The District of Columbia Board of Psychology licenses psychologists in the District of Columbia. District of Columbia is a PSYPACT® participating jurisdiction. That means a District of Columbia license can serve as your declared PSYPACT® home state, and psychologists licensed elsewhere in the compact can already deliver telepsychology to clients located here. District of Columbia offers a licensure-by-endorsement route for psychologists already licensed elsewhere.
District of Columbia Psychology License Requirements
A doctoral degree in psychology, with official transcripts sent to the board directly by the institution.
Supervised professional experience: 4,000 hours of supervised practice within three years following the doctoral degree, including at least 200 hours of immediate supervision, under a psychologist, psychiatrist, or independent clinical social worker licensed in the District.
A passing EPPP score, transferred officially from ASPPB. Note that individual boards set their own passing scores, so a score accepted elsewhere does not automatically satisfy this one.
Licensure by endorsement: The District recognizes ABPP diplomate status as satisfying the education and experience requirements for licensure by endorsement. Separately, an out-of-state psychologist who sat the EPPP within the preceding five years may be excused from retaking it — even if not otherwise eligible for reciprocal licensure — provided they have been licensed and actively practising in the interim.
ABPP diplomate status — satisfies education and experience for endorsement.
EPPP taken within the preceding five years, with licensure and active practice in the interim — excuses retaking the examination.
The District of Columbia jurisprudence examination. The District of Columbia Jurisprudence Examination requires a score of 75% or higher.
Fingerprint-based criminal background check.
Disclosure and verification of any disciplinary action in any jurisdiction.
How Much Does an District of Columbia Psychology License Cost?
| Fee | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| EPPP or score transfer | $0 | Charged by ASPPB, not by the state. ASPPB has signalled an additional skills component alongside the existing knowledge examination — confirm the current structure and cost with ASPPB rather than budgeting from an older figure. |
| Licensure verification from each prior jurisdiction | $0 | Charged by each issuing board. Every board that has ever licensed you must send one, including lapsed licenses. Amounts vary by state. |
| Fingerprint / background check | $0 | Vendor-dependent. Verify with District of Columbia Board of Psychology before scheduling — out-of-order submissions are typically not refunded. |
Fees above are paid to District of Columbia and ASPPB. Our service fee is separate — see pricing.
We handle the District of Columbia application end-to-end.
Eligibility screening, document prep, board follow-ups, and tracking — so you don't lose a board meeting cycle to a missing form.
View full pricingHow Long Does It Take to Get an District of Columbia Psychology License?
Typical Processing
Three to six months from a complete filing is a common range, and complex files run longer. The board cannot begin substantive review until out-of-state verifications and official transcripts have arrived.
Recommended Lead Time
Start at least six months before you need to practise in the District of Columbia.
Published processing targets rarely survive contact with a file that has a documentation gap in it. The controllable part is the front end — pathway determination, transcripts requested with correct routing, and verifications ordered from every board that has ever licensed you. Confirm current targets directly with District of Columbia Board of Psychology.
Where District of Columbia Applications Get Delayed
The supervision must come from a District-licensed supervisor. DC requires the 4,000 hours to be supervised by a psychologist, psychiatrist, or independent clinical social worker licensed in the District. Applicants who completed supervision elsewhere should establish how it will be treated before filing — this is the requirement most likely to complicate an otherwise straightforward file.
The three-year window on supervised hours. DC wants the 4,000 hours completed within three years following the doctorate. Experience accumulated more slowly may not fit.
The five-year EPPP concession is easy to miss. If you sat the EPPP within the last five years and have been licensed and practising since, you may not need to retake it — even where you do not otherwise qualify for reciprocity.
Assuming PSYPACT® replaces the District of Columbia license. An APIT® lets a psychologist licensed elsewhere in the compact deliver telepsychology to clients in the District of Columbia. It does not authorize in-person practice here, and it is not a District of Columbia license.
Forgetting a lapsed license. Verification is required from every jurisdiction that has ever licensed you, including licenses you let expire years ago. An omission stalls the file and raises a candour question that is far more troublesome than the verification would have been.
Transcripts sent by the applicant. Boards and ASPPB alike require official transcripts sent directly by the institution or its clearinghouse. A sealed envelope you forward is not accepted, and the failure is silent — you believe it is delivered while the file waits.
