Counseling License from Georgia to Minnesota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy (BBHT) (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC) ↗
Yes, for working in Minnesota — both Georgia and Minnesota 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 Minnesota without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Minnesota, you will need a Minnesota license once Minnesota becomes your home state.
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Verdict
Compact privilege — work there without a second license
Georgia and Minnesota 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 Minnesota, in person or by telehealth, you do not need a Minnesota license: with an active, unencumbered independent-level Georgia license and Georgia as your primary residence, you buy a Minnesota privilege through CompactConnect and meet any Minnesota jurisprudence requirement. If you are relocating, the privilege does not carry you. Minnesota becomes your home state and you must obtain a Minnesota license from the Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy (BBHT) (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC); because both states are members, the compact streamlines that application, but it is still required.
What changes, Georgia → Minnesota
| Georgia (current) | Minnesota (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Counseling Compact member — compact privilege to practice | Counseling Compact member — compact privilege to practice |
| Application fee | $100 ($100 non-refundable LPC endorsement application fee; the 05/02/2023 paper form lists $110, which includes a $10 mail-in processing fee. The current online GOALS fee schedule (goals.sos.ga.gov) returned HTTP 403 and 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).) | $150 (non-refundable LPCC application fee (Minn. Stat. 148B.53 subd. 3); the reciprocity application also requires the $250 initial license fee and a $32 criminal background check fee, paid together as $432 ($400 if exempt from the check). NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee: Minnesota charges $50 + $30 commission fee = $80, no jurisprudence exam.) |
| Processing time | ~5 weeks (the endorsement application form says to allow up to 25 business days (about 5 weeks) to process a complete application. The Board may also take up the file at a meeting, and an application must be complete 15 days before a meeting to be placed on its agenda. Incomplete applications are withdrawn after 60 days.) | the Board's reciprocity application (updated 2025-02-27) states no processing timeframe |
| Licensing authority | Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (Secretary of State), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy (BBHT) (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Minnesota 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 Minnesota: purchase a Counseling Compact privilege for Minnesota through the compact commission and complete any Minnesota jurisprudence requirement.
- Keep your home-state license active — every privilege lapses with it.
- If you are moving your primary residence to Minnesota: apply for a Minnesota license with the Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy (BBHT) (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC); a privilege does not follow you when your home state changes.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Minnesota accept a Georgia counseling license?
Yes, for working in Minnesota — both Georgia and Minnesota 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 Minnesota without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Minnesota, you will need a Minnesota license once Minnesota becomes your home state.
Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Georgia to Minnesota?
No exam is retaken for reciprocity. Minn. Stat. 148B.56 sets no exam condition: the Board rules on substantial similarity (licensed under 5 years) or 5+ years of active practice, then decides whether to grant the LPC or the LPCC. Minnesota-route LPCC applicants must pass the NCMHCE (148B.5301). The reciprocity application asks for license verification, transcripts and the other state's laws and rules, not a separate score transfer. No Minnesota jurisprudence exam.
What does the move cost?
To work in Minnesota while living in Georgia: a $30 commission fee plus Minnesota's state privilege fee, paid in CompactConnect. To relocate and take a Minnesota license: $150 (non-refundable LPCC application fee (Minn. Stat. 148B.53 subd. 3); the reciprocity application also requires the $250 initial license fee and a $32 criminal background check fee, paid together as $432 ($400 if exempt from the check). NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee: Minnesota charges $50 + $30 commission fee = $80, no jurisprudence exam.)
How long will it take?
A privilege can issue once CompactConnect confirms your eligibility and any Minnesota jurisprudence requirement is done, usually well ahead of a license. A Minnesota license for a relocation: the Board's reciprocity application (updated 2025-02-27) states no processing timeframe.
Can I see Minnesota clients by telehealth while living in Georgia?
Yes, on a Minnesota privilege. It covers telehealth and in-person counseling with clients located in Minnesota, as long as your Georgia license stays active and unencumbered and Georgia remains your primary residence.
If I move from Georgia to Minnesota, does my privilege keep me covered?
No. A privilege is for practice away from your home state, not for moving. Once you relocate, Minnesota is your home state and you need a Minnesota license. Because both states are compact members, Minnesota 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 2026-09-27.
- Minnesota BBHT: LPC/LPCC Reciprocity Application, updated 2025-02-27 (instructions, $432 fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Minn. Stat. 148B.56 Reciprocity (Revisor of Statutes, 2025 chapter 148B) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Minn. Stat. 148B.53 subd. 3 Fees (Revisor of Statutes) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Minnesota BBHT: Reciprocity Licenses by State (updated 2024-03-15) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Minnesota BBHT: LPC and LPCC Reciprocity page (Internet Archive capture 2026-04-21) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Counseling Compact: state privilege fees and jurisprudence requirements (Minnesota $80 total) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Georgia SOS: How to Guide, Professional Counselor (Endorsement checklist; Internet Archive copy of 2026-04-24, live page returned 403) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Georgia Composite Board: Application for Licensure as a Professional Counselor by Endorsement, 05/02/2023 (Internet Archive copy of the official PDF; live file returned 403) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Georgia Composite Board: Policy Statements, VII Endorsement - Professional Counselors (Internet Archive copy of 2026-04-24) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 135-3-.04 Licensure by Endorsement (Georgia Rules and Regulations) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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