Psychology License from North Dakota to Virginia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Virginia Board of Psychology (Department of Health Professions) ↗
A psychology license transfers from North Dakota to Virginia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Virginia Board of Psychology (Department of Health Professions), verify your North Dakota license, and meet Virginia's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — 18VAC125-20-42 imposes no re-examination on an endorsement applicant; only the substantial-equivalence route at 18VAC125-20-42(6)(e) requires verification of a passing score on all EPPP parts that were required at the time of original licensure. Virginia's psychology regulations contain no separate state jurisprudence exam; the applicant instead attests to having read and agreed to comply with Virginia's Standards of Practice and laws.
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
North Dakota and Virginia 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 North Dakota to Virginia means applying to the Virginia Board of Psychology (Department of Health Professions) for licensure by endorsement exactly as you would if neither state had ever joined — license verification, doctoral transcript, supervised-experience review, Virginia's jurisprudence requirement. What the shared participation genuinely gives you is different and still valuable: while you remain licensed and resident in North Dakota, you can serve Virginia clients by telepsychology under an APIT authorization, and work in person in Virginia for up to 30 days a year under a TAP. That can cover a transition period — it cannot cover the move.
What changes, North Dakota → Virginia
| North Dakota (current) | Virginia (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PSYPACT status | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $450 (Application Initiation Form fee payable to NDSBPE, nonrefundable. Add $200 for the ASPPB PLUS online application and, if the EPPP has not already been passed, $600 to the exam owner plus any testing-site fee. The oral examination itself carries a $0 fee; the future North Dakota professional responsibility examination is $50. Limited practice application is $25; annual renewal is $250.) | $200 (18VAC125-20-30 sets 'Application processing and initial licensure' at $200 for clinical and applied psychologists (school psychologists $85). All fees are nonrefundable and payable to the Treasurer of Virginia.) |
| Processing time | The board publishes no turnaround time and warns that processing takes 'several days' after the applicant's own work plus primary-source verifications whose timing varies by program and faculty. On receipt of a completed Application Initiation Form from an out-of-jurisdiction licensee the board may grant a provisional license valid six months, extendable for good cause, so the applicant can practise while the file is pending (NDAC 66-02-01-03(3)). | Not verified. No processing-time commitment appears in 18VAC125-20, and www.dhp.virginia.gov did not resolve or connect from this network on 2026-08-07, so no board-stated range is asserted. |
| Licensing authority | North Dakota State Board of Psychologist Examiners | Virginia Board of Psychology (Department of Health Professions) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Virginia sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Virginia's current requirements on the Virginia Board of Psychology (Department of Health Professions) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Virginia Board of Psychology (Department of Health Professions).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Attest to having read and agreed to comply with the current Standards of Practice and the laws governing the practice of psychology in Virginia.
- Verify every health and mental health professional license, certificate or registration ever held in Virginia or any U.S. or Canadian jurisdiction, with no credential surrendered while under investigation and no unresolved action.
- Submit a current report from the National Practitioner Data Bank.
- Document one of: a current National Register of Health Service Psychologists credential, current ABPP diplomate status in a comparable category, an ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification, five years of active comparable licensure including 24 months of active practice within the last 60 months, or substantial equivalence proven from the original out-of-state application file.
- Pay the fees ($200 (18VAC125-20-30 sets 'Application processing and initial licensure' at $200 for clinical and applied psychologists (school psychologists $85). All fees are nonrefundable and payable to the Treasurer of Virginia.)) and allow Not verified. No processing-time commitment appears in 18VAC125-20, and www.dhp.virginia.gov did not resolve or connect from this network on 2026-08-07, so no board-stated range is asserted..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Virginia accept a North Dakota psychology license?
A psychology license transfers from North Dakota to Virginia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Virginia Board of Psychology (Department of Health Professions), verify your North Dakota license, and meet Virginia's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — 18VAC125-20-42 imposes no re-examination on an endorsement applicant; only the substantial-equivalence route at 18VAC125-20-42(6)(e) requires verification of a passing score on all EPPP parts that were required at the time of original licensure. Virginia's psychology regulations contain no separate state jurisprudence exam; the applicant instead attests to having read and agreed to comply with Virginia's Standards of Practice and laws.
Do I retake the EPPP moving from North Dakota to Virginia?
No — the EPPP is passed once and your score is verified rather than retaken. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — 18VAC125-20-42 imposes no re-examination on an endorsement applicant; only the substantial-equivalence route at 18VAC125-20-42(6)(e) requires verification of a passing score on all EPPP parts that were required at the time of original licensure. Virginia's psychology regulations contain no separate state jurisprudence exam; the applicant instead attests to having read and agreed to comply with Virginia's Standards of Practice and laws.
What does the move cost?
$200 (18VAC125-20-30 sets 'Application processing and initial licensure' at $200 for clinical and applied psychologists (school psychologists $85). All fees are nonrefundable and payable to the Treasurer of Virginia.) (18VAC125-20-30 sets 'Application processing and initial licensure' at $200 for clinical and applied psychologists (school psychologists $85). All fees are nonrefundable and payable to the Treasurer of Virginia.).
How long will it take?
Not verified. No processing-time commitment appears in 18VAC125-20, and www.dhp.virginia.gov did not resolve or connect from this network on 2026-08-07, so no board-stated range is asserted. — Not verified. No processing-time commitment appears in 18VAC125-20, and www.dhp.virginia.gov did not resolve or connect from this network on 2026-08-07, so no board-stated range is asserted..
North Dakota and Virginia 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 Virginia (APIT) and in-person practice there for up to 30 days a year (TAP) while your license stays in North Dakota. Relocating to Virginia requires licensure by endorsement from the Virginia Board of Psychology (Department of Health Professions) like any other applicant.
Can I start seeing Virginia clients before my Virginia license is issued?
While your North Dakota license remains active and is your home-state license, a PSYPACT authorization can cover Virginia 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 North Dakota stops being your licensed home state — they are a bridge during a transition, not a substitute for the Virginia license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- 18VAC125-20-42, Prerequisites for licensure by endorsement — Virginia Administrative Code, Board of Psychology ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 18VAC125-20-30, Fees required by the board — Virginia Administrative Code, Board of Psychology ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 18VAC125-20-80, General examination requirements — Virginia Administrative Code, Board of Psychology ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NDSBPE — Application for Licensure: Instructions (two-step process, $450 initiation fee, $200 PLUS fee, $600 EPPP, four statutory requirements, Expedited Licensure/Registration) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NDAC Article 66-02, Chapter 66-02-01 — Licensure and Examining Applications, incl. 66-02-01-03 (licensing psychologists from other jurisdictions / expedited licensing), 66-02-01-08 (fees) and 66-02-01-09.1 (EPPP passing score 500) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NDCC Chapter 43-32 — Psychologists, incl. 43-32-19.1 (expedited licensure for applicants licensed in other jurisdictions) and 43-32-20 (licensing, examination, qualifications) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NDSBPE — Board home (navigation confirming application, verification and EPPP score transfer pages) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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