Assuming another state's supervised-hours count transfers. Definitions of qualifying supervision differ meaningfully between boards. Hours that satisfied your original licensure may be counted differently here.
Renewing Your District of Columbia Psychology License
Renewal Cycle
Verify your renewal cycle and expiration date with District of Columbia Board of Psychology. Renewal cycles vary between annual and biennial, and some states renew the whole profession on a fixed date rather than on each licensee's anniversary.
CE Requirement
District of Columbia requires continuing education on the renewal cycle, and most states mandate specific content areas. Verify the current hour count and required topics with District of Columbia Board of Psychology — mandated subject lists change more often than the hour totals do. If you also hold an ASPPB E.Passport, its three hours of telepsychology-specific CE are a separate requirement on a separate cycle and do not satisfy state CE.
Late Grace Period
Practising on a lapsed District of Columbia license is not authorized regardless of how briefly it lapsed. Verify the delinquency and reinstatement procedure with District of Columbia Board of Psychology.
How District of Columbia Licenses Psychologists
The District of Columbia Board of Psychology licenses psychologists in the District of Columbia. As in every state, licensure rests on a doctoral degree in psychology, supervised professional experience, and examination — but the specifics differ more than psychologists expect, particularly in how supervised hours are defined and whether a state-specific jurisprudence examination applies.
Licensure by Endorsement
The District recognizes ABPP diplomate status as satisfying the education and experience requirements for licensure by endorsement. Separately, an out-of-state psychologist who sat the EPPP within the preceding five years may be excused from retaking it — even if not otherwise eligible for reciprocal licensure — provided they have been licensed and actively practising in the interim.
Routes worth checking before you file:
- ABPP diplomate status — satisfies education and experience for endorsement.
- EPPP taken within the preceding five years, with licensure and active practice in the interim — excuses retaking the examination.
One general caution: endorsement is not a transfer. The board still evaluates whether your education, supervised experience, examination, and professional history are equivalent to its own standards, and it can conclude that they are not. Older training histories and non-standard program structures draw the most scrutiny.
The Jurisprudence Examination
District of Columbia requires a state jurisprudence examination. The District of Columbia Jurisprudence Examination requires a score of 75% or higher. Endorsement does not generally exempt applicants from it — a state-law examination is precisely the thing another state's license cannot evidence.
PSYPACT® and District of Columbia
District of Columbia is a participating jurisdiction, which is useful in both directions.
If you hold a District of Columbia license, District of Columbia can serve as your declared PSYPACT® home state. With an ASPPB E.Passport and an Authority to Practice Interjurisdictional Telepsychology (APIT®) on top of it, your telepsychology practice reaches every other participating jurisdiction without a separate license in each.
If you are licensed elsewhere in the compact, your APIT® already authorizes telepsychology to clients located in the District of Columbia — no District of Columbia license needed for that work. It does not authorize in-person practice here. For temporary in-person work that is the separate IPC and TAP® route, capped at 30 calendar days per calendar year.
One constraint matters more than it first appears: under the APIT® you must be physically located in your declared home state while delivering telepsychology. A District of Columbia license held by someone who lives elsewhere does not make District of Columbia a workable home state. Choose the state you actually sit in.
What We Handle
Pathway determination before you spend a non-refundable fee, transcript and EPPP score routing, verification requests to every jurisdiction that has ever licensed you, jurisprudence examination scheduling, fingerprint sequencing, and District of Columbia Board of Psychology correspondence through to issuance. Where District of Columbia is your intended PSYPACT® home state, we file the E.Passport and APIT® on top of it.
District of Columbia Psychology License FAQ
Is District of Columbia a PSYPACT state?
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Do I still need a District of Columbia license if I have an APIT?
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If I hold a District of Columbia license but live in another state, can District of Columbia be my PSYPACT home state?
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Does District of Columbia offer licensure by endorsement?
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Do I have to take the District of Columbia jurisprudence exam?
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How much does a District of Columbia psychology license cost?
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What Working with Us Costs
Transparent, a la carte service fees. The state board and ASPPB fees listed above are paid directly to those organizations. Our concierge fee is separate and is the only thing you pay us.
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