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LicenseReciprocity

Counseling License from California to Mississippi: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) ↗

A counseling license transfers from California to Mississippi by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC), verify your California license, and meet Mississippi's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: NCE or NCMHCE scores come with the certified copy of the out-of-state licensure file. Applicants must ALSO submit a certificate of completion of the Mississippi Jurisprudence Exam (Board Rule 4.7(I))..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Neither state gives you a working compact route here: a state that has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not yet operational behaves like a non-member. The route is endorsement through the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC): your California license is verified, your NCE or NCMHCE score is credited under Mississippi's own exam rule, and Mississippi applies any jurisprudence and background checks it requires. Check which Mississippi tier corresponds to your California license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.

What changes, California → Mississippi

Side-by-side: California vs Mississippi (Counseling (LPC / LMHC)), verified 2026-09-27
California (current)Mississippi (destination)
Counseling Compact statusLicensure by endorsementCounseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing
Application fee$125 (LPCC License Application fee under the Board's temporary 50% fee reduction for payments made 2026-07-01 through 2030-06-30 (statutory base in BPC 4999.120 is $250; applications paid before 2026-07-01 paid $250). Separate: initial license issuance fee $100 (reduced from $200), California Law and Ethics Exam fee $75 (reduced from $150), fingerprint (Live Scan / DOJ-FBI) fees not reduced and paid separately. California has not enacted the Counseling Compact, so no privilege route exists.)$100 (Board Rule 2.1 'Application for Full Licensure Fee' (effective 2023-01-01); no comity-specific fee is named in Rule 4.7. + $220 Initial LPC License Fee on licensure. Fingerprint card and jurisprudence exam costs are paid separately (amounts not published on the pages read).)
Processing timethe Board's Path A guide gives no timeframe for the licensure application itself; it states only 'allow up to 30 days' for processing the Request for Initial License Issuance after the exam is passed. Board processing-time pages could not be read (bbs.ca.gov refused connections on 2026-09-27).the Board states no processing timeframe for comity applications
Licensing authorityCalifornia Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS), Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC)Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC)

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Mississippi sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm Mississippi's current requirements on the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold a valid LPC or equivalent independent counseling license in good standing in another state, with no substantiated complaints or disciplinary action ever.
  5. Show at least 5 years of professional counseling work experience since initial licensure, with the license maintained continuously.
  6. Have the other state send certified copies of your licensure file directly to the Board.
  7. Submit a curriculum vitae and three work references.
  8. Pass the Mississippi Jurisprudence Exam.
  9. Complete a fingerprint-based Mississippi and FBI criminal history records check.
  10. Pay the fees ($100 (Board Rule 2.1 'Application for Full Licensure Fee' (effective 2023-01-01); no comity-specific fee is named in Rule 4.7. + $220 Initial LPC License Fee on licensure. Fingerprint card and jurisprudence exam costs are paid separately (amounts not published on the pages read).)) and allow the Board states no processing timeframe for comity applications.

Official links

Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) ↗Mississippi application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Mississippi → CaliforniaCounseling in CaliforniaCounseling in MississippiAll counseling statesThe Counseling Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Mississippi accept a California counseling license?

A counseling license transfers from California to Mississippi by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC), verify your California license, and meet Mississippi's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: NCE or NCMHCE scores come with the certified copy of the out-of-state licensure file. Applicants must ALSO submit a certificate of completion of the Mississippi Jurisprudence Exam (Board Rule 4.7(I))..

Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from California to Mississippi?

National exam is not retaken: NCE or NCMHCE scores come with the certified copy of the out-of-state licensure file. Applicants must ALSO submit a certificate of completion of the Mississippi Jurisprudence Exam (Board Rule 4.7(I)).

What does the move cost?

$100 (Board Rule 2.1 'Application for Full Licensure Fee' (effective 2023-01-01); no comity-specific fee is named in Rule 4.7. + $220 Initial LPC License Fee on licensure. Fingerprint card and jurisprudence exam costs are paid separately (amounts not published on the pages read).)

How long will it take?

the Board states no processing timeframe for comity applications.

Mississippi joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?

Not yet. Mississippi had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so counseling clients located in Mississippi takes Mississippi's own authorization, normally a Mississippi license.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]