Psychology License from West Virginia to Georgia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division) ↗
A psychology license transfers from West Virginia to Georgia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division), verify your West Virginia license, and meet Georgia's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) but must equal or exceed the ASPPB standard passing score, and endorsement applicants licensed on or after 1 November 2020 must also have passed EPPP Part 2 (Skills). Georgia additionally requires its own Jurisprudence (Laws & Rules) examination AND a Board oral examination based on a recent work sample — both apply even to CPQ holders and to senior psychologists licensed 10+ years.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
West Virginia and Georgia 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 West Virginia to Georgia means applying to the Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division) for licensure by endorsement exactly as you would if neither state had ever joined — license verification, doctoral transcript, supervised-experience review, Georgia's jurisprudence requirement. What the shared participation genuinely gives you is different and still valuable: while you remain licensed and resident in West Virginia, you can serve Georgia clients by telepsychology under an APIT authorization, and work in person in Georgia for up to 30 days a year under a TAP. That can cover a transition period — it cannot cover the move.
What changes, West Virginia → Georgia
| West Virginia (current) | Georgia (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PSYPACT status | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $120–$525 (17CSR1 §2.1 application fee $120; the oral examination required of every reciprocity applicant is a further $405 (§2.6.1), so a typical reciprocity applicant pays about $525. Not included: $25 application-packet mailing/handling, $90 temporary permit, $180 continued oral examination. All Board fees are nonrefundable.) | $110 ($110 Application Initiation/Registration form fee payable to the Board, which includes a $10 mail-in application processing fee. Separate and additional: the ASPPB PLUS application fee payable to ASPPB, all exam fees payable to the exam vendors, the Fieldprint/GAPS fingerprint fee, and an optional temporary license (available only to endorsement and CPQ applicants) at $100) |
| Processing time | The Board publishes no stated review timeline. Timing is driven by the oral examination, which is scheduled at a Board meeting and requires all oral-exam materials at least 15 days in advance; a 90-day temporary permit is available to bridge the wait. | ~4 weeks (Board states applications are generally processed within 20 business days of receipt; a deficiency letter restarts the 20-day count, and an application may also have to wait for a Board meeting (it must be complete at least 15 days before the meeting)) |
| Licensing authority | West Virginia Board of Examiners of Psychologists | Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Georgia sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Georgia's current requirements on the Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current, unencumbered psychologist license in a jurisdiction whose standards the Board finds are not lower than Georgia's.
- Pass the Georgia Jurisprudence (Laws & Rules) examination.
- Pass the Board's oral examination based on a recent work sample, administered monthly by Zoom.
- Complete a fingerprint criminal background check through Fieldprint/GAPS as required by O.C.G.A. 43-39-6 and 43-39-8(b)(6).
- Register with the Board through the GOALS portal, then complete the ASPPB PLUS licensure application, which carries a separate fee payable to ASPPB.
- Submit a Secure and Verifiable Document and an Affidavit of Citizenship with the Application Initiation form.
- Pay the fees ($110 ($110 Application Initiation/Registration form fee payable to the Board, which includes a $10 mail-in application processing fee. Separate and additional: the ASPPB PLUS application fee payable to ASPPB, all exam fees payable to the exam vendors, the Fieldprint/GAPS fingerprint fee, and an optional temporary license (available only to endorsement and CPQ applicants) at $100)) and allow ~4 weeks (Board states applications are generally processed within 20 business days of receipt; a deficiency letter restarts the 20-day count, and an application may also have to wait for a Board meeting (it must be complete at least 15 days before the meeting)).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Georgia accept a West Virginia psychology license?
A psychology license transfers from West Virginia to Georgia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division), verify your West Virginia license, and meet Georgia's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) but must equal or exceed the ASPPB standard passing score, and endorsement applicants licensed on or after 1 November 2020 must also have passed EPPP Part 2 (Skills). Georgia additionally requires its own Jurisprudence (Laws & Rules) examination AND a Board oral examination based on a recent work sample — both apply even to CPQ holders and to senior psychologists licensed 10+ years.
Do I retake the EPPP moving from West Virginia to Georgia?
No — the EPPP is passed once and your score is verified rather than retaken. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) but must equal or exceed the ASPPB standard passing score, and endorsement applicants licensed on or after 1 November 2020 must also have passed EPPP Part 2 (Skills). Georgia additionally requires its own Jurisprudence (Laws & Rules) examination AND a Board oral examination based on a recent work sample — both apply even to CPQ holders and to senior psychologists licensed 10+ years.
What does the move cost?
$110 ($110 Application Initiation/Registration form fee payable to the Board, which includes a $10 mail-in application processing fee. Separate and additional: the ASPPB PLUS application fee payable to ASPPB, all exam fees payable to the exam vendors, the Fieldprint/GAPS fingerprint fee, and an optional temporary license (available only to endorsement and CPQ applicants) at $100) ($110 Application Initiation/Registration form fee payable to the Board, which includes a $10 mail-in application processing fee. Separate and additional: the ASPPB PLUS application fee payable to ASPPB, all exam fees payable to the exam vendors, the Fieldprint/GAPS fingerprint fee, and an optional temporary license (available only to endorsement and CPQ applicants) at $100).
How long will it take?
~4 weeks (Board states applications are generally processed within 20 business days of receipt; a deficiency letter restarts the 20-day count, and an application may also have to wait for a Board meeting (it must be complete at least 15 days before the meeting)) — Board states applications are generally processed within 20 business days of receipt; a deficiency letter restarts the 20-day count, and an application may also have to wait for a Board meeting (it must be complete at least 15 days before the meeting).
West Virginia and Georgia 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 Georgia (APIT) and in-person practice there for up to 30 days a year (TAP) while your license stays in West Virginia. Relocating to Georgia requires licensure by endorsement from the Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division) like any other applicant.
Can I start seeing Georgia clients before my Georgia license is issued?
While your West Virginia license remains active and is your home-state license, a PSYPACT authorization can cover Georgia 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 West Virginia stops being your licensed home state — they are a bridge during a transition, not a substitute for the Georgia license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Georgia Secretary of State — How to Guide: Psychologist (endorsement checklist, CPQ, temporary permit, 20-business-day processing) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Georgia Rules and Regulations Chapter 510-3 — Licensure by Endorsement (qualification alternatives, jurisprudence and oral exams) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists — Fee Schedule ($110 application initiation, $100 temporary license) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists — General Instructions, ASPPB PLUS Program (EPPP Part 2 rule, jurisprudence and oral exams, temporary license) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- CSG National Center for Interstate Compacts — PSYPACT member states (Georgia joined 2019) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Georgia Secretary of State — Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (board home) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- WV Board of Examiners of Psychologists — Reciprocity Applicants / Oral Examination / Temporary License ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- WV Legislative Rule 17CSR3 §12.2 and §14.4 — reciprocity provision, CPQ/National Register portability waiver, oral examination ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- WV Legislative Rule 17CSR1 — Board of Psychologists fee schedule (application $120, oral exam $405, temporary permit $90) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- WV Board of Examiners of Psychologists — License Information (application pathways) ↗ (accessed 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]