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LicenseReciprocity

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

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) ↗

Tennessee licenses out-of-state psychologists by endorsement rather than by any automatic exchange. The Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) reviews your credentials and accepts your existing EPPP passing score; budget $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.) and 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.) for processing. Tennessee 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 Tennessee, and a move here still runs through endorsement.

Moving to Tennessee from a specific state?

Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.

Run the Reciprocity Checker →

Verdict

PSYPACT member — multistate license honored

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

Tennessee runs two named transfer routes inside the single PH-1034 psychologist application: Rule 1180-02-.03(12) 'Reciprocity', under which the board may expedite review for an applicant licensed in good standing elsewhere who submits a qualifying EPPP score and license verifications, and Rule 1180-02-.03(13) 'Endorsement', for an applicant who has practiced under another state's license at least ten of the last fifteen years. Neither is full reciprocity: the doctoral program, internship and postdoctoral experience still have to line up for HSP designation, and the ethics and jurisprudence exam can never be waived. The board publishes no list of reciprocal states, so reciprocity_partners is empty. The board's own page links to psypact.gov and verifypsypact.org, but PSYPACT grants only telepsychology (APIT) and 30-day temporary in-person (TAP) authority — it does not produce a Tennessee license. compact_member and compact_status are assembler-provided values copied from the profession meta, not re-derived here.

Tennessee requirements at a glance

Out-of-state psychology license transfer requirements for Tennessee, verified 2026-08-07
ExamEPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — a reciprocity applicant submits proof of a written examination score meeting Tennessee standards, or after five years of continuous good-standing licensure may substitute ABPP certification, National Register listing, or an ASPPB CPQ; the Tennessee ethics and jurisprudence examination is required and Rule 1180-02-.03(14) states it shall never be waived
Additional requirements
  • Hold a valid psychologist license in good standing in another jurisdiction and have license verification, including disciplinary history, sent from every jurisdiction ever licensed
  • Pass the Tennessee ethics and jurisprudence examination, which the board schedules after the EPPP requirement is satisfied and which may never be waived
  • Have a criminal background check submitted directly from the vendor identified in the board's application materials
  • Document a qualifying doctoral program, internship, and postdoctoral supervised experience for Health Service Provider designation, which may not be waived even under the ABPP/National Register/CPQ shortcut
  • Submit three letters of recommendation from psychologists, two of whom must be licensed, with licensure endorsement forms
Fees$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.)
Processing time4–6 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.)

Step by step

  1. Confirm Tennessee's current requirements on the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) website — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) (application linked on this page).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold a valid psychologist license in good standing in another jurisdiction and have license verification, including disciplinary history, sent from every jurisdiction ever licensed.
  5. Pass the Tennessee ethics and jurisprudence examination, which the board schedules after the EPPP requirement is satisfied and which may never be waived.
  6. Have a criminal background check submitted directly from the vendor identified in the board's application materials.
  7. Document a qualifying doctoral program, internship, and postdoctoral supervised experience for Health Service Provider designation, which may not be waived even under the ABPP/National Register/CPQ shortcut.
  8. Submit three letters of recommendation from psychologists, two of whom must be licensed, with licensure endorsement forms.
  9. Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow 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.).

Official links

Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) ↗Tennessee application ↗Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact ↗

Coming from a specific state?

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

Alabama → TennesseeArizona → TennesseeArkansas → TennesseeCalifornia → TennesseeColorado → TennesseeConnecticut → TennesseeDelaware → TennesseeDistrict of Columbia → TennesseeFlorida → TennesseeGeorgia → TennesseeIdaho → TennesseeIllinois → TennesseeIndiana → TennesseeKansas → TennesseeKentucky → TennesseeMaine → TennesseeMaryland → TennesseeMichigan → TennesseeMinnesota → TennesseeMississippi → Tennessee
All 42 origin states
Missouri → TennesseeNebraska → TennesseeNevada → TennesseeNew Hampshire → TennesseeNew Jersey → TennesseeNew York → TennesseeNorth Carolina → TennesseeNorth Dakota → TennesseeOhio → TennesseeOklahoma → TennesseePennsylvania → TennesseeRhode Island → TennesseeSouth Carolina → TennesseeSouth Dakota → TennesseeTexas → TennesseeUtah → TennesseeVermont → TennesseeVirginia → TennesseeWashington → TennesseeWest Virginia → TennesseeWisconsin → TennesseeWyoming → Tennessee

Frequently asked questions

Does my psychology license transfer to Tennessee?

Tennessee licenses out-of-state psychologists by endorsement rather than by any automatic exchange. The Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) reviews your credentials and accepts your existing EPPP passing score; budget $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.) and 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.) for processing. Tennessee 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 Tennessee, and a move here still runs through endorsement.

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

No. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — a reciprocity applicant submits proof of a written examination score meeting Tennessee standards, or after five years of continuous good-standing licensure may substitute ABPP certification, National Register listing, or an ASPPB CPQ; the Tennessee ethics and jurisprudence examination is required and Rule 1180-02-.03(14) states it shall never be waived.

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

$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.) (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.).

How long does Tennessee take to process an endorsement application?

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.) — 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..

Is Tennessee a PSYPACT state?

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

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

Only within the compact's limits, and only if you are not moving. Telepsychology into Tennessee 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 Tennessee — you need a Tennessee 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]