Select your discipline for a tailored guide covering national certification requirements, state licensing, compact privileges, and travel-specific tips.
NPTE, state licensure, PT Compact privileges for travel PTs.
NPTE-PTA, supervision requirements, compact eligibility.
NBCOT, state licensure, OT Compact privileges for travel OTs.
NBCOT-COTA, supervision, compact eligibility.
ASHA CCCs, CCC-SLP, state licensing requirements.
Temporary licenses, limited permits and license applicant status, quoted from four boards.
Each discipline has its own compact, run by its own commission, and each issues privileges only in member states that have started issuing them. A state that has passed the law but is not issuing yet is not an option for a contract. The table counts both, from each commission's own published list.
| Discipline | Compact | Jurisdictions issuing privileges | Enacted, not issuing yet | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physical therapist (PT), PT assistant (PTA) | PT Compact | 38 | 3 | October 4, 2026 |
| Occupational therapist (OT), OT assistant (COTA) | OT Compact | 8 | 28 | September 30, 2026 |
| Speech-language pathologist (SLP), audiologist | ASLP-IC | 4 | 33 | September 30, 2026 |
Where a discipline's compact is not issuing in a state, you need that state's own license. Every state's requirements are on its state page.
In the PT Compact Commission's words: “Eligible PTs and PTAs can purchase compact privileges.” To buy a privilege:
Issuing privileges (38): Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Enacted, not issuing yet (3): Maine, Michigan and Rhode Island.
You must purchase a separate compact privilege for each Compact member state in which you plan to provide physical therapy services. A compact privilege is state-specific. It does not grant multi-state or nationwide authority.
And the home state is never covered: “You cannot practice in your home state through a compact privilege.”
Fees, jurisprudence exams and each state's rules: the PT Compact guide. Source: PT Compact Commission, checked October 4, 2026.
A state counts as issuing here only when the OT Compact Commission's application page, its map and CompactConnect's live list all agree.
Issuing privileges (8): Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Enacted, not issuing yet (28): Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming.
Check with the Commission: Pennsylvania. Its own pages disagree about that state's status, so this page does not state one.
The Commission's fee table lists a state fee for occupational therapists and one for occupational therapy assistants in each issuing state, so the compact serves both.
Details: the OT Compact page. Sources: OT Compact Commission, Before You Apply and CompactConnect, checked September 30, 2026.
The Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact covers SLPs and audiologists. Issuing privileges (4): Louisiana, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia. A further 33 jurisdictions have enacted it but are not issuing yet. Everywhere else, an SLP needs that state's own license.
Details: the SLP compact page. Source: ASLP-IC compact map, cross-checked against CompactConnect, September 30, 2026.
Each discipline guide below covers national certification and the state route in more detail.
The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy says: “Each licensing authority has its own eligibility criteria for licensure and for taking the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE).” Source: FSBPT: National Physical Therapy Examination, read October 4, 2026.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says: “All states require occupational therapists to be licensed.” Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Occupational Therapists, read October 4, 2026.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says: “All states require that speech-language pathologists be licensed.” Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Speech-Language Pathologists, read October 4, 2026.