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LicenseReciprocity

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

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Pennsylvania State Board of Psychology (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State) ↗

Your psychology license does not transfer to Pennsylvania automatically — you apply to the Pennsylvania State Board of Psychology (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State) 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 $105 (Initial application fee of $105 under 49 Pa. Code 41.12; 41.52a(4) directs endorsement applicants to pay that initial application fee. Biennial renewal is $300. No separate endorsement/reciprocity fee line exists in the regulation. PPLE and EPPP fees are paid to the exam vendors), processing Neither the Board page, the licensure snapshot, nor 49 Pa. Code Chapter 41 states a processing-time range; no Board processing-time page was reachable on 2026-08-07. Pennsylvania participates in PSYPACT, but that only covers telepsychology and up to 30 days a year of temporary in-person work — it does not license you in Pennsylvania, and a move here still runs through endorsement.

Moving to Pennsylvania from a specific state?

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Verdict

PSYPACT member — multistate license honored

Be precise about what you are actually trying to do in Pennsylvania, because the two mechanisms answer different questions. If you are staying licensed and resident elsewhere and want to see Pennsylvania clients by telehealth, Pennsylvania's PSYPACT participation is the relevant route and you never touch the Pennsylvania State Board of Psychology (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State) — you work through ASPPB and the commission instead. If you are moving to Pennsylvania, or want an unrestricted Pennsylvania license for any other reason, the compact contributes nothing at all and the endorsement steps below are your path.

Pennsylvania has two overlapping out-of-state routes: the older 49 Pa. Code 41.52 exemption-from-examination path for applicants from a state the Board deems equivalent (which waives repeating the EPPP national portion), and the Act 41 of 2019 licensure-by-endorsement path in 49 Pa. Code 41.52a, which requires a substantially-equivalent current license, either 2 of the last 5 years of practice or 30 CE hours in the past 24 months, a clean disciplinary record, the initial application fee, and 3 hours of child abuse recognition training. Both involve Board re-evaluation and the Board retains discretion (including personal interviews), so this is endorsement, not full reciprocity. The Board's own licensure snapshot lists the EPPP and the Pennsylvania Psychology Law Examination (PPLE) as the licensure exams; 41.52 waives only the national portion, so plan on the state law exam. Pennsylvania is a PSYPACT participating state — APIT telepsychology and 30-day TAP in-person authority are available to psychologists licensed in another PSYPACT state, but PSYPACT never transfers a license and a permanent Pennsylvania license still requires endorsement here.

Pennsylvania requirements at a glance

Out-of-state psychology license transfer requirements for Pennsylvania, verified 2026-08-07
ExamEPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — under 49 Pa. Code 41.52 an applicant who passed the national portion with a score equal to or above Pennsylvania's prevailing passing score 'will not be required to repeat this portion.' The Board separately administers the Pennsylvania Psychology Law Examination (PPLE) as a licensure exam
Additional requirements
  • Hold a current license in another jurisdiction whose standards are substantially equivalent to or exceed Pennsylvania's, and document that jurisdiction's law and regulations
  • Demonstrate competency by either actively practicing psychology 2 of the last 5 years in the issuing jurisdiction, or completing 30 hours of continuing education in the 24 months preceding application
  • Have no disciplinary action by the licensing jurisdiction and no act constituting grounds for refusal, suspension or revocation
  • Complete 3 hours of Board-approved training in child abuse recognition and reporting
  • Be prepared for a personal interview and additional documentation at the Board's discretion
Fees$105 (Initial application fee of $105 under 49 Pa. Code 41.12; 41.52a(4) directs endorsement applicants to pay that initial application fee. Biennial renewal is $300. No separate endorsement/reciprocity fee line exists in the regulation. PPLE and EPPP fees are paid to the exam vendors)
Processing timeNeither the Board page, the licensure snapshot, nor 49 Pa. Code Chapter 41 states a processing-time range; no Board processing-time page was reachable on 2026-08-07

Step by step

  1. Confirm Pennsylvania's current requirements on the Pennsylvania State Board of Psychology (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State) website — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Pennsylvania State Board of Psychology (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State) (application linked on this page).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold a current license in another jurisdiction whose standards are substantially equivalent to or exceed Pennsylvania's, and document that jurisdiction's law and regulations.
  5. Demonstrate competency by either actively practicing psychology 2 of the last 5 years in the issuing jurisdiction, or completing 30 hours of continuing education in the 24 months preceding application.
  6. Have no disciplinary action by the licensing jurisdiction and no act constituting grounds for refusal, suspension or revocation.
  7. Complete 3 hours of Board-approved training in child abuse recognition and reporting.
  8. Be prepared for a personal interview and additional documentation at the Board's discretion.
  9. Pay the fees ($105 (Initial application fee of $105 under 49 Pa. Code 41.12; 41.52a(4) directs endorsement applicants to pay that initial application fee. Biennial renewal is $300. No separate endorsement/reciprocity fee line exists in the regulation. PPLE and EPPP fees are paid to the exam vendors)) and allow Neither the Board page, the licensure snapshot, nor 49 Pa. Code Chapter 41 states a processing-time range; no Board processing-time page was reachable on 2026-08-07.

