Engineering License from Pennsylvania to Virginia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania does not start over — but does file a full Virginia application. Your Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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, Pennsylvania → Virginia
| Pennsylvania (current) | Virginia (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $50 (Certification, licensure or registration application fee (49 Pa. Code 37.17(b)); a provisional endorsement license may be issued while remaining requirements are completed. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES.) | The pre-8/1/2025 PE license-by-comity application fee under 18VAC10-20-170 was $60 (initial and comity both $60; renewal $80). An APELSCIDLA fee-schedule amendment took effect 8/1/2025 that raised fees, so the current comity fee is higher; the exact current amount could not be confirmed on an official page because the Virginia Administrative Code portal (law.lis.virginia.gov), DPOR site, and Virginia Register were all unreachable from the research environment. Secondary reporting of the official DPOR APELSCIDLA fee-adjustment table indicates the post-8/1/2025 PE application fee is $120 (renewal $160), but this is unverified against an official page and is deliberately left out of the range pending confirmation. NCEES Record transmittal is $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid to NCEES. |
| Processing time | 4–6 weeks (Pennsylvania advises allowing approximately 4 to 6 weeks for initial review of an application submitted through pals.pa.gov.) | 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. |
| Licensing authority | State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists | 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
- 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.
- 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).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active PE license in another U.S. state or jurisdiction, in good standing.
- 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).
- Meet Virginia's education standard (18VAC10-20-230) and qualifying engineering experience standard (18VAC10-20-240).
- Provide three professional references.
- Pay the fees (The pre-8/1/2025 PE license-by-comity application fee under 18VAC10-20-170 was $60 (initial and comity both $60; renewal $80). An APELSCIDLA fee-schedule amendment took effect 8/1/2025 that raised fees, so the current comity fee is higher; the exact current amount could not be confirmed on an official page because the Virginia Administrative Code portal (law.lis.virginia.gov), DPOR site, and Virginia Register were all unreachable from the research environment. Secondary reporting of the official DPOR APELSCIDLA fee-adjustment table indicates the post-8/1/2025 PE application fee is $120 (renewal $160), but this is unverified against an official page and is deliberately left out of the range pending confirmation. NCEES Record transmittal is $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid to NCEES.) 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
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Virginia accept a Pennsylvania PE license?
A PE license transfers from Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania-to-Virginia comity application cost?
The pre-8/1/2025 PE license-by-comity application fee under 18VAC10-20-170 was $60 (initial and comity both $60; renewal $80). An APELSCIDLA fee-schedule amendment took effect 8/1/2025 that raised fees, so the current comity fee is higher; the exact current amount could not be confirmed on an official page because the Virginia Administrative Code portal (law.lis.virginia.gov), DPOR site, and Virginia Register were all unreachable from the research environment. Secondary reporting of the official DPOR APELSCIDLA fee-adjustment table indicates the post-8/1/2025 PE application fee is $120 (renewal $160), but this is unverified against an official page and is deliberately left out of the range pending confirmation. NCEES Record transmittal is $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid to NCEES..
Can I keep my Pennsylvania PE license after I'm licensed in Virginia?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Pennsylvania 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 2026-07-21.
- Virginia Administrative Code 18VAC10-20-270 — Licensure by comity (Cornell LII reproduction of the official Virginia code) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Virginia Administrative Code 18VAC10-20-170 — Fee schedule, pre-8/1/2025 (Cornell LII reproduction) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Virginia Administrative Code 18VAC10-20-270 (official portal — unreachable at research time, cited as authority) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Virginia DPOR — APELSCIDLA Board / PE License Application (A416-0402LIC) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- 49 Pa. Code Chapter 37 (fees 37.17; licensure by endorsement 37.20) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- PA Dept. of State - Engineers, Land Surveyors, Geologists board ↗ (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]