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LicenseReciprocity

Transfer Your Counseling License to Florida: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) ↗

A counselor licensed elsewhere gets into Florida by endorsement through the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), subject to Florida's own rule on the national exam (see below). Florida is a Counseling Compact state on paper only for now: it had not begun issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27. Fee: $100 ($100 non-refundable application fee; the endorsement application also collects a $75 initial licensure fee + $5 unlicensed activity fee at submission ($180 total, $80 refundable if denied or withdrawn), per the Board's LMHC page and form DH-MQA 5048. Livescan fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; NBCC score-report fee separate. Florida is not an operational compact state, so no privilege fee applies.). Processing: the Board states only that Florida law requires an initial application to be reviewed within 30 days and that a license issues within 7 days after all documentation is received (s. 456.0145(2)(e)); no end-to-end processing range is published.

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Verdict

Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing

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

Florida's independent counselor license is the LMHC; the Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern and provisional license are not independent tiers. Section 491.006 now routes all endorsement applicants to the MOBILE Act, s. 456.0145. Applicants need an active, unencumbered license with a similar scope of practice, a passing national exam or board-recognized national certification, active practice for 2 of the last 4 years, no discipline in 5 years, no pending proceeding, and fingerprint screening (HB 975, 2024). The statute sets no residency condition. Education and supervised hours are not re-reviewed, but the Laws and Rules, HIV/AIDS and domestic-violence courses are still required, so this is endorsement, not full reciprocity. DISCREPANCY: the Board's downloadable endorsement form DH-MQA 5048 (rev. 2/2024) still says applicants must have practiced 'at least three of the past five years'. The Board's live LMHC page and the statute say 2 of the last 4 years, and this row follows the statute. Section 491.006 also exempts counselors practicing under the counseling compact, but Florida has enacted the compact without yet issuing or accepting privileges (commission table shows Florida not live). compact_member and compact_status are assembler-provided.

Florida requirements at a glance

Out-of-state counseling license transfer requirements for Florida, verified 2026-09-27
ExamNational exam is not retaken: the Board's LMHC page names the NCMHCE (NBCC) as the accepted exam, and an out-of-state applicant has NBCC send an official score report directly to the Board. Section 456.0145 accepts 'a passing score on a national licensure examination or ... a national certification recognized by the board'; the Board does not state whether an NCE-only licensee qualifies. No separate jurisprudence exam, but an 8-hour Florida Laws and Rules course is required before licensure.
Additional requirements
  • Hold an active, unencumbered mental health counseling license (similar scope of practice) in another state, DC or US territory
  • Have actively practiced for at least 2 of the 4 years immediately before applying, with no disciplinary action in the past 5 years and no pending disciplinary proceeding
  • Have NBCC send an official passing national exam score (NCMHCE) directly to the Board
  • Complete a Board-approved 8-hour Florida Laws and Rules course and a 3-hour HIV/AIDS course (or file the HIV/AIDS affidavit)
  • Complete a Board-approved 2-hour domestic violence course within six months after licensure
  • Submit electronic Livescan fingerprints through an FDLE-approved vendor for background screening
Fees$100 ($100 non-refundable application fee; the endorsement application also collects a $75 initial licensure fee + $5 unlicensed activity fee at submission ($180 total, $80 refundable if denied or withdrawn), per the Board's LMHC page and form DH-MQA 5048. Livescan fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; NBCC score-report fee separate. Florida is not an operational compact state, so no privilege fee applies.)
Processing timethe Board states only that Florida law requires an initial application to be reviewed within 30 days and that a license issues within 7 days after all documentation is received (s. 456.0145(2)(e)); no end-to-end processing range is published

