Transfer Your Engineering License to Delaware: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Delaware Association of Professional Engineers (DAPE) ↗

Yes — Delaware issues a new Professional Engineer license by comity to an engineer already licensed in another state. You apply to the Delaware Association of Professional Engineers (DAPE), which verifies your ABET-accredited degree, experience, exam record, and good standing against Delaware's own statute rather than re-testing you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Delaware requires no separate proctored jurisprudence exam, but comity applicants must complete an Ethics & Regulations questionnaire. Application fee: $150 (DAPE PE application fee (payable by card online or by check to DAPE); after approval a $50 biennial registration fee is paid to place the license in active status. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).

Moving to Delaware from a specific state?

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

Run the Reciprocity Checker →

Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Comity is Delaware's normal route for an already-licensed engineer, and the word describes what the Delaware Association of Professional Engineers (DAPE) actually does: it extends professional courtesy to your existing PE license after confirming your record meets Delaware's practice act, rather than re-examining you. The lever that makes this smooth is your NCEES Record — NCEES compiles your transcripts, experience, references, and FE/PE results and transmits them straight to Delaware, and a Model Law Engineer designation speeds many boards further. One prerequisite is absolute: your current license must be active and unencumbered, so clear any open disciplinary matter before you file.

Read the exam line on this page closely before you assume the move is exam-free. Most boards add nothing to the FE and PE, but a few require a state-specific examination — seismic, surveying, or a statutes-and-rules review — that comity does not waive, and where Delaware requires one it is listed above rather than folded silently into the process.

Engineering is self-regulating in Delaware: DAPE is established by statute and consists of all PEs licensed in the state. Comity applies to applicants already licensed in another jurisdiction. Underlying standard is a bachelor's degree from an EAC/ABET-accredited program plus qualifying experience; the existing license and NCEES Record are relied on to verify education and experience.

Delaware requirements at a glance

Out-of-state PE license transfer requirements for Delaware, verified 2026-07-21
Exam	FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Delaware requires no separate proctored jurisprudence exam, but comity applicants must complete an Ethics & Regulations questionnaire
Additional requirements	Select the Comity application and hold an active PE license in another U.S. jurisdiction Have NCEES transmit your NCEES Record to the Delaware board (Record holders complete an abbreviated application) Provide at least three professional references who are PEs in good standing (separate reference forms are waived when references are in your NCEES Record) Complete Delaware's Ethics & Regulations questionnaire covering the DE Professional Engineers Act, Code of Ethics, and DAPE Bylaws
Fees	$150 (DAPE PE application fee (payable by card online or by check to DAPE); after approval a $50 biennial registration fee is paid to place the license in active status. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES)
Processing time	DAPE publishes no turnaround; the credentials committee reviews applications on the last Wednesday of each month and forwards recommendations to the Council meeting on the second Wednesday of the following month, so timing depends on when a complete application lands relative to those meetings

Step by step

Confirm Delaware's current requirements on the Delaware Association of Professional Engineers (DAPE) website — rules change.
Submit the endorsement application to the Delaware Association of Professional Engineers (DAPE) (application linked on this page).
Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
Select the Comity application and hold an active PE license in another U.S. jurisdiction.
Have NCEES transmit your NCEES Record to the Delaware board (Record holders complete an abbreviated application).
Provide at least three professional references who are PEs in good standing (separate reference forms are waived when references are in your NCEES Record).
Complete Delaware's Ethics & Regulations questionnaire covering the DE Professional Engineers Act, Code of Ethics, and DAPE Bylaws.
Pay the fees ($150 (DAPE PE application fee (payable by card online or by check to DAPE); after approval a $50 biennial registration fee is paid to place the license in active status. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES)) and allow DAPE publishes no turnaround; the credentials committee reviews applications on the last Wednesday of each month and forwards recommendations to the Council meeting on the second Wednesday of the following month, so timing depends on when a complete application lands relative to those meetings.

Official links

Delaware Association of Professional Engineers (DAPE) ↗Delaware application ↗License verification ↗

Coming from a specific state?

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

California → Delaware Florida → Delaware Georgia → Delaware Illinois → Delaware Michigan → Delaware New York → Delaware North Carolina → Delaware Ohio → Delaware Pennsylvania → Delaware Texas → Delaware

Frequently asked questions

Does my PE license transfer to Delaware?

Do I retake the FE or PE exam to get licensed in Delaware?

FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Delaware requires no separate proctored jurisprudence exam, but comity applicants must complete an Ethics & Regulations questionnaire.

What does PE licensure in Delaware cost an out-of-state applicant?

$150 (DAPE PE application fee (payable by card online or by check to DAPE); after approval a $50 biennial registration fee is paid to place the license in active status. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).

How long does the Delaware Association of Professional Engineers (DAPE) take to act on a comity application?

DAPE publishes no turnaround; the credentials committee reviews applications on the last Wednesday of each month and forwards recommendations to the Council meeting on the second Wednesday of the following month, so timing depends on when a complete application lands relative to those meetings.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.

DAPE - PE Applicants (comity path and NCEES Record) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
DAPE - Application & Renewal Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
NCEES - Records Program (comity licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]