Counseling License from Arizona to Minnesota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Minnesota accept an Arizona counseling license?
Yes, for working in Minnesota — both Arizona and Minnesota are active members of the Counseling Compact. If Arizona is your primary state of residence and your Arizona license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in Minnesota without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Minnesota, you will need a Minnesota license once Minnesota becomes your home state.
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Verdict
Compact privilege — work there without a second license
Arizona and Minnesota are both operational in the Counseling Compact, so the first question is whether you are moving. If you are staying in Arizona and want to see clients located in Minnesota, in person or by telehealth, you do not need a Minnesota license: with an active, unencumbered independent-level Arizona license and Arizona as your primary residence, you buy a Minnesota privilege through CompactConnect and meet any Minnesota jurisprudence requirement. If you are relocating, the privilege does not carry you. Minnesota becomes your home state and you must obtain a Minnesota license from the Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy (BBHT) (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC); because both states are members, the compact streamlines that application, but it is still required.
What's different between Arizona and Minnesota
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Minnesota. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Arizona to Minnesota (this page): Compact privilege — work there without a second license.
Minnesota to Arizona (the reverse move): Compact privilege — work there without a second license.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Arizona matter?
Coming from Arizona matters here: only 10 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Minnesota.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (40).
- Counseling Compact membership
Arizona and Minnesota are both Counseling Compact member states.
A compact privilege lets you practice in Minnesota while Arizona is your home state; it is not a license, and a move to Minnesota needs a Minnesota license.
- Application fee
Minnesota lists $150 for an out-of-state applicant and Arizona lists $250 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Minnesota and Arizona carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Minnesota (this move): No exam is retaken for reciprocity. Minn. Stat. 148B.56 sets no exam condition: the Board rules on substantial similarity (licensed under 5 years) or 5+ years of active practice, then decides whether to grant the LPC or the LPCC. Minnesota-route LPCC applicants must pass the NCMHCE (148B.5301). The reciprocity application asks for license verification, transcripts and the other state's laws and rules, not a separate score transfer. No Minnesota jurisprudence exam.
- Arizona (the reverse move): National exam is not retaken: applicants must show they passed the required national exam for the discipline, not a state-level exam (R4-6-304(A)(11)). Arizona's counselor rule approves the NCE, NCMHCE and CRC exam (R4-6-502). Since 2026-05-14, endorsement and universal-recognition applicants who have not yet passed it are automatically approved to test while their application is under review. No jurisprudence exam, but applicants must submit a completion certificate for the Board's online Arizona Statutes/Regulations Tutorial.
What changes, Arizona → Minnesota
| Arizona (current) | Minnesota (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Licensure by endorsement · Counseling Compact privilege (not a license) | Licensure by endorsement · Counseling Compact privilege (not a license) |
| Application fee | $250 (nonrefundable license-by-endorsement application fee per the Board's Licensed in Another State page and its current Fee Structure (effective 2021-01-03, updated 2025-11-02), which also lists a $40 criminal-history background-check charge paid separately. The Board's older rules compilation (labelled 'Effective November 1, 2015') listed a separate $250 issuance fee for an independent-level license (LPC), but the current Fee Structure lists no license-issuance fee, so none is recorded here. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Arizona charges $250 + $30 commission admin fee = $280 for a privilege, plus the Statutes/Regulations tutorial).) | $150 (non-refundable LPCC application fee (Minn. Stat. 148B.53 subd. 3); the reciprocity application also requires the $250 initial license fee and a $35 criminal background check fee, paid together as $435 ($400 if exempt from the check). NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee: Minnesota charges $50 + $30 commission fee = $80, no jurisprudence exam.) |
| Processing time | the Board publishes no typical processing time. Its licensing time-frame rule (R4-6-302, Table 1) sets a 270-day overall legal maximum for a license by endorsement (90-day administrative completeness plus 180-day substantive review), which is a ceiling, not an expected time | the Board's reciprocity application (updated 2026-10-01) states no processing timeframe |
| Licensing authority | Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners (AZBBHE), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy (BBHT) (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Minnesota sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm your home-state license is active and unencumbered and that your home state is your primary state of residence.
- To work in Minnesota: purchase a Counseling Compact privilege for Minnesota through the compact commission and complete any Minnesota jurisprudence requirement.
- Keep your home-state license active — every privilege lapses with it.
- If you are moving your primary residence to Minnesota: apply for a Minnesota license with the Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy (BBHT) (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC); a privilege does not follow you when your home state changes.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What does the move cost?
To work in Minnesota while living in Arizona: a $30 commission fee plus Minnesota's state privilege fee, paid in CompactConnect. To relocate and take a Minnesota license: $150 (non-refundable LPCC application fee (Minn.
How long will it take?
A privilege can issue once CompactConnect confirms your eligibility and any Minnesota jurisprudence requirement is done, usually well ahead of a license. A Minnesota license for a relocation: the Board's reciprocity application (updated 2026-10-01) states no processing timeframe.
Can I see Minnesota clients by telehealth while living in Arizona?
Yes, on a Minnesota privilege. It covers telehealth and in-person counseling with clients located in Minnesota, as long as your Arizona license stays active and unencumbered and Arizona remains your primary residence.
If I move from Arizona to Minnesota, does my privilege keep me covered?
No. A privilege is for practice away from your home state, not for moving. Once you relocate, Minnesota is your home state and you need a Minnesota license. Because both states are compact members, Minnesota verifies you through the compact's data system, and you complete its background checks and any jurisprudence requirement.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- Minnesota BBHT: LPC/LPCC Reciprocity Application, updated 2026-10-01 (instructions, $435 fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Minn. Stat. 148B.56 Reciprocity (Revisor of Statutes, 2025 chapter 148B) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Minn. Stat. 148B.53 subd. 3 Fees (Revisor of Statutes) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Minnesota BBHT: Reciprocity Licenses by State (updated 2024-03-15) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Minnesota BBHT: LPC and LPCC Reciprocity page (Internet Archive capture 2026-04-21) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Counseling Compact: state privilege fees and jurisprudence requirements (Minnesota $80 total) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- AZBBHE: Licensed in Another State (license by endorsement requirements, $250 fee, fingerprints, tutorial) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- AZBBHE: Fee Structure (effective 2021-01-03, updated 2025-11-02; $250 endorsement application, $40 background check, no issuance fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Arizona Revised Statutes 32-3274, Licensure by endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- AZBBHE: Universal Recognition (A.R.S. 32-4302, Arizona residency required) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Arizona Revised Statutes 32-4302, Out-of-state applicants (universal recognition: Arizona residence, 1 year of licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- AZBBHE: Automatic Exam Approval for License by Endorsement and Universal Recognition Applicants (effective 2026-05-14) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- AZBBHE Board Rules compilation (R4-6-215 fees, R4-6-302 time frames, R4-6-502 counselor exams) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- AZBBHE Notice of Final Rulemaking, May 2025 (R4-6-304 endorsement, universal recognition and compact-privilege applications) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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