Engineering License from Virginia to Pennsylvania: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists ↗
A PE license transfers from Virginia to Pennsylvania by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists, verify your Virginia license, and meet Pennsylvania's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Pennsylvania requires no state-specific engineering exam for endorsement (state-specific exams apply only to land surveyors).
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Pennsylvania grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Virginia does not start over — but does file a full Pennsylvania application. Your Virginia license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Pennsylvania's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Pennsylvania requires no state-specific engineering exam for endorsement (state-specific exams apply only to land surveyors). Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Virginia license active and unencumbered while the Pennsylvania application is pending, and clearing any Pennsylvania-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Virginia → Pennsylvania
| Virginia (current) | Pennsylvania (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. | $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.) |
| 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. | 4–6 weeks (Pennsylvania advises allowing approximately 4 to 6 weeks for initial review of an application submitted through pals.pa.gov.) |
| Licensing authority | Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) | State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Pennsylvania sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Pennsylvania's current requirements on the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current PE license in good standing in another jurisdiction whose standards are substantially equivalent to or exceed Pennsylvania's (49 Pa. Code 37.20; 63 Pa.C.S. 3111).
- Submit a copy of the current law/regulation governing licensure and scope of practice in the jurisdiction that issued the license.
- Demonstrate competency by active practice for at least 2 of the last 5 years OR completion of 24 professional development hours in the prior 24 months.
- Have no disqualifying disciplinary or criminal history; the board may require a personal interview (video permitted for good cause).
- Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow 4–6 weeks (Pennsylvania advises allowing approximately 4 to 6 weeks for initial review of an application submitted through pals.pa.gov.).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Pennsylvania accept a Virginia PE license?
A PE license transfers from Virginia to Pennsylvania by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists, verify your Virginia license, and meet Pennsylvania's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Pennsylvania requires no state-specific engineering exam for endorsement (state-specific exams apply only to land surveyors).
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Virginia to Pennsylvania?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Pennsylvania requires no state-specific engineering exam for endorsement (state-specific exams apply only to land surveyors).
What does the Virginia-to-Pennsylvania comity application cost?
$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.).
Can I keep my Virginia PE license after I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
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.
- 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)
- 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]