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LicenseReciprocity

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

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Washington State Examining Board of Psychology (Washington State Department of Health) ↗

Your psychology license does not transfer to Washington automatically — you apply to the Washington State Examining Board of Psychology (Washington State Department of Health) 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 $231 (Psychologist application $231, which includes the $16 HEALWA access fee; active renewal is $311. FBI fingerprint background-check costs are billed separately. A psychologist temporary practice permit carries no fee.), processing Not verified. The Department of Health publishes no processing-time range for psychologist applications; it states only that delayed applicant responses lengthen the wait.. Washington 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 Washington, and a move here still runs through endorsement.

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

Washington is the unusual psychology state that actually publishes a named list, so reciprocity_partners is filled: the 41 jurisdictions the Department of Health has deemed fully 'substantially equivalent' (list last reviewed 2023-07-21). Oklahoma and Tennessee are listed only as PARTIALLY equivalent — health service provider designation only — and are therefore excluded from the list, as are the seven states the department marks not equivalent (arizona, california, minnesota, south-dakota, texas, west-virginia, wisconsin). An applicant from a non-listed state may still apply; equivalence is then evaluated on submission, or the applicant uses pathway 3 (National Register/ABPP) or pathway 4 (five consecutive years of unrestricted licensure). This is endorsement, not full reciprocity: SHB 1724 (effective 2023-07-23) requires at least two years of credentialing in the equivalent state and no disciplinary action, and applicants who cannot meet an endorsement pathway must apply by examination with professional reference forms. Washington's general supervised-experience standard is 3,300 hours; it is not restated in additional_requirements because the four endorsement pathways turn on licensure history and national certification rather than on re-counting hours. Permanent rules under chapter 246-924 WAC took effect 2025-08-14. PSYPACT gives telepsychology (APIT) and 30-day in-person (TAP) authority only; compact_member and compact_status are assembler-provided.

Washington requirements at a glance

Out-of-state psychology license transfer requirements for Washington, verified 2026-08-07
ExamEPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — an applicant who passed the EPPP in another jurisdiction contacts ASPPB to have the certified score sent directly to the Department of Health. Washington's jurisprudence exam is not required to obtain the license; it must be completed during the first continuing-education cycle after licensure
Additional requirements
  • Qualify under one of four endorsement pathways: two years of unbroken licensure in a substantially equivalent state with no discipline in the preceding two years; two years of licensure in an essentially equivalent jurisdiction plus a doctoral degree with primary emphasis in psychology; current National Register or ABPP certification verified directly by that organization; or an unrestricted U.S. or Canadian license for the last five consecutive years
  • Have ASPPB send the certified EPPP score directly to the Department of Health
  • Submit official transcripts and verification of the out-of-state license
  • Complete FBI fingerprint-based background check
  • Complete the Washington jurisprudence exam during the first continuing-education cycle after licensure
Fees$231 (Psychologist application $231, which includes the $16 HEALWA access fee; active renewal is $311. FBI fingerprint background-check costs are billed separately. A psychologist temporary practice permit carries no fee.)
Processing timeNot verified. The Department of Health publishes no processing-time range for psychologist applications; it states only that delayed applicant responses lengthen the wait.

Step by step

  1. Confirm Washington's current requirements on the Washington State Examining Board of Psychology (Washington State Department of Health) website — rules change.
  2. Submit the reciprocity/endorsement application to the Washington State Examining Board of Psychology (Washington State Department of Health) (application linked on this page).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Qualify under one of four endorsement pathways: two years of unbroken licensure in a substantially equivalent state with no discipline in the preceding two years; two years of licensure in an essentially equivalent jurisdiction plus a doctoral degree with primary emphasis in psychology; current National Register or ABPP certification verified directly by that organization; or an unrestricted U.S. or Canadian license for the last five consecutive years.
  5. Have ASPPB send the certified EPPP score directly to the Department of Health.
  6. Submit official transcripts and verification of the out-of-state license.
  7. Complete FBI fingerprint-based background check.
  8. Complete the Washington jurisprudence exam during the first continuing-education cycle after licensure.
  9. Pay the fees ($231 (Psychologist application $231, which includes the $16 HEALWA access fee; active renewal is $311. FBI fingerprint background-check costs are billed separately. A psychologist temporary practice permit carries no fee.)) and allow Not verified. The Department of Health publishes no processing-time range for psychologist applications; it states only that delayed applicant responses lengthen the wait..

Official links

Washington State Examining Board of Psychology (Washington State Department of Health) ↗Washington application ↗Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact ↗

Coming from a specific state?

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

Alabama → WashingtonAlaska → WashingtonArizona → WashingtonArkansas → WashingtonCalifornia → WashingtonColorado → WashingtonConnecticut → WashingtonDelaware → WashingtonDistrict of Columbia → WashingtonFlorida → WashingtonGeorgia → WashingtonHawaii → WashingtonIdaho → WashingtonIllinois → WashingtonIndiana → WashingtonIowa → WashingtonKansas → WashingtonKentucky → WashingtonLouisiana → WashingtonMaine → Washington
All 50 origin states
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Frequently asked questions

Does my psychology license transfer to Washington?

Your psychology license does not transfer to Washington automatically — you apply to the Washington State Examining Board of Psychology (Washington State Department of Health) 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 $231 (Psychologist application $231, which includes the $16 HEALWA access fee; active renewal is $311. FBI fingerprint background-check costs are billed separately. A psychologist temporary practice permit carries no fee.), processing Not verified. The Department of Health publishes no processing-time range for psychologist applications; it states only that delayed applicant responses lengthen the wait.. Washington 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 Washington, and a move here still runs through endorsement.

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

No. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — an applicant who passed the EPPP in another jurisdiction contacts ASPPB to have the certified score sent directly to the Department of Health. Washington's jurisprudence exam is not required to obtain the license; it must be completed during the first continuing-education cycle after licensure.

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

$231 (Psychologist application $231, which includes the $16 HEALWA access fee; active renewal is $311. FBI fingerprint background-check costs are billed separately. A psychologist temporary practice permit carries no fee.) (Psychologist application $231, which includes the $16 HEALWA access fee; active renewal is $311. FBI fingerprint background-check costs are billed separately. A psychologist temporary practice permit carries no fee.).

How long does Washington take to process an endorsement application?

Not verified. The Department of Health publishes no processing-time range for psychologist applications; it states only that delayed applicant responses lengthen the wait. — Not verified. The Department of Health publishes no processing-time range for psychologist applications; it states only that delayed applicant responses lengthen the wait..

Is Washington a PSYPACT state?

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

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

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