Transfer Your Engineering License to New York: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: New York State Board for Engineering, Land Surveying and Geology (NYSED Office of the Professions) ↗
Yes — New York issues a new Professional Engineer license by comity to an engineer already licensed in another state. You apply to the New York State Board for Engineering, Land Surveying and Geology (NYSED Office of the Professions), which verifies your ABET-accredited degree, experience, exam record, and good standing against New York's own statute rather than re-testing you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; endorsement requires that your original license was issued upon a written examination equivalent to New York's, and there is no state jurisprudence exam; note that New York will not accept professional experience self-endorsed by the applicant, so the NCEES Record must be verified before transmission. Application fee: $377 (NY fee for licensure and first registration is $377 (the same fee applies to the endorsement pathway); transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).
Moving to New York from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Comity is New York's normal route for an already-licensed engineer, and the word describes what the New York State Board for Engineering, Land Surveying and Geology (NYSED Office of the Professions) actually does: it extends professional courtesy to your existing PE license after confirming your record meets New York'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 York, 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 York requires one it is listed above rather than folded silently into the process.
Licensure by endorsement under NY Education Law Article 145. The Department may license an out-of-state PE who meets all NY requirements except examination, provided the original exam was equivalent to New York's. Degree- and experience-based, not clock-hour-based. The NCEES Record is accepted, but the Department will not accept experience endorsed by the applicant, so the Record must be verified prior to transmission.
New York requirements at a glance
| Exam | FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; endorsement requires that your original license was issued upon a written examination equivalent to New York's, and there is no state jurisprudence exam; note that New York will not accept professional experience self-endorsed by the applicant, so the NCEES Record must be verified before transmission |
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| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | $377 (NY fee for licensure and first registration is $377 (the same fee applies to the endorsement pathway); transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES) |
| Processing time | The NYSED Office of the Professions does not publish a comity/endorsement processing time on its engineering pages |
Step by step
- Confirm New York's current requirements on the New York State Board for Engineering, Land Surveying and Geology (NYSED Office of the Professions) website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the New York State Board for Engineering, Land Surveying and Geology (NYSED Office of the Professions) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a PE license or certificate from another U.S. state or jurisdiction issued upon a written examination equivalent to New York's.
- Meet all New York licensure requirements except examination, including professional education and satisfactory experience.
- Submit Form 1 and have NCEES transmit your verified NCEES Record to the Department (or file Form 2 certification of education and Form 3 verification of out-of-state licensure and examination).
- Be of good moral character.
- Pay the fees ($377 (NY fee for licensure and first registration is $377 (the same fee applies to the endorsement pathway); transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES)) and allow The NYSED Office of the Professions does not publish a comity/endorsement processing time on its engineering pages.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into New York:
All 50 origin states
Frequently asked questions
Does my PE license transfer to New York?
Yes — New York issues a new Professional Engineer license by comity to an engineer already licensed in another state. You apply to the New York State Board for Engineering, Land Surveying and Geology (NYSED Office of the Professions), which verifies your ABET-accredited degree, experience, exam record, and good standing against New York's own statute rather than re-testing you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; endorsement requires that your original license was issued upon a written examination equivalent to New York's, and there is no state jurisprudence exam; note that New York will not accept professional experience self-endorsed by the applicant, so the NCEES Record must be verified before transmission. Application fee: $377 (NY fee for licensure and first registration is $377 (the same fee applies to the endorsement pathway); 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 New York?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; endorsement requires that your original license was issued upon a written examination equivalent to New York's, and there is no state jurisprudence exam; note that New York will not accept professional experience self-endorsed by the applicant, so the NCEES Record must be verified before transmission.
What does PE licensure in New York cost an out-of-state applicant?
$377 (NY fee for licensure and first registration is $377 (the same fee applies to the endorsement pathway); transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).
How long does the New York State Board for Engineering, Land Surveying and Geology (NYSED Office of the Professions) take to act on a comity application?
The NYSED Office of the Professions does not publish a comity/endorsement processing time on its engineering pages.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- NYSED Office of the Professions — Engineering License Requirements (endorsement) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NYSED Office of the Professions — Engineering License Application Forms ↗ (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]