Official links

Pennsylvania State Board of Psychology (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State) ↗Pennsylvania application ↗Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact ↗

Coming from a specific state?

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

Alabama → PennsylvaniaAlaska → PennsylvaniaArizona → PennsylvaniaArkansas → PennsylvaniaCalifornia → PennsylvaniaColorado → PennsylvaniaConnecticut → PennsylvaniaDelaware → PennsylvaniaDistrict of Columbia → PennsylvaniaFlorida → PennsylvaniaGeorgia → PennsylvaniaHawaii → PennsylvaniaIdaho → PennsylvaniaIllinois → PennsylvaniaIndiana → PennsylvaniaIowa → PennsylvaniaKansas → PennsylvaniaKentucky → PennsylvaniaLouisiana → PennsylvaniaMaine → Pennsylvania
All 50 origin states
Maryland → PennsylvaniaMassachusetts → PennsylvaniaMichigan → PennsylvaniaMinnesota → PennsylvaniaMississippi → PennsylvaniaMissouri → PennsylvaniaMontana → PennsylvaniaNebraska → PennsylvaniaNevada → PennsylvaniaNew Hampshire → PennsylvaniaNew Jersey → PennsylvaniaNew Mexico → PennsylvaniaNew York → PennsylvaniaNorth Carolina → PennsylvaniaNorth Dakota → PennsylvaniaOhio → PennsylvaniaOklahoma → PennsylvaniaOregon → PennsylvaniaRhode Island → PennsylvaniaSouth Carolina → PennsylvaniaSouth Dakota → PennsylvaniaTennessee → PennsylvaniaTexas → PennsylvaniaUtah → PennsylvaniaVermont → PennsylvaniaVirginia → PennsylvaniaWashington → PennsylvaniaWest Virginia → PennsylvaniaWisconsin → PennsylvaniaWyoming → Pennsylvania

Frequently asked questions

Does my psychology license transfer to Pennsylvania?

Your psychology license does not transfer to Pennsylvania automatically — you apply to the Pennsylvania State Board of Psychology (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State) 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 $105 (Initial application fee of $105 under 49 Pa. Code 41.12; 41.52a(4) directs endorsement applicants to pay that initial application fee. Biennial renewal is $300. No separate endorsement/reciprocity fee line exists in the regulation. PPLE and EPPP fees are paid to the exam vendors), processing Neither the Board page, the licensure snapshot, nor 49 Pa. Code Chapter 41 states a processing-time range; no Board processing-time page was reachable on 2026-08-07. Pennsylvania participates in PSYPACT, but that only covers telepsychology and up to 30 days a year of temporary in-person work — it does not license you in Pennsylvania, and a move here still runs through endorsement.

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

No. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — under 49 Pa. Code 41.52 an applicant who passed the national portion with a score equal to or above Pennsylvania's prevailing passing score 'will not be required to repeat this portion.' The Board separately administers the Pennsylvania Psychology Law Examination (PPLE) as a licensure exam.

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

$105 (Initial application fee of $105 under 49 Pa. Code 41.12; 41.52a(4) directs endorsement applicants to pay that initial application fee. Biennial renewal is $300. No separate endorsement/reciprocity fee line exists in the regulation. PPLE and EPPP fees are paid to the exam vendors) (Initial application fee of $105 under 49 Pa. Code 41.12; 41.52a(4) directs endorsement applicants to pay that initial application fee. Biennial renewal is $300. No separate endorsement/reciprocity fee line exists in the regulation. PPLE and EPPP fees are paid to the exam vendors).

How long does Pennsylvania take to process an endorsement application?

Neither the Board page, the licensure snapshot, nor 49 Pa. Code Chapter 41 states a processing-time range; no Board processing-time page was reachable on 2026-08-07 — Neither the Board page, the licensure snapshot, nor 49 Pa. Code Chapter 41 states a processing-time range; no Board processing-time page was reachable on 2026-08-07.

Is Pennsylvania a PSYPACT state?

Yes — Pennsylvania was participating as of 2026-08-07. That lets a psychologist licensed in another participating state provide telepsychology to Pennsylvania clients under an APIT authorization, and work in person in Pennsylvania for up to 30 days a year under a TAP. It does not license you in Pennsylvania: relocating still requires endorsement through the Pennsylvania State Board of Psychology (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State).

Can I practice in Pennsylvania using PSYPACT instead of getting licensed?

Only within the compact's limits, and only if you are not moving. Telepsychology into Pennsylvania is covered by APIT; in-person work is capped at 30 days per calendar year under a TAP. Beyond that — and for any relocation to Pennsylvania — you need a Pennsylvania license by endorsement.

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]