Transfer Your Engineering License to Florida: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE) ↗
Florida grants PE licensure by comity — its term for endorsement — to an out-of-state Professional Engineer in good standing: the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE) reviews the credentials in your NCEES Record instead of re-examining you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Florida licenses by endorsement (it explicitly does not license by reciprocity or comity) and, instead of a proctored state exam, requires completing the FBPE Laws and Rules Study Guide with a score of 90 percent or greater. Application fee: $230 (Endorsement fee collected by DBPR, comprising the application fee, the initial licensure fee ($100, the only refundable portion), and an unlicensed-activity fee. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Comity is Florida's normal route for an already-licensed engineer, and the word describes what the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE) actually does: it extends professional courtesy to your existing PE license after confirming your record meets Florida'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 Florida, 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 Florida requires one it is listed above rather than folded silently into the process.
Florida offers licensure through endorsement but explicitly disclaims 'reciprocity or comity': an out-of-state PE must meet Florida's own standards, so endorsement_available is true while full_reciprocity is false. Underlying standard is an ABET-accredited degree plus qualifying experience (per Rule 61G15-20.002). FBPE is a nonprofit corporation operating under Chapter 471, F.S., with fees collected through DBPR.
Florida requirements at a glance
| Exam | FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Florida licenses by endorsement (it explicitly does not license by reciprocity or comity) and, instead of a proctored state exam, requires completing the FBPE Laws and Rules Study Guide with a score of 90 percent or greater |
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| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | $230 (Endorsement fee collected by DBPR, comprising the application fee, the initial licensure fee ($100, the only refundable portion), and an unlicensed-activity fee. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES) |
| Processing time | FBPE publishes no endorsement turnaround; the board states that using an NCEES Record significantly speeds up the licensure process |
Step by step
- Confirm Florida's current requirements on the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE) website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current, active PE license elsewhere and file the Application for Licensure as a Professional Engineer (endorsement).
- Have your FE and PE exam passage verified (using an NCEES Record significantly speeds up the process per the board).
- Hold an ABET-accredited engineering or engineering-technology degree (or a substantially equivalent evaluation) plus the qualifying experience in Rule 61G15-20.002, F.A.C.
- Complete the FBPE Laws and Rules Study Guide with a score of 90 percent or greater; provide a valid U.S. Social Security number and be at least 18.
- Pay the fees ($230 (Endorsement fee collected by DBPR, comprising the application fee, the initial licensure fee ($100, the only refundable portion), and an unlicensed-activity fee. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES)) and allow FBPE publishes no endorsement turnaround; the board states that using an NCEES Record significantly speeds up the licensure process.
Official links
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Frequently asked questions
Does my PE license transfer to Florida?
Florida grants PE licensure by comity — its term for endorsement — to an out-of-state Professional Engineer in good standing: the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE) reviews the credentials in your NCEES Record instead of re-examining you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Florida licenses by endorsement (it explicitly does not license by reciprocity or comity) and, instead of a proctored state exam, requires completing the FBPE Laws and Rules Study Guide with a score of 90 percent or greater. Application fee: $230 (Endorsement fee collected by DBPR, comprising the application fee, the initial licensure fee ($100, the only refundable portion), and an unlicensed-activity fee. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).
Do I retake the FE or PE exam to get licensed in Florida?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Florida licenses by endorsement (it explicitly does not license by reciprocity or comity) and, instead of a proctored state exam, requires completing the FBPE Laws and Rules Study Guide with a score of 90 percent or greater.
What does PE licensure in Florida cost an out-of-state applicant?
$230 (Endorsement fee collected by DBPR, comprising the application fee, the initial licensure fee ($100, the only refundable portion), and an unlicensed-activity fee. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).
How long does the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE) take to act on a comity application?
FBPE publishes no endorsement turnaround; the board states that using an NCEES Record significantly speeds up the licensure process.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- FBPE - Licensure Process: Professional Engineers (endorsement, fee, Laws and Rules Study Guide) ↗ (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]