Engineering License from Virginia to Georgia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board) ↗
A PE license transfers from Virginia to Georgia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board), verify your Virginia license, and meet Georgia's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Georgia has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for comity.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Georgia grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Virginia does not start over — but does file a full Georgia application. Your Virginia license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Georgia's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Georgia has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for comity. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Virginia license active and unencumbered while the Georgia application is pending, and clearing any Georgia-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Virginia → Georgia
| Virginia (current) | Georgia (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | 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. | $100 ($100 Professional or Structural Engineer Application by Comity fee (non-refundable) per the board's official fee schedule, plus a $5 processing fee for each online submission; 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. | ~4 weeks (The Georgia SOS How-To Guide states comity applications are generally processed within about 20 business days (~4 weeks) of a complete application, evaluated in order received; a deficiency notice restarts the 20-day count) |
| Licensing authority | Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) | Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Georgia sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Georgia's current requirements on the Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active PE license in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction based on comparable qualifications (NCEES Model Law Engineer status expedites review).
- Have NCEES transmit a completed NCEES Record to the Georgia PELS Board (Georgia requires the NCEES Record for comity licensure).
- Provide a secure and verifiable document establishing lawful presence (Georgia SAVE requirement).
- Show no record of disciplinary action against any license held.
- Pay the fees ($100 ($100 Professional or Structural Engineer Application by Comity fee (non-refundable) per the board's official fee schedule, plus a $5 processing fee for each online submission; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES)) and allow ~4 weeks (The Georgia SOS How-To Guide states comity applications are generally processed within about 20 business days (~4 weeks) of a complete application, evaluated in order received; a deficiency notice restarts the 20-day count).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Georgia accept a Virginia PE license?
A PE license transfers from Virginia to Georgia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board), verify your Virginia license, and meet Georgia's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Georgia has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for comity.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Virginia to Georgia?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Georgia has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for comity.
What does the Virginia-to-Georgia comity application cost?
$100 ($100 Professional or Structural Engineer Application by Comity fee (non-refundable) per the board's official fee schedule, plus a $5 processing fee for each online submission; 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 Georgia?
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 2026-07-21.
- Georgia PELS Board — Fee Schedule (Rev. 3-4-2024): PE/SE Application by Comity $100 + $5 online processing ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Georgia SOS — How-To Guide: Professional Engineer Licensure ($100 comity fee; ~20 business days) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES — Georgia now requires NCEES Record for comity licensure ↗ (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 DPOR — APELSCIDLA Board / PE License Application (A416-0402LIC) ↗ (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]