Transfer Your Counseling License to District of Columbia: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: District of Columbia Board of Professional Counseling (DC Health), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) ↗

District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia license, normally by endorsement from the District of Columbia Board of Professional Counseling (DC Health), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC); how District of Columbia treats your NCE or NCMHCE score is in the exam question below. Fee: $230 (DC charges a combined $230 application and license fee for LPC endorsement (DC Health endorsement checklist and Licensure-by-Endorsement policy); the two parts are not published separately. + $50 criminal background check fee paid online with the application; NBCC score-transfer fee separate. DC is not an operational compact state, so no privilege fee applies.). Processing: the current LPC licensing page and endorsement checklist publish no processing timeframe; a legacy 2015 DC Health instruction PDF (30-60 days) was not relied on because it predates the 2024 endorsement changes.

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Verdict

Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing

District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia a non-compact state in practice: no privilege lets you see a client located here, in person or by telehealth, and a District of Columbia license cannot yet anchor privileges elsewhere. Plan on a District of Columbia license by endorsement, and check the commission's announcements, because states have been switching on every few weeks.

DC's independent counselor license is the LPC; the LGPC (Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor) is the pre-independent graduate tier and has its own endorsement checklist. D.C. Code 3-1207.10(c), amended by the Health Occupations Revision General Amendment Act of 2024 (D.C. Law 25-191), lets the Board license by endorsement a counselor currently licensed in good standing elsewhere who has either practiced independent clinical counseling for at least 5 years under that license or held an independent license for at least 3 years and holds NBCC's National Certified Counselor credential. Applicants in neither group follow the full checklist, including the 3,500-hour post-graduate supervision record (3,300 general + 200 immediate, at least 100 of those under an LPC). The Board reviews each application individually and may ask for hours practiced, so this is endorsement, not full reciprocity. The checklist also requires a vaccination attestation entry and an NPDB self-query. No general universal-licensure-recognition statute is referenced on the Board's pages. DC has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not yet issuing or accepting privileges (commission table shows DC not live); relocating counselors need this license. compact_member and compact_status are assembler-provided.

District of Columbia requirements at a glance

Out-of-state counseling license transfer requirements for District of Columbia, verified 2026-09-27
Exam	National exam is not retaken: the official national exam score must be transferred electronically from NBCC. 17 DCMR 6605.2 exempts an applicant who already passed a professional counselor licensure board exam in another US jurisdiction, the CRCC exam, or the NACCMHC (now NBCC) clinical exam from taking the NCE, so NCE or NCMHCE results are accepted. No DC jurisprudence exam or laws-and-rules course is listed on the endorsement checklist, and the Counseling Compact commission lists no jurisprudence requirement for DC.
Additional requirements	Hold a current, good-standing independent professional counselor license in another state (official verification from every jurisdiction ever licensed) Show either 5 years of independent clinical counseling practice under that license (written attestation + resume in lieu of supervision forms) or 3 years of independent licensure plus the NBCC National Certified Counselor credential; otherwise document the full 3,500 post-graduate supervised hours Have NBCC transfer the official national exam score electronically Submit an official transcript for a master's or higher in counseling or a related field (minimum 60 hours) plus the Coursework Completion Form Complete a fingerprint criminal background check ($50) and submit an NPDB self-query report dated within 30 days
Fees	$230 (DC charges a combined $230 application and license fee for LPC endorsement (DC Health endorsement checklist and Licensure-by-Endorsement policy); the two parts are not published separately. + $50 criminal background check fee paid online with the application; NBCC score-transfer fee separate. DC is not an operational compact state, so no privilege fee applies.)
Processing time	the current LPC licensing page and endorsement checklist publish no processing timeframe; a legacy 2015 DC Health instruction PDF (30-60 days) was not relied on because it predates the 2024 endorsement changes

Step by step

Confirm District of Columbia's current requirements on the District of Columbia Board of Professional Counseling (DC Health), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) website — rules change.
Submit the endorsement application to the District of Columbia Board of Professional Counseling (DC Health), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) (application linked on this page).
Arrange license verification from your current state.
Hold a current, good-standing independent professional counselor license in another state (official verification from every jurisdiction ever licensed).
Show either 5 years of independent clinical counseling practice under that license (written attestation + resume in lieu of supervision forms) or 3 years of independent licensure plus the NBCC National Certified Counselor credential; otherwise document the full 3,500 post-graduate supervised hours.
Have NBCC transfer the official national exam score electronically.
Submit an official transcript for a master's or higher in counseling or a related field (minimum 60 hours) plus the Coursework Completion Form.
Complete a fingerprint criminal background check ($50) and submit an NPDB self-query report dated within 30 days.
Pay the fees ($230 (DC charges a combined $230 application and license fee for LPC endorsement (DC Health endorsement checklist and Licensure-by-Endorsement policy); the two parts are not published separately. + $50 criminal background check fee paid online with the application; NBCC score-transfer fee separate. DC is not an operational compact state, so no privilege fee applies.)) and allow the current LPC licensing page and endorsement checklist publish no processing timeframe; a legacy 2015 DC Health instruction PDF (30-60 days) was not relied on because it predates the 2024 endorsement changes.

Official links

District of Columbia Board of Professional Counseling (DC Health), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) ↗District of Columbia application ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into District of Columbia:

California → District of Columbia Florida → District of Columbia Georgia → District of Columbia Illinois → District of Columbia Michigan → District of Columbia New York → District of Columbia North Carolina → District of Columbia Ohio → District of Columbia Pennsylvania → District of Columbia Texas → District of Columbia

Nearby states

Counseling license transfer into the states bordering District of Columbia:

District of Columbia for other professions

Frequently asked questions

Does my counseling license transfer to District of Columbia?

Do I have to retake the NCE or NCMHCE to get licensed in District of Columbia?

National exam is not retaken: the official national exam score must be transferred electronically from NBCC. 17 DCMR 6605.2 exempts an applicant who already passed a professional counselor licensure board exam in another US jurisdiction, the CRCC exam, or the NACCMHC (now NBCC) clinical exam from taking the NCE, so NCE or NCMHCE results are accepted. No DC jurisprudence exam or laws-and-rules course is listed on the endorsement checklist, and the Counseling Compact commission lists no jurisprudence requirement for DC.

How much does a District of Columbia counseling license cost by endorsement?

$230 (DC charges a combined $230 application and license fee for LPC endorsement (DC Health endorsement checklist and Licensure-by-Endorsement policy); the two parts are not published separately. + $50 criminal background check fee paid online with the application; NBCC score-transfer fee separate. DC is not an operational compact state, so no privilege fee applies.)

How long does District of Columbia take to process the application?

the current LPC licensing page and endorsement checklist publish no processing timeframe; a legacy 2015 DC Health instruction PDF (30-60 days) was not relied on because it predates the 2024 endorsement changes.

Is District of Columbia in the Counseling Compact?

District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia's own authorization, normally a District of Columbia license, to practice with clients located in District of Columbia.

Sources

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

DC Health: Professional Counseling Licensing (LPC/LGPC tiers, endorsement checklists, DCMR links) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
DC Board of Professional Counseling: Licensure-by-Endorsement policy (D.C. Code 3-1207.10(c) as amended 2024; $230 fee; 5-year / 3-year+NCC routes) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
DC Board of Professional Counseling: LPC New License Application Checklist by Endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
D.C. Code 3-1207.10 Qualifications for licensure (subsection (c), professional counselor endorsement) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
17 DCMR 6605 National Examination (DC Register rule text) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Counseling Compact: state privilege fees and jurisprudence requirements ↗ (accessed 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]