Psychology License from Tennessee to Arizona: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners ↗
A psychology license transfers from Tennessee to Arizona by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners, verify your Tennessee license, and meet Arizona's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — under A.R.S. § 32-2072 an ABPP diplomate or an ASPPB CPQ holder satisfies the national examination requirement outright, and a National Register applicant must have ASPPB send the passing EPPP score directly to the Arizona Board. The Board is authorized by A.R.S. § 32-2072 to give an additional examination on Arizona law and professional ethics, but its licensure-by-credential instructions require no jurisprudence exam.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Both Tennessee and Arizona are PSYPACT participants, which helps you right up until you actually relocate. As long as Tennessee remains your licensed home state, the compact lets you treat Arizona clients by telehealth (APIT) and work in Arizona in person for up to 30 days per calendar year (TAP). None of that makes you licensed in Arizona. A permanent move puts you in front of the Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners for endorsement — your EPPP score carries over rather than being retaken, but the degree, supervised experience, jurisprudence exam, and background check are all reviewed on Arizona's terms.
What changes, Tennessee → Arizona
| Tennessee (current) | Arizona (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PSYPACT status | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $175–$375 (PH-1034 requires a $175 nonrefundable application fee plus a $200 licensure fee at submission; a $10 state regulatory fee and a $100 ethics and jurisprudence exam fee are also due, for a board-stated total of $485. Temporary license adds $100; provisional license adds $125. Fingerprint/background-check vendor charges are billed separately.) | $350 ($350 nonrefundable application fee, paid online at submission; the Arizona DPS fingerprint clearance card fee is paid separately to DPS) |
| Processing time | 4–6 weeks (Board-stated: materials are typically in the applicant's file within two weeks of the postmark and, absent complicating factors, average application processing time is four to six weeks.) | 4–17 weeks (A.A.C. R4-26-208 Table 1 sets, for an application for licensure by credential, a 30-day administrative completeness review, a 90-day substantive review and a 120-day overall time frame; both clocks are suspended while requested documents are outstanding, and the Application Review Committee meets about twelve times a year, so real-world time depends on how fast verifiers respond) |
| Licensing authority | Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) | Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Arizona sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Arizona's current requirements on the Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold one of the three credentials the Board recognizes — ABPP diplomate/specialist, ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ), or National Register of Health Service Psychologists — a license in another state alone does not qualify.
- Have been licensed as a psychologist in another U.S. state or Canadian province for five or more years.
- Obtain an Arizona Department of Public Safety fingerprint clearance card, or submit proof that the DPS application was filed.
- Submit a National Practitioner Data Bank self-query processed within 30 days of the application submission date.
- Have verification of every psychology license ever held, active or not, sent directly to the Board by each jurisdiction.
- Submit a completed Arizona Statement of Citizenship and Alien Status form with proof of lawful presence.
- Pay the fees ($350 ($350 nonrefundable application fee, paid online at submission; the Arizona DPS fingerprint clearance card fee is paid separately to DPS)) and allow 4–17 weeks (A.A.C. R4-26-208 Table 1 sets, for an application for licensure by credential, a 30-day administrative completeness review, a 90-day substantive review and a 120-day overall time frame; both clocks are suspended while requested documents are outstanding, and the Application Review Committee meets about twelve times a year, so real-world time depends on how fast verifiers respond).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Arizona accept a Tennessee psychology license?
A psychology license transfers from Tennessee to Arizona by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners, verify your Tennessee license, and meet Arizona's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — under A.R.S. § 32-2072 an ABPP diplomate or an ASPPB CPQ holder satisfies the national examination requirement outright, and a National Register applicant must have ASPPB send the passing EPPP score directly to the Arizona Board. The Board is authorized by A.R.S. § 32-2072 to give an additional examination on Arizona law and professional ethics, but its licensure-by-credential instructions require no jurisprudence exam.
Do I retake the EPPP moving from Tennessee to Arizona?
No — the EPPP is passed once and your score is verified rather than retaken. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — under A.R.S. § 32-2072 an ABPP diplomate or an ASPPB CPQ holder satisfies the national examination requirement outright, and a National Register applicant must have ASPPB send the passing EPPP score directly to the Arizona Board. The Board is authorized by A.R.S. § 32-2072 to give an additional examination on Arizona law and professional ethics, but its licensure-by-credential instructions require no jurisprudence exam.
What does the move cost?
$350 ($350 nonrefundable application fee, paid online at submission; the Arizona DPS fingerprint clearance card fee is paid separately to DPS) ($350 nonrefundable application fee, paid online at submission; the Arizona DPS fingerprint clearance card fee is paid separately to DPS).
How long will it take?
4–17 weeks (A.A.C. R4-26-208 Table 1 sets, for an application for licensure by credential, a 30-day administrative completeness review, a 90-day substantive review and a 120-day overall time frame; both clocks are suspended while requested documents are outstanding, and the Application Review Committee meets about twelve times a year, so real-world time depends on how fast verifiers respond) — A.A.C. R4-26-208 Table 1 sets, for an application for licensure by credential, a 30-day administrative completeness review, a 90-day substantive review and a 120-day overall time frame; both clocks are suspended while requested documents are outstanding, and the Application Review Committee meets about twelve times a year, so real-world time depends on how fast verifiers respond.
Tennessee and Arizona 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 Arizona (APIT) and in-person practice there for up to 30 days a year (TAP) while your license stays in Tennessee. Relocating to Arizona requires licensure by endorsement from the Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners like any other applicant.
Can I start seeing Arizona clients before my Arizona license is issued?
While your Tennessee license remains active and is your home-state license, a PSYPACT authorization can cover Arizona 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 Tennessee stops being your licensed home state — they are a bridge during a transition, not a substitute for the Arizona license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners — Instructions for Psychologist Application for Licensure by Credential (credentials accepted, 5-year licensure, $350 fee, required documents) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners — Fees ($350 initial application) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- A.R.S. § 32-2071.01(D) — requirements for licensure; credentials (CPQ, National Register with five years, ABPP) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- A.R.S. § 32-2072 — examinations; national examination and Board's additional examination; ABPP/CPQ exemption ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners — A.A.C. Title 4 Ch. 26 rules (R4-26-203.01 licensure by credential; R4-26-208 and Table 1 time frames) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PSYPACT — PSYPACT Map/States (Arizona participating) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology — board page, applications and forms ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Tennessee Rules 1180-02, Rules Governing Psychologists (July 2026 revision) — reciprocity 1180-02-.03(12), endorsement (13), jurisprudence exam never waived (14), examinations 1180-02-.04 ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Tennessee Psychologist Application PH-1034 — fees, processing time, EPPP and ethics/jurisprudence exam instructions ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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