West Virginia

West Virginia has a universal license recognition law. As a California-licensed professional, your license is generally recognized in West Virginia, subject to meeting basic eligibility requirements. This is the strongest form of license portability available. Universal recognition enacted 2025; highest compact participation in the region.

West Virginia is a member of 7 compacts: Nurse Licensure Compact, Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact, Physical Therapy Compact, EMS Compact (REPLICA), Counseling Compact, Occupational Therapy Compact. None of these overlap with California's compact memberships.

West Virginia is an NLC member, but California is not. You would need to obtain a separate West Virginia nursing license or establish residency in an NLC state to get a multistate license.

Teaching license portability from California to West Virginia: NASDTEC member; reciprocal certification with most states. Most states participate in the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement, but specific requirements vary by state and endorsement area.

West Virginia supports PE license comity through NCEES. Licensed Professional Engineers from California can apply for licensure by comity, which is a streamlined process using your NCEES Record. This typically requires verifying your education, exam passage, and experience meet West Virginia's requirements.

Universal recognition covers military spouses; automatic recognition. Under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), updated December 2024, all states are now required to recognize valid professional licenses from other states for military personnel and their spouses.

Enacted universal license recognition 2025; OT Compact accepting applications January 2026.

For the most current licensing requirements and compact participation details, visit the official West Virginia licensing page at https://www.wv.gov/. Requirements and compact memberships may change as new legislation is enacted.