Engineering License from Virginia to Florida: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-01 · source: Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE) ↗
A PE license transfers from Virginia to Florida by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE), verify your Virginia license, and meet Florida's endorsement requirements. 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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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Florida grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Virginia does not start over — but does file a full Florida application. Your Virginia license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Florida's practice act, not to re-test 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. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Virginia license active and unencumbered while the Florida application is pending, and clearing any Florida-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Virginia → Florida
| Virginia (current) | Florida (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $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.) | $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 | 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. | FBPE publishes no endorsement turnaround; the board states that using an NCEES Record significantly speeds up the licensure process |
| Licensing authority | Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) | Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Florida sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Florida's current requirements on the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE) (application linked below).
- 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
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Florida accept a Virginia PE license?
A PE license transfers from Virginia to Florida by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE), verify your Virginia license, and meet Florida's endorsement requirements. 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.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Virginia to 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 the Virginia-to-Florida comity application cost?
$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).
Can I keep my Virginia PE license after I'm licensed in Florida?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Virginia 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.
- 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)
- 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 Administrative Code 18VAC10-20-170 — Fee schedule (official Virginia Law portal; text current as of 9/1/2026, last amended eff. May 1, 2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-01)
- Virginia DPOR — Professional Engineer License Application A416-0402LIC-v9 (eff. 07/01/2026), method of licensure fee table ↗ (accessed 2026-09-01)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-01
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