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LicenseReciprocity

Counseling License from Georgia to New York: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) ↗

A counseling license transfers from Georgia to New York by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC), verify your Georgia license, and meet New York's endorsement requirements. NCMHCE only: the endorsement applicant has NBCC send passing NCMHCE scores directly to NYSED; the NCE is not acceptable. An exam passed elsewhere under non-standard conditions may have to be retaken. No New York jurisprudence exam..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

New York has not enacted the Counseling Compact, so no privilege anchored to your Georgia license reaches it. The route is endorsement through the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC): your Georgia license is verified, your NCE or NCMHCE score is credited under New York's own exam rule, and New York applies any jurisprudence and background checks it requires. Check which New York tier corresponds to your Georgia license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.

What changes, Georgia → New York

Side-by-side: Georgia vs New York (Counseling (LPC / LMHC)), verified 2026-09-27
Georgia (current)New York (destination)
Counseling Compact statusCounseling Compact member — compact privilege to practiceLicensure by endorsement
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).)$371 (fee for licensure and first registration, paid with Form 1; no fingerprint requirement listed; the separate LMHC diagnostic privilege costs $175 to issue. New York has not enacted the Counseling Compact.)
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.)NYSED publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC endorsement applications
Licensing authorityGeorgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (Secretary of State), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC)

The destination column is what you must satisfy — New York sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm New York's current requirements on the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Show at least 5 years of licensed mental health counseling practice within the 10 years before applying, attested on Forms 4E/4F.
  5. Have NBCC send passing NCMHCE scores directly to the Office of the Professions.
  6. Have every jurisdiction where you are or were licensed submit Form 3 license verification directly to NYSED.
  7. Have your graduate school submit Form 2 (Certification of Professional Education).
  8. Complete NYSED-approved coursework or training in identifying and reporting child abuse (or document an exemption).
  9. Pay the fees ($371 (fee for licensure and first registration, paid with Form 1; no fingerprint requirement listed; the separate LMHC diagnostic privilege costs $175 to issue. New York has not enacted the Counseling Compact.)) and allow NYSED publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC endorsement applications.

Official links

New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) ↗New York application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: New York → GeorgiaCounseling in GeorgiaCounseling in New YorkAll counseling statesThe Counseling Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does New York accept a Georgia counseling license?

A counseling license transfers from Georgia to New York by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC), verify your Georgia license, and meet New York's endorsement requirements. NCMHCE only: the endorsement applicant has NBCC send passing NCMHCE scores directly to NYSED; the NCE is not acceptable. An exam passed elsewhere under non-standard conditions may have to be retaken. No New York jurisprudence exam..

Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Georgia to New York?

NCMHCE only: the endorsement applicant has NBCC send passing NCMHCE scores directly to NYSED; the NCE is not acceptable. An exam passed elsewhere under non-standard conditions may have to be retaken. No New York jurisprudence exam.

What does the move cost?

$371 (fee for licensure and first registration, paid with Form 1; no fingerprint requirement listed; the separate LMHC diagnostic privilege costs $175 to issue. New York has not enacted the Counseling Compact.)

How long will it take?

NYSED publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC endorsement applications.

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]