Psychology License from Virginia to Ohio: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Ohio State Board of Psychology (Ohio Board of Psychology) ↗
A psychology license transfers from Virginia to Ohio by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Ohio State Board of Psychology (Ohio Board of Psychology), verify your Virginia license, and meet Ohio's endorsement requirements. The EPPP is not retaken on the reciprocity route — the Board verifies the applicant's out-of-state doctoral-level license directly (online where possible, otherwise by a license verification request), and EPPP score transfers are handled through ASPPB. Ohio's own licensure examination is an ORAL examination, and passing it is the final step for reciprocity applicants. R.C. 4732.11(A)(1) also provides that a candidate who passed the Board-selected examination in another state or Canadian province has the score submitted directly to the Board's executive director..
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Virginia and Ohio 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 Virginia to Ohio means applying to the Ohio State Board of Psychology (Ohio Board of Psychology) for licensure by endorsement exactly as you would if neither state had ever joined — license verification, doctoral transcript, supervised-experience review, Ohio's jurisprudence requirement. What the shared participation genuinely gives you is different and still valuable: while you remain licensed and resident in Virginia, you can serve Ohio clients by telepsychology under an APIT authorization, and work in person in Ohio for up to 30 days a year under a TAP. That can cover a transition period — it cannot cover the move.
What changes, Virginia → Ohio
| Virginia (current) | Ohio (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PSYPACT status | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $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.) | $300 (R.C. 4732.15 application fee for a license issued under Chapter 4732, no part of which is returned. Biennial registration thereafter is $365 (R.C. 4732.14). Background-check and eLicense payment-processing costs are additional.) |
| Processing time | 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. | The Board publishes no stated turnaround. Because the oral examination is the final step, timing depends on the Board's oral examination schedule after the file is found compliant. |
| Licensing authority | Virginia Board of Psychology (Department of Health Professions) | Ohio State Board of Psychology (Ohio Board of Psychology) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Ohio sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Ohio's current requirements on the Ohio State Board of Psychology (Ohio Board of Psychology) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Ohio State Board of Psychology (Ohio Board of Psychology) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a valid license to practice psychology at the doctoral level in another U.S. state or territory for a minimum of one year.
- Complete a criminal records background check.
- Pass the Ohio Board of Psychology oral examination.
- Apply through the eLicense Ohio portal and have transcripts and training verification forms sent to the Board from the original source only.
- Pay the fees ($300 (R.C. 4732.15 application fee for a license issued under Chapter 4732, no part of which is returned. Biennial registration thereafter is $365 (R.C. 4732.14). Background-check and eLicense payment-processing costs are additional.)) and allow The Board publishes no stated turnaround. Because the oral examination is the final step, timing depends on the Board's oral examination schedule after the file is found compliant..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Ohio accept a Virginia psychology license?
A psychology license transfers from Virginia to Ohio by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Ohio State Board of Psychology (Ohio Board of Psychology), verify your Virginia license, and meet Ohio's endorsement requirements. The EPPP is not retaken on the reciprocity route — the Board verifies the applicant's out-of-state doctoral-level license directly (online where possible, otherwise by a license verification request), and EPPP score transfers are handled through ASPPB. Ohio's own licensure examination is an ORAL examination, and passing it is the final step for reciprocity applicants. R.C. 4732.11(A)(1) also provides that a candidate who passed the Board-selected examination in another state or Canadian province has the score submitted directly to the Board's executive director..
Do I retake the EPPP moving from Virginia to Ohio?
No — the EPPP is passed once and your score is verified rather than retaken. The EPPP is not retaken on the reciprocity route — the Board verifies the applicant's out-of-state doctoral-level license directly (online where possible, otherwise by a license verification request), and EPPP score transfers are handled through ASPPB. Ohio's own licensure examination is an ORAL examination, and passing it is the final step for reciprocity applicants. R.C. 4732.11(A)(1) also provides that a candidate who passed the Board-selected examination in another state or Canadian province has the score submitted directly to the Board's executive director..
What does the move cost?
$300 (R.C. 4732.15 application fee for a license issued under Chapter 4732, no part of which is returned. Biennial registration thereafter is $365 (R.C. 4732.14). Background-check and eLicense payment-processing costs are additional.) (R.C. 4732.15 application fee for a license issued under Chapter 4732, no part of which is returned. Biennial registration thereafter is $365 (R.C. 4732.14). Background-check and eLicense payment-processing costs are additional.).
How long will it take?
The Board publishes no stated turnaround. Because the oral examination is the final step, timing depends on the Board's oral examination schedule after the file is found compliant. — The Board publishes no stated turnaround. Because the oral examination is the final step, timing depends on the Board's oral examination schedule after the file is found compliant..
Virginia and Ohio 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 Ohio (APIT) and in-person practice there for up to 30 days a year (TAP) while your license stays in Virginia. Relocating to Ohio requires licensure by endorsement from the Ohio State Board of Psychology (Ohio Board of Psychology) like any other applicant.
Can I start seeing Ohio clients before my Ohio license is issued?
While your Virginia license remains active and is your home-state license, a PSYPACT authorization can cover Ohio 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 Virginia stops being your licensed home state — they are a bridge during a transition, not a substitute for the Ohio license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Ohio Board of Psychology — U.S. License Reciprocity Application (one-year out-of-state doctoral license, background check, oral exam) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Ohio Board of Psychology — Psychologist Applicants (application routes: general, U.S. license reciprocity, senior Canadian, endorsement via ABPP/CPQ/NRHSP; oral examination as final step) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Ohio Revised Code 4732.15 — License fee ($300, nonrefundable) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Ohio Revised Code 4732.12 — Issuance of license; issuance under Chapter 4796 to an applicant holding a license in another state ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Ohio Revised Code 4732.11 — Examinations; out-of-state examination scores submitted to the Board; optional law/rules/ethics examination ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Ohio Revised Code 4796.03 — Universal licensure recognition: criteria for issuing a license to an out-of-state licensee ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Ohio Revised Code 4796.08 — Licensing authority may still require a state law-and-rules examination, criminal records check and financial responsibility ↗ (accessed 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)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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