Counseling License from Georgia to Arizona: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Arizona accept a Georgia counseling license?
Yes, for working in Arizona — both Georgia and Arizona are active members of the Counseling Compact. If Georgia is your primary state of residence and your Georgia license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in Arizona without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Arizona, you will need an Arizona license once Arizona becomes your home state.
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Compact privilege — work there without a second license
Georgia and Arizona are both operational in the Counseling Compact, so the first question is whether you are moving. If you are staying in Georgia and want to see clients located in Arizona, in person or by telehealth, you do not need an Arizona license: with an active, unencumbered independent-level Georgia license and Georgia as your primary residence, you buy an Arizona privilege through CompactConnect and meet any Arizona jurisprudence requirement. If you are relocating, the privilege does not carry you. Arizona becomes your home state and you must obtain an Arizona license from the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners (AZBBHE), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC); because both states are members, the compact streamlines that application, but it is still required.
What's different between Georgia and Arizona
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Arizona. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Georgia to Arizona (this page): Compact privilege — work there without a second license.
Arizona to Georgia (the reverse move): Compact privilege — work there without a second license.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Georgia matter?
Coming from Georgia matters here: only 10 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Arizona.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (40).
- Counseling Compact membership
Georgia and Arizona are both Counseling Compact member states.
A compact privilege lets you practice in Arizona while Georgia is your home state; it is not a license, and a move to Arizona needs an Arizona license.
- Application fee
Arizona lists $250 for an out-of-state applicant and Georgia lists $100 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Georgia lists up to 4 weeks for the reverse move; Arizona has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Arizona and Georgia carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Arizona (this move): National exam is not retaken: applicants must show they passed the required national exam for the discipline, not a state-level exam (R4-6-304(A)(11)). Arizona's counselor rule approves the NCE, NCMHCE and CRC exam (R4-6-502). Since 2026-05-14, endorsement and universal-recognition applicants who have not yet passed it are automatically approved to test while their application is under review. No jurisprudence exam, but applicants must submit a completion certificate for the Board's online Arizona Statutes/Regulations Tutorial.
- Georgia (the reverse move): National exam is not retaken: the applicant submits an official passing score on the NBCC NCE or NCMHCE. An applicant who has not passed either exam may be required to pass one before endorsement is considered. No Georgia jurisprudence exam is required for endorsement or for a compact privilege.
What changes, Georgia → Arizona
| Georgia (current) | Arizona (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Licensure by endorsement · Counseling Compact privilege (not a license) | Licensure by endorsement · Counseling Compact privilege (not a license) |
| Application fee | $100 ($100 non-refundable LPC endorsement application fee per the Board's fee schedule (dated 04/18/2023: '$100 application fee + $10 processing fee = $110'); the $10 is a mail-in application processing fee. Applications are now filed in the GOALS portal, and the online GOALS fee schedule (goals.sos.ga.gov) returned HTTP 403 on 2026-10-29, so the portal amount could not be checked. Fingerprint background check paid separately to the vendor; NBCC score-report fee separate. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Georgia charges $100 + $30 commission admin fee = $130 for a privilege; no jurisprudence exam).) | $250 (nonrefundable license-by-endorsement application fee per the Board's Licensed in Another State page and its current Fee Structure (effective 2021-01-03, updated 2025-11-02), which also lists a $40 criminal-history background-check charge paid separately. The Board's older rules compilation (labelled 'Effective November 1, 2015') listed a separate $250 issuance fee for an independent-level license (LPC), but the current Fee Structure lists no license-issuance fee, so none is recorded here. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Arizona charges $250 + $30 commission admin fee = $280 for a privilege, plus the Statutes/Regulations tutorial).) |
| Processing time | up to 4 weeks (the Board's How-to Guide says applications are 'generally processed within 20 business days of receipt' (about 4 weeks), and the count restarts after a deficiency letter. Completed applications may also go to a Board meeting and must be complete at least 15 days before it to be placed on the agenda. Incomplete applications may be withdrawn if deficiencies are not fixed within 60 days of notice.) | the Board publishes no typical processing time. Its licensing time-frame rule (R4-6-302, Table 1) sets a 270-day overall legal maximum for a license by endorsement (90-day administrative completeness plus 180-day substantive review), which is a ceiling, not an expected time |
| Licensing authority | Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (Secretary of State), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners (AZBBHE), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Arizona sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm your home-state license is active and unencumbered and that your home state is your primary state of residence.
- To work in Arizona: purchase a Counseling Compact privilege for Arizona through the compact commission and complete any Arizona jurisprudence requirement.
- Keep your home-state license active — every privilege lapses with it.
- If you are moving your primary residence to Arizona: apply for an Arizona license with the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners (AZBBHE), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC); a privilege does not follow you when your home state changes.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What does the move cost?
To work in Arizona while living in Georgia: a $30 commission fee plus Arizona's state privilege fee, paid in CompactConnect. To relocate and take an Arizona license: $250 (nonrefundable license-by-endorsement application fee per the Board's Licensed in Another State page and its current Fee Structure (effective 2021-01-03, updated 2025-11-02), which also lists a $40 criminal-history background-check charge paid separately.
How long will it take?
A privilege can issue once CompactConnect confirms your eligibility and any Arizona jurisprudence requirement is done, usually well ahead of a license. An Arizona license for a relocation: the Board publishes no typical processing time.
Can I see Arizona clients by telehealth while living in Georgia?
Yes, on an Arizona privilege. It covers telehealth and in-person counseling with clients located in Arizona, as long as your Georgia license stays active and unencumbered and Georgia remains your primary residence.
If I move from Georgia to Arizona, does my privilege keep me covered?
No. A privilege is for practice away from your home state, not for moving. Once you relocate, Arizona is your home state and you need an Arizona license. Because both states are compact members, Arizona verifies you through the compact's data system, and you complete its background checks and any jurisprudence requirement.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- AZBBHE: Licensed in Another State (license by endorsement requirements, $250 fee, fingerprints, tutorial) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- AZBBHE: Fee Structure (effective 2021-01-03, updated 2025-11-02; $250 endorsement application, $40 background check, no issuance fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Arizona Revised Statutes 32-3274, Licensure by endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- AZBBHE: Universal Recognition (A.R.S. 32-4302, Arizona residency required) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Arizona Revised Statutes 32-4302, Out-of-state applicants (universal recognition: Arizona residence, 1 year of licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- AZBBHE: Automatic Exam Approval for License by Endorsement and Universal Recognition Applicants (effective 2026-05-14) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- AZBBHE Board Rules compilation (R4-6-215 fees, R4-6-302 time frames, R4-6-502 counselor exams) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- AZBBHE Notice of Final Rulemaking, May 2025 (R4-6-304 endorsement, universal recognition and compact-privilege applications) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Counseling Compact: state privilege fees and jurisprudence requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Georgia SOS: How to Guide, Professional Counselor (Endorsement checklist, 20-business-day processing; read live) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Georgia Composite Board: Policy Statements, VII Endorsement - Professional Counselors (read live) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Georgia Composite Board: Fee Schedule (04/18/2023; endorsement $100 + $10 processing fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Georgia Composite Board: Verification of Licensure from Another State/Jurisdiction, Form N ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Georgia Composite Board: board page (Counseling Compact now live; GOALS portal) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 135-3-.04 Licensure by Endorsement (Georgia Rules and Regulations) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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