Step by step

  1. Confirm Florida's current requirements on the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) website — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) (application linked on this page).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold an active, unencumbered mental health counseling license (similar scope of practice) in another state, DC or US territory.
  5. Have actively practiced for at least 2 of the 4 years immediately before applying, with no disciplinary action in the past 5 years and no pending disciplinary proceeding.
  6. Have NBCC send an official passing national exam score (NCMHCE) directly to the Board.
  7. Complete a Board-approved 8-hour Florida Laws and Rules course and a 3-hour HIV/AIDS course (or file the HIV/AIDS affidavit).
  8. Complete a Board-approved 2-hour domestic violence course within six months after licensure.
  9. Submit electronic Livescan fingerprints through an FDLE-approved vendor for background screening.
  10. Pay the fees ($100 ($100 non-refundable application fee; the endorsement application also collects a $75 initial licensure fee + $5 unlicensed activity fee at submission ($180 total, $80 refundable if denied or withdrawn), per the Board's LMHC page and form DH-MQA 5048. Livescan fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; NBCC score-report fee separate. Florida is not an operational compact state, so no privilege fee applies.)) and allow the Board states only that Florida law requires an initial application to be reviewed within 30 days and that a license issues within 7 days after all documentation is received (s. 456.0145(2)(e)); no end-to-end processing range is published.

Official links

Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) ↗Florida application ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Florida:

Alabama → FloridaAlaska → FloridaArizona → FloridaArkansas → FloridaCalifornia → FloridaColorado → FloridaConnecticut → FloridaDelaware → FloridaDistrict of Columbia → FloridaGeorgia → FloridaHawaii → FloridaIdaho → FloridaIllinois → FloridaIndiana → FloridaIowa → FloridaKansas → FloridaKentucky → FloridaLouisiana → FloridaMaine → FloridaMaryland → Florida
All 50 origin states
Massachusetts → FloridaMichigan → FloridaMinnesota → FloridaMississippi → FloridaMissouri → FloridaMontana → FloridaNebraska → FloridaNevada → FloridaNew Hampshire → FloridaNew Jersey → FloridaNew Mexico → FloridaNew York → FloridaNorth Carolina → FloridaNorth Dakota → FloridaOhio → FloridaOklahoma → FloridaOregon → FloridaPennsylvania → FloridaRhode Island → FloridaSouth Carolina → FloridaSouth Dakota → FloridaTennessee → FloridaTexas → FloridaUtah → FloridaVermont → FloridaVirginia → FloridaWashington → FloridaWest Virginia → FloridaWisconsin → FloridaWyoming → Florida

Nearby states

Counseling license transfer into the states bordering Florida:

Florida for other professions

Frequently asked questions

Does my counseling license transfer to Florida?

A counselor licensed elsewhere gets into Florida by endorsement through the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), subject to Florida's own rule on the national exam (see below). Florida is a Counseling Compact state on paper only for now: it had not begun issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27. Fee: $100 ($100 non-refundable application fee; the endorsement application also collects a $75 initial licensure fee + $5 unlicensed activity fee at submission ($180 total, $80 refundable if denied or withdrawn), per the Board's LMHC page and form DH-MQA 5048. Livescan fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; NBCC score-report fee separate. Florida is not an operational compact state, so no privilege fee applies.). Processing: the Board states only that Florida law requires an initial application to be reviewed within 30 days and that a license issues within 7 days after all documentation is received (s. 456.0145(2)(e)); no end-to-end processing range is published.

Do I have to retake the NCE or NCMHCE to get licensed in Florida?

National exam is not retaken: the Board's LMHC page names the NCMHCE (NBCC) as the accepted exam, and an out-of-state applicant has NBCC send an official score report directly to the Board. Section 456.0145 accepts 'a passing score on a national licensure examination or ... a national certification recognized by the board'; the Board does not state whether an NCE-only licensee qualifies. No separate jurisprudence exam, but an 8-hour Florida Laws and Rules course is required before licensure.

How much does a Florida counseling license cost by endorsement?

$100 ($100 non-refundable application fee; the endorsement application also collects a $75 initial licensure fee + $5 unlicensed activity fee at submission ($180 total, $80 refundable if denied or withdrawn), per the Board's LMHC page and form DH-MQA 5048. Livescan fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; NBCC score-report fee separate. Florida is not an operational compact state, so no privilege fee applies.)

How long does Florida take to process the application?

the Board states only that Florida law requires an initial application to be reviewed within 30 days and that a license issues within 7 days after all documentation is received (s. 456.0145(2)(e)); no end-to-end processing range is published.

Is Florida in the Counseling Compact?

Florida 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 Florida's own authorization, normally a Florida license, to practice with clients located in Florida.

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]