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LicenseReciprocity

Engineering License from Michigan to Virginia: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-01 · source: Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) ↗

A PE license transfers from Michigan to Virginia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), verify your Michigan license, and meet Virginia's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or NCEES verification) and are not retaken; Virginia requires no state-specific exam — comity relies on the examination you passed for your original license.

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Virginia grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Michigan does not start over — but does file a full Virginia application. Your Michigan license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Virginia's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or NCEES verification) and are not retaken; Virginia requires no state-specific exam — comity relies on the examination you passed for your original license. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Michigan license active and unencumbered while the Virginia application is pending, and clearing any Virginia-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.

What changes, Michigan → Virginia

Side-by-side: Michigan vs Virginia (Engineering (PE)), verified 2026-09-01
Michigan (current)Virginia (destination)
Application fee$75–$115 (Per the Michigan State License Fee Act (MCL 338.2213): a $35 application processing fee plus a license fee of $40 per year, prorated for the time remaining in the biennial cycle (up to $80), so the amount due at initial licensure by endorsement runs roughly $75-$115. Biennial renewal is $80. (Statute lowers these to a $30 application processing fee and $20/year license fee after Sept 30, 2027.) Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES)$134.5 ($134.50 is the total application fee DPOR collects for a Virginia PE license by endorsement (comity), transaction code 1021, per the board's current application form A416-0402LIC-v9 (effective 07/01/2026); application by examination is the same $134.50. The underlying "Application for Professional Engineer License by Endorsement" fee set by 18VAC10-20-170 is $120, and DPOR's form footnotes the amount charged to the technology fee it is directed to collect under 2026 House Bill 30 ($7.25 per year). Application fees are nonrefundable and are not prorated, and are paid to the Treasurer of Virginia. Separate from this fee: license renewal ($160 under 18VAC10-20-170), FE/PE exam fees paid to NCEES, and NCEES Record transmittal ($175 first board / $100 each additional, paid to NCEES). Reinstatement of a Virginia PE license that expired five or more years ago is $474.50.)
Processing timeLARA/Board publishes no comity turnaround; out-of-state (endorsement) applications are reviewed by the Board of Professional Engineers. NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeksAPELSCIDLA/DPOR publishes no comity turnaround on reachable pages; comity applications are reviewed by board staff once the education, experience, examination, and license verifications are received.
Licensing authorityMichigan Board of Professional Engineers (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing)Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR)

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Virginia sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm Virginia's current requirements on the Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. Hold an active PE license in another U.S. state or jurisdiction, in good standing.
  5. Show that your original licensure requirements (education, experience, and examination) were substantially equivalent to Virginia's at the time; otherwise meet Virginia's current entry requirements (18VAC10-20-270).
  6. Meet Virginia's education standard (18VAC10-20-230) and qualifying engineering experience standard (18VAC10-20-240).
  7. Provide three professional references.
  8. Pay the fees ($134.5 ($134.50 is the total application fee DPOR collects for a Virginia PE license by endorsement (comity), transaction code 1021, per the board's current application form A416-0402LIC-v9 (effective 07/01/2026); application by examination is the same $134.50. The underlying "Application for Professional Engineer License by Endorsement" fee set by 18VAC10-20-170 is $120, and DPOR's form footnotes the amount charged to the technology fee it is directed to collect under 2026 House Bill 30 ($7.25 per year). Application fees are nonrefundable and are not prorated, and are paid to the Treasurer of Virginia. Separate from this fee: license renewal ($160 under 18VAC10-20-170), FE/PE exam fees paid to NCEES, and NCEES Record transmittal ($175 first board / $100 each additional, paid to NCEES). Reinstatement of a Virginia PE license that expired five or more years ago is $474.50.)) and allow APELSCIDLA/DPOR publishes no comity turnaround on reachable pages; comity applications are reviewed by board staff once the education, experience, examination, and license verifications are received..

Official links

Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) ↗Virginia application ↗License verification ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Virginia → MichiganEngineering in MichiganEngineering in VirginiaAll engineering states

Frequently asked questions

Does Virginia accept a Michigan PE license?

A PE license transfers from Michigan to Virginia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), verify your Michigan license, and meet Virginia's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or NCEES verification) and are not retaken; Virginia requires no state-specific exam — comity relies on the examination you passed for your original license.

Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Michigan to Virginia?

FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or NCEES verification) and are not retaken; Virginia requires no state-specific exam — comity relies on the examination you passed for your original license.

What does the Michigan-to-Virginia comity application cost?

$134.5 ($134.50 is the total application fee DPOR collects for a Virginia PE license by endorsement (comity), transaction code 1021, per the board's current application form A416-0402LIC-v9 (effective 07/01/2026); application by examination is the same $134.50. The underlying "Application for Professional Engineer License by Endorsement" fee set by 18VAC10-20-170 is $120, and DPOR's form footnotes the amount charged to the technology fee it is directed to collect under 2026 House Bill 30 ($7.25 per year). Application fees are nonrefundable and are not prorated, and are paid to the Treasurer of Virginia. Separate from this fee: license renewal ($160 under 18VAC10-20-170), FE/PE exam fees paid to NCEES, and NCEES Record transmittal ($175 first board / $100 each additional, paid to NCEES). Reinstatement of a Virginia PE license that expired five or more years ago is $474.50.).

Can I keep my Michigan PE license after I'm licensed in Virginia?

Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Michigan license active (its renewal and continuing-education/PDH clock run separately) and you hold both. Engineers working near state lines or nationally routinely carry several PE licenses at once, all sourced from a single NCEES Record.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-01.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-01

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