Transfer Your Counseling License to Delaware: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Delaware Board of Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Professionals, Division of Professional Regulation, Licensed Professional Counselor of Mental Health (LPCMH) ↗
Delaware has enacted the Counseling Compact, but it was not yet issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so no privilege authorizes practice here. An out-of-state counselor needs a Delaware license, normally by endorsement from the Delaware Board of Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Professionals, Division of Professional Regulation, Licensed Professional Counselor of Mental Health (LPCMH); how Delaware treats your NCE or NCMHCE score is in the exam question below. Fee: $272 (Professional Counselor (LPCMH) application fee per the Board's Fee Schedule, paid in DELPROS; the same fee applies by examination or reciprocity. Fingerprinting (State and FBI background check) is paid separately to IdentoGO; NBCC score-report fee separate.). Processing: the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; applicants track status with 'View Application Status' in DELPROS.
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Verdict
Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing
Delaware has passed the Counseling Compact into law, and its board may describe the state as having joined, but as of 2026-09-27 it was not issuing or accepting privileges. That makes Delaware a non-compact state in practice: no privilege lets you see a client located here, in person or by telehealth, and a Delaware license cannot yet anchor privileges elsewhere. Plan on a Delaware license by endorsement, and check the commission's announcements, because states have been switching on every few weeks.
Delaware's independent counselor license is the LPCMH (Licensed Professional Counselor of Mental Health); the LACMH (Licensed Associate Counselor of Mental Health) is the supervised tier. Under 24 Del. C. 3034, the Board licenses by reciprocity an applicant with a current license in good standing from a state whose standards are substantially similar (3034(a)). An applicant from a non-similar state qualifies if licensed in good standing for at least 5 years there and has passed the NCE or another acceptable exam (3034(b)). An applicant with neither may apply for the associate (LACMH) license (3034(c)). The Board's page puts it plainly: if licensed at least 5 years in any one jurisdiction, no further documentation is needed; if under 5 years, the Board compares the other states' laws for substantial similarity. Statute 3034(a) also refers to certification by NBCC or another acceptable national certifying organization for the substantially-similar route, but the Board's current application page does not list NCC certification as a document. The Board re-checks standards but not supervised hours for 5-year licensees, so this is reciprocity-by-review, not full reciprocity. No general universal-licensure-recognition statute covering LPCMHs was located. Delaware has enacted the Counseling Compact (24 Del. C. ch. 30A), and the Board states it 'has not gone live in Delaware' (pending, assembler-provided).
Delaware requirements at a glance
| Exam | National exam is not retaken: NCE or NCMHCE scores are requested from NBCC and sent to the Board, and scores from another exam the Board accepts as equivalent are sent by that organization. An applicant from a state whose standards are not substantially similar must have held the license 5 years and passed the NCE or another exam the Board accepts (24 Del. C. 3034(b)). No Delaware jurisprudence exam. |
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| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | $272 (Professional Counselor (LPCMH) application fee per the Board's Fee Schedule, paid in DELPROS; the same fee applies by examination or reciprocity. Fingerprinting (State and FBI background check) is paid separately to IdentoGO; NBCC score-report fee separate.) |
| Processing time | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; applicants track status with 'View Application Status' in DELPROS |
Step by step
- Confirm Delaware's current requirements on the Delaware Board of Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Professionals, Division of Professional Regulation, Licensed Professional Counselor of Mental Health (LPCMH) website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Delaware Board of Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Professionals, Division of Professional Regulation, Licensed Professional Counselor of Mental Health (LPCMH) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current Professional Counselor of Mental Health (or equivalent independent) license in good standing in another state, DC or U.S. territory.
- If licensed under 5 years in every jurisdiction, submit the other states' licensing laws and rules so the Board can decide whether any has substantially similar standards.
- Complete a State of Delaware and FBI fingerprint criminal background check through IdentoGO using the Board's service code.
- Have license verification sent directly from every jurisdiction where a license is or was held.
- Submit NCE or NCMHCE scores through NBCC score reporting.
- Pay the fees ($272 (Professional Counselor (LPCMH) application fee per the Board's Fee Schedule, paid in DELPROS; the same fee applies by examination or reciprocity. Fingerprinting (State and FBI background check) is paid separately to IdentoGO; NBCC score-report fee separate.)) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; applicants track status with 'View Application Status' in DELPROS.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Delaware:
Nearby states
Counseling license transfer into the states bordering Delaware:
Delaware for other professions
- Nursing in Delaware
- Cosmetology / Barber in Delaware
- Real Estate in Delaware
- Contractor in Delaware
- Teaching in Delaware
- CPA / Accounting in Delaware
- Electrician in Delaware
- Plumber in Delaware
- Engineering in Delaware
- Pharmacy in Delaware
- Physical Therapy in Delaware
- Psychology in Delaware
- Social Work in Delaware
- Occupational Therapy in Delaware
Frequently asked questions
Does my counseling license transfer to Delaware?
Delaware has enacted the Counseling Compact, but it was not yet issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so no privilege authorizes practice here. An out-of-state counselor needs a Delaware license, normally by endorsement from the Delaware Board of Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Professionals, Division of Professional Regulation, Licensed Professional Counselor of Mental Health (LPCMH); how Delaware treats your NCE or NCMHCE score is in the exam question below. Fee: $272 (Professional Counselor (LPCMH) application fee per the Board's Fee Schedule, paid in DELPROS; the same fee applies by examination or reciprocity. Fingerprinting (State and FBI background check) is paid separately to IdentoGO; NBCC score-report fee separate.). Processing: the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; applicants track status with 'View Application Status' in DELPROS.
Do I have to retake the NCE or NCMHCE to get licensed in Delaware?
National exam is not retaken: NCE or NCMHCE scores are requested from NBCC and sent to the Board, and scores from another exam the Board accepts as equivalent are sent by that organization. An applicant from a state whose standards are not substantially similar must have held the license 5 years and passed the NCE or another exam the Board accepts (24 Del. C. 3034(b)). No Delaware jurisprudence exam.
How much does a Delaware counseling license cost by endorsement?
$272 (Professional Counselor (LPCMH) application fee per the Board's Fee Schedule, paid in DELPROS; the same fee applies by examination or reciprocity. Fingerprinting (State and FBI background check) is paid separately to IdentoGO; NBCC score-report fee separate.)
How long does Delaware take to process the application?
the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; applicants track status with 'View Application Status' in DELPROS.
Is Delaware in the Counseling Compact?
Delaware has enacted the compact but was not yet operational as of 2026-09-27, so it neither issues nor accepts privileges. For now you need Delaware's own authorization, normally a Delaware license, to practice with clients located in Delaware.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- Delaware DPR: Professional Counselor of Mental Health Licensure (examination and reciprocity requirements) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Delaware DPR: Board of Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Professionals Fee Schedule ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Delaware Code Title 24, Chapter 30, Subchapter II (24 Del. C. 3034 Reciprocity) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Delaware DPR: Board of Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Professionals homepage (Counseling Compact not live) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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