Transfer Your Engineering License to New Mexico: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: New Mexico Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors (NMBLPEPS) ↗
New Mexico grants PE licensure by comity — its term for endorsement — to an out-of-state Professional Engineer in good standing: the New Mexico Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors (NMBLPEPS) 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; New Mexico requires no state-specific engineering examination (its state-specific exam applies only to land surveyors) and no PE jurisprudence exam; additional examination, internship, or education may be required only if the original out-of-state license was not issued under requirements equal to or exceeding New Mexico's. Application fee: $325–$375 (NM PE by comity/endorsement is $325 with an NCEES Record or $375 without; expedited licensure is $300; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES. Fee schedule effective 8/8/2025.).
Moving to New Mexico from a specific state?
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Comity is New Mexico's normal route for an already-licensed engineer, and the word describes what the New Mexico Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors (NMBLPEPS) actually does: it extends professional courtesy to your existing PE license after confirming your record meets New Mexico'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 New Mexico, 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 New Mexico requires one it is listed above rather than folded silently into the process.
Licensure by comity/endorsement, not automatic reciprocity. Underlying standard is an approved four-year engineering degree, a four-year internship (qualifying experience), and passing the FE (8-hour) and PE (8-hour) NCEES exams. The board encourages the NCEES Record because it facilitates interstate licensing; a Model Law Engineer Record streamlines review. Biennial PE renewal is $220.
New Mexico requirements at a glance
| Exam | FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; New Mexico requires no state-specific engineering examination (its state-specific exam applies only to land surveyors) and no PE jurisprudence exam; additional examination, internship, or education may be required only if the original out-of-state license was not issued under requirements equal to or exceeding New Mexico's |
|---|---|
| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | $325–$375 (NM PE by comity/endorsement is $325 with an NCEES Record or $375 without; expedited licensure is $300; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES. Fee schedule effective 8/8/2025.) |
| Processing time | Board publishes no comity turnaround; an NCEES Record labeled Model Law Engineer reduces processing time |
Step by step
- Confirm New Mexico's current requirements on the New Mexico Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors (NMBLPEPS) website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the New Mexico Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors (NMBLPEPS) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current PE license from another U.S. jurisdiction issued under requirements equal to or exceeding New Mexico's.
- Submit an NCEES Record, or the full application with official transcript and completed verification forms if applying without a Record.
- Provide five references, at least three from licensed professional engineers (a Model Law Engineer NCEES Record reduces processing time).
- Pay the fees ($325–$375 (NM PE by comity/endorsement is $325 with an NCEES Record or $375 without; expedited licensure is $300; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES. Fee schedule effective 8/8/2025.)) and allow Board publishes no comity turnaround; an NCEES Record labeled Model Law Engineer reduces processing time.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into New Mexico:
Frequently asked questions
Does my PE license transfer to New Mexico?
New Mexico grants PE licensure by comity — its term for endorsement — to an out-of-state Professional Engineer in good standing: the New Mexico Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors (NMBLPEPS) 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; New Mexico requires no state-specific engineering examination (its state-specific exam applies only to land surveyors) and no PE jurisprudence exam; additional examination, internship, or education may be required only if the original out-of-state license was not issued under requirements equal to or exceeding New Mexico's. Application fee: $325–$375 (NM PE by comity/endorsement is $325 with an NCEES Record or $375 without; expedited licensure is $300; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES. Fee schedule effective 8/8/2025.).
Do I retake the FE or PE exam to get licensed in New Mexico?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; New Mexico requires no state-specific engineering examination (its state-specific exam applies only to land surveyors) and no PE jurisprudence exam; additional examination, internship, or education may be required only if the original out-of-state license was not issued under requirements equal to or exceeding New Mexico's.
What does PE licensure in New Mexico cost an out-of-state applicant?
$325–$375 (NM PE by comity/endorsement is $325 with an NCEES Record or $375 without; expedited licensure is $300; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES. Fee schedule effective 8/8/2025.).
How long does the New Mexico Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors (NMBLPEPS) take to act on a comity application?
Board publishes no comity turnaround; an NCEES Record labeled Model Law Engineer reduces processing time.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- NM Board — Engineering Applications & Forms (PE by comity/endorsement) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NM Board — Fee Schedule effective 8/8/2025 ↗ (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]