Reciprocity between Texas and other states depends entirely on which license you hold. States that have reciprocity with Texas for a nursing license are not the same states that honor a Texas handgun License to Carry, and Texas offers no real estate reciprocity with any state at all. Some professions move through formal multi-state compacts that grant nearly automatic recognition; others rely on bilateral agreements between specific agencies; and a few only shave steps off an otherwise full application. The sections below cover the major license types one by one.
Handgun License to Carry
Texas has allowed permitless carry inside the state since September 2021, but a Texas License to Carry (LTC) still matters for traveling. Other states that require a permit will only honor your Texas carry if they have an agreement with Texas.1Texas State Law Library. License to Carry – Gun Laws
The following states have two-way agreements with Texas, meaning each state recognizes the other’s permit: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.2Department of Public Safety. State Reciprocity Information
Three states honor a Texas LTC without Texas recognizing theirs in return: Delaware, Maine, and New Hampshire.2Department of Public Safety. State Reciprocity Information
Age Restrictions and Host-State Law
Alabama, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, and Nevada only recognize Texas permits for carriers who are 21 or older. That matters because Texas can issue an LTC to someone as young as 18 under narrow circumstances involving active protective orders. If you are between 18 and 20, verify the specific state before you travel.2Department of Public Safety. State Reciprocity Information
Recognition is not permission to ignore local law. The host state’s rules govern where you can carry, what firearms are allowed, and whether open or concealed carry is permitted. Violating those rules exposes you to criminal charges in that state regardless of your Texas LTC.
Nursing: The Nurse Licensure Compact
The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) is the broadest professional reciprocity Texas participates in. Enacted through Occupations Code Chapter 304, it lets registered nurses and vocational nurses with a multistate license practice in every other compact state without obtaining separate licenses.3Justia Law. Texas Occupations Code Chapter 304 – Nurse Licensure Compact
As of 2026, 43 jurisdictions participate.4NURSECOMPACT. Home Long-standing members include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The compact has grown steadily, so check nursecompact.com for the current roster.
To hold a multistate license through Texas, you need an unencumbered Texas nursing license, a fingerprint-based background check, and proof that Texas is your primary state of residence. The Texas Board of Nursing oversees your license, but you must follow the nursing laws of whichever state you are actually practicing in.
Moving Out of Texas
If you relocate from Texas to another NLC state, you have 60 days to apply for a multistate license in your new home state. You can keep practicing under your Texas multistate license while the new application is processed, but only if you file within that window.5NURSECOMPACT. The NLC Multistate License 60-Day Residency Rule Miss the deadline and your authority to practice in other compact states lapses until the new license issues.
Physicians: Interstate Medical Licensure Compact
Texas participates in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC), which gives qualifying physicians an expedited path to licenses in multiple states. The compact does not grant a single multistate license. Each state still issues its own full license and collects its own fee. What the IMLC removes is the duplicated paperwork.
More than 40 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam participate. A physician designates a state of principal license (Texas qualifies), meets eligibility rules including board certification and a clean disciplinary history, and then selects the additional member states where licensure is wanted.
EMS: The Recognition of EMS Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact
EMS personnel in Texas get something closer to true reciprocity through the Recognition of EMS Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact (REPLICA), known as the EMS Compact. A valid, unrestricted Texas EMS license carries an automatic privilege to practice in every member state with no separate application.6EMS Compact. The EMS Compact
Member states are Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.6EMS Compact. The EMS Compact The privilege is especially useful along borders and during multi-state disaster response.
Physical Therapy Compact
Texas is a member of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact under Occupations Code Section 453.215.7FSBPT. Physical Therapy Compact Members Texas-licensed physical therapists and physical therapist assistants can purchase a compact privilege to practice in other member states, which include Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia, among others. The list continues to expand.
Teacher Certification
Teacher certification is where the word “reciprocity” causes the most confusion. Texas participates in the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement, which covers all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam. The agreement itself warns that “reciprocity” is inappropriately applied to educator mobility: an educator’s license from one state is not automatically exchanged for a license in another.8NASDTEC. NASDTEC Interstate Agreement for Educator Licensure 2020-2025
What the agreement does is facilitate review. A receiving state looks at your credentials, transcripts, and classroom experience and decides whether they match local requirements. Some states waive testing for experienced teachers; others require additional coursework or exams.
Coming into Texas works the same way, and the Texas Education Agency is explicit about it. TEA does not automatically recognize out-of-state certificates. Incoming educators must apply through a credentials review, submit official transcripts directly to TEA, and may have to pass additional exams.9Texas Education Agency. Out-of-State Certified Educators
Attorneys and CPAs
Uniform Bar Exam
Texas adopted the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) in February 2021. Passing the bar in Texas now produces a UBE score that can be transferred to other UBE jurisdictions, of which there are 41 as of 2026, including New York, Illinois, Colorado, and Massachusetts.10NCBE. UBE Jurisdictions Each jurisdiction sets its own passing score, so a score that qualifies you in Texas may fall short elsewhere. Transferring usually also requires a separate character and fitness evaluation and the receiving state’s admission fees. It is not automatic reciprocity, but it eliminates sitting for a new bar exam.
CPA Mobility
Most states have adopted CPA mobility legislation that lets a CPA in good standing serve clients across state lines without a second license. The framework is coordinated through the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy. Texas CPAs generally practice across state lines under these mobility rules, though some states impose notification requirements or limit which services can be delivered under a mobility privilege rather than a full local license.
Skilled Trades
Skilled trade reciprocity in Texas runs through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) under bilateral agreements with individual states. Coverage is narrower than the healthcare compacts, but the pathway for covered trades is straightforward.
Electricians
Texas has master electrician reciprocity with Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, and North Carolina. Journeyman electrician reciprocity is broader: Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming.11Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Transfer Your Out-of-State Electrician License to Texas The agreements run both directions, so a Texas electrician can pursue licensure in a reciprocal state through the same expedited process.
HVAC and Refrigeration
Texas has reciprocal agreements with South Carolina and Georgia for air conditioning and refrigeration contractors. You must have held your out-of-state license for at least one year to qualify. The Georgia agreement covers holders of a current Georgia Class II Conditioned Air unrestricted license, which maps to a Texas Class A Environmental Air Conditioning License.12Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Licensing Reciprocity for Air Conditioning and Refrigeration
South Carolina’s arrangement is more granular. A South Carolina Air Conditioning and Heating license maps to a Texas Class A Environmental Air Conditioning and Commercial Refrigeration license. A South Carolina Air Conditioning license without heating maps to different Texas classes. A South Carolina heating-only license does not qualify in Texas at all.12Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Licensing Reciprocity for Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Applicants need a letter of good standing from their current licensing agency confirming they passed a licensing exam.
Real Estate: No Reciprocity
If you hold a real estate license somewhere else and want to practice in Texas, there is no shortcut through reciprocity. The Texas Real Estate Commission puts it directly: “Texas does not have reciprocity with any state.”13Texas Real Estate Commission. Does Texas Have Reciprocity With Any Other State You must satisfy every current Texas licensing requirement from scratch.
The one concession is an exam exemption. If you hold an active license in a state that participates in national exam accreditation through ARELLO (the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials), you may be exempt from the national portion of the Texas licensing exam. You still complete all Texas-specific education and pass the state portion.14Texas Real Estate Commission. Become a Real Estate Sales Agent That saves time; it is not reciprocity. Other states may offer their own streamlined paths for incoming Texas licensees, but TREC plays no role in those arrangements.