reciprocity statute; out-of-state psychologists come in under the general Title 37 endorsement provision (MCA 37-1-304), which requires an active out-of-state license whose qualifications are substantially equivalent to Montana's, with the Board assessing actual experience and credentials to close any gap. MCA 37-17-302 sets the underlying doctoral-degree and 2-year supervised-experience standard. The Board's separate 'Psychologist Licensed by Experience' credential is the closest thing to a shortcut: 20+ years of licensure and 10+ years of clinical experience, with the jurisdictional course but no EPPP. PSYPACT status is assembler-provided: Montana has enacted PSYPACT but is NOT yet a participating state, so an out-of-state psychologist cannot yet rely on APIT or TAP authority here. The Board does not publish endorsement-specific processing times or an endorsement-only fee, so those are recorded as the general $175 application fee and null respectively rather than guessed.
Montana requirements at a glance
| Exam | Montana requires a passing EPPP score plus completion of the Board's jurisdictional course; the EPPP is a national exam, so an existing passing score is verified rather than retaken. The separate 'Psychologist Licensed by Experience' route — 20 or more years licensed in a U.S. or Canadian jurisdiction with at least 10 years of clinical experience — requires only the Board's jurisdictional course and no EPPP |
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| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | $175 (Application fee stated on the Board's license-information page for both Psychologist and Psychologist Licensed by Experience. A postdoctoral supervision application is a separate $25 where applicable; renewal is $600 active / $1,200 late. Background-check costs are not published here.) |
| Processing time | Neither the Board's license-information page nor its statutes page states a processing-time range for psychologist applications. |
Step by step
- Confirm Montana's current requirements on the Montana Board of Psychologists (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division) website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Montana Board of Psychologists (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active out-of-state license in good standing whose qualifications the Board finds substantially equivalent to Montana's (MCA 37-1-304).
- Hold a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from an APA-approved program, or an APA-approved retraining program, or a course of study meeting the Board's rules.
- Document at least 2 years of supervised experience in the practice of psychology, at least 1 year of it postdoctoral.
- Pass the EPPP and complete the Montana Board jurisdictional course.
- Apply through the state's eBiz professional licensing portal.
- Pay the fees ($175 (Application fee stated on the Board's license-information page for both Psychologist and Psychologist Licensed by Experience. A postdoctoral supervision application is a separate $25 where applicable; renewal is $600 active / $1,200 late. Background-check costs are not published here.)) and allow Neither the Board's license-information page nor its statutes page states a processing-time range for psychologist applications..
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Montana:
Frequently asked questions
Does my psychology license transfer to Montana?
Your psychology license does not transfer to Montana automatically — you apply to the Montana Board of Psychologists (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division) for licensure by endorsement. The board verifies your active license, doctoral degree, and supervised experience and accepts your existing EPPP score rather than re-testing you. Expect $175 (Application fee stated on the Board's license-information page for both Psychologist and Psychologist Licensed by Experience. A postdoctoral supervision application is a separate $25 where applicable; renewal is $600 active / $1,200 late. Background-check costs are not published here.), processing Neither the Board's license-information page nor its statutes page states a processing-time range for psychologist applications.. Montana has enacted PSYPACT but was not yet participating as of 2026-08-07, so no compact authorization reaches it and endorsement is the only route.
Do I have to retake the EPPP to get licensed in Montana?
No. Montana requires a passing EPPP score plus completion of the Board's jurisdictional course; the EPPP is a national exam, so an existing passing score is verified rather than retaken. The separate 'Psychologist Licensed by Experience' route — 20 or more years licensed in a U.S. or Canadian jurisdiction with at least 10 years of clinical experience — requires only the Board's jurisdictional course and no EPPP.
How much does it cost to get a Montana psychology license by endorsement?
$175 (Application fee stated on the Board's license-information page for both Psychologist and Psychologist Licensed by Experience. A postdoctoral supervision application is a separate $25 where applicable; renewal is $600 active / $1,200 late. Background-check costs are not published here.) (Application fee stated on the Board's license-information page for both Psychologist and Psychologist Licensed by Experience. A postdoctoral supervision application is a separate $25 where applicable; renewal is $600 active / $1,200 late. Background-check costs are not published here.).
How long does Montana take to process an endorsement application?
Neither the Board's license-information page nor its statutes page states a processing-time range for psychologist applications. — Neither the Board's license-information page nor its statutes page states a processing-time range for psychologist applications..
Is Montana a PSYPACT state?
Montana has enacted PSYPACT but was not yet participating as of 2026-08-07, so no APIT or TAP authorization covers Montana clients yet. Endorsement through the Montana Board of Psychologists (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division) is the only working route.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Montana Board of Psychologists — Psychologist and Psychologist by Experience license information (requirements, exams, $175 application fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Montana Board of Psychologists — board home (license types, apply/renew, PSYPACT) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Montana Code Annotated 37-1-304 — Licensure by endorsement (substantially equivalent out-of-state license; reciprocity agreements may not lower Montana standards) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Montana Code Annotated 37-17-302 — Qualifications for licensure as a psychologist ↗ (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]