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LicenseReciprocity

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

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Board of Allied Mental Health Practitioners ↗

A counseling license transfers from California to Vermont by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Board of Allied Mental Health Practitioners, verify your California license, and meet Vermont's endorsement requirements. No national exam retake on any of Vermont's three endorsement routes (substantially equivalent, five-year rule, fast track); the application instructions ask only for license verification and, 'if applicable', the Vermont State Jurisprudence exam answer sheet uploaded in the online application. Exam-route applicants must pass both the NCE and the NCMHCE within 5 years of applying..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

A counseling license moves from California to Vermont 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. You apply to the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Board of Allied Mental Health Practitioners, which verifies your California license and standing, matches it to Vermont's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any Vermont jurisprudence and background requirements.

What changes, California → Vermont

Side-by-side: California vs Vermont (Counseling (LPC / LMHC)), verified 2026-09-27
California (current)Vermont (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.)fee not verified: OPR sets fees in statute (26 V.S.A. chapter 65) and its fee documents on outside.vermont.gov returned 403, while legislature.vermont.gov refused connections on 2026-09-27; the application fee is non-refundable. Vermont is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.
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).~1 weeks (OPR's apply page says 'Please allow a minimum of 5 full business days for processing. Processing times may vary depending on volume'; no maximum is stated. A 90-day provisional license may be issued when license verification is the only outstanding item.)
Licensing authorityCalifornia Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS), Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC)Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Board of Allied Mental Health Practitioners

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

Step by step

  1. Confirm Vermont's current requirements on the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Board of Allied Mental Health Practitioners website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Board of Allied Mental Health Practitioners (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold a license or certification to practice independently as a clinical mental health counselor, in good standing, in another jurisdiction whose standards are substantially equivalent; or have been fully licensed at the independent level for at least 3 years (fast track, 3 V.S.A. 136a); or have 5 years of active practice (Board rule 3.23(c)).
  5. Have official license verifications sent directly to OPR from the initial and most recent licensing states (fast track verification must show 3 years of continuous good standing).
  6. Complete and upload the Vermont State Jurisprudence exam answer sheet if applicable.
  7. Provide a copy of the statutes and rules of the state you are endorsing from (standard endorsement route).
  8. For the five-year rule, submit a letter showing active practice of more than an average of 20 hours per week for 48 weeks per year over the prior five years.
  9. Pay the fees (fee not verified: OPR sets fees in statute (26 V.S.A. chapter 65) and its fee documents on outside.vermont.gov returned 403, while legislature.vermont.gov refused connections on 2026-09-27; the application fee is non-refundable. Vermont is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.) and allow ~1 weeks (OPR's apply page says 'Please allow a minimum of 5 full business days for processing. Processing times may vary depending on volume'; no maximum is stated. A 90-day provisional license may be issued when license verification is the only outstanding item.).

Official links

Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Board of Allied Mental Health Practitioners ↗Vermont application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Vermont → CaliforniaCounseling in CaliforniaCounseling in VermontAll counseling statesThe Counseling Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Vermont accept a California counseling license?

A counseling license transfers from California to Vermont by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Board of Allied Mental Health Practitioners, verify your California license, and meet Vermont's endorsement requirements. No national exam retake on any of Vermont's three endorsement routes (substantially equivalent, five-year rule, fast track); the application instructions ask only for license verification and, 'if applicable', the Vermont State Jurisprudence exam answer sheet uploaded in the online application. Exam-route applicants must pass both the NCE and the NCMHCE within 5 years of applying..

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

No national exam retake on any of Vermont's three endorsement routes (substantially equivalent, five-year rule, fast track); the application instructions ask only for license verification and, 'if applicable', the Vermont State Jurisprudence exam answer sheet uploaded in the online application. Exam-route applicants must pass both the NCE and the NCMHCE within 5 years of applying.

What does the move cost?

fee not verified: OPR sets fees in statute (26 V.S.A. chapter 65) and its fee documents on outside.vermont.gov returned 403, while legislature.vermont.gov refused connections on 2026-09-27; the application fee is non-refundable. Vermont is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.

How long will it take?

~1 weeks (OPR's apply page says 'Please allow a minimum of 5 full business days for processing. Processing times may vary depending on volume'; no maximum is stated. A 90-day provisional license may be issued when license verification is the only outstanding item.)

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

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