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LicenseReciprocity

Counseling License from Georgia to South Dakota: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists ↗

A counseling license transfers from Georgia to South Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists, verify your Georgia license, and meet South Dakota's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken but must have been passed: applicants indicate the NCE, CRC or NCMHCE passed and have the official score released to the Board through the NBCC online results portal; applicants who never passed a national exam are 'not eligible for a license by endorsement'. No state jurisprudence exam is required; the applicant signs that they have read South Dakota's laws and rules..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

A counseling license moves from Georgia to South Dakota by endorsement. South Dakota has enacted the Counseling Compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so your Georgia license cannot reach it through the compact yet. You apply to the South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists, which verifies your Georgia license and standing, matches it to South Dakota's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any South Dakota jurisprudence and background requirements.

What changes, Georgia → South Dakota

Side-by-side: Georgia vs South Dakota (Counseling (LPC / LMHC)), verified 2026-09-27
Georgia (current)South Dakota (destination)
Counseling Compact statusCounseling Compact member — compact privilege to practiceCounseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing
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).)$100 (non-refundable endorsement application fee per the Board's fee schedule and the endorsement application (9/2023); the $225 biennial license fee must be paid with the application and is refunded if the application is denied. A temporary endorsement costs a $100 application fee plus $50 temporary license fee. South Dakota is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.)
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.)no timeframe published; the Board's FAQ says complete files go to a Board member reviewer 'on a rolling basis'
Licensing authorityGeorgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (Secretary of State), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists

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

Step by step

  1. Confirm South Dakota's current requirements on the South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold a license at the highest level of independent practice in another state or territory for at least 3 years (SDCL 36-32-67).
  5. Show active practice of at least 1,500 hours of clinical experience in the 3 years before applying (affidavit, calendars or other proof on request).
  6. Have the issuing state send a letter of verification directly to the Board.
  7. Have an official national exam score (NCE, CRC or NCMHCE) sent to the Board.
  8. Submit a notarized application with a color headshot photograph.
  9. Pay the fees ($100 (non-refundable endorsement application fee per the Board's fee schedule and the endorsement application (9/2023); the $225 biennial license fee must be paid with the application and is refunded if the application is denied. A temporary endorsement costs a $100 application fee plus $50 temporary license fee. South Dakota is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.)) and allow no timeframe published; the Board's FAQ says complete files go to a Board member reviewer 'on a rolling basis'.

Official links

South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists ↗South Dakota application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: South Dakota → GeorgiaCounseling in GeorgiaCounseling in South DakotaAll counseling statesThe Counseling Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does South Dakota accept a Georgia counseling license?

A counseling license transfers from Georgia to South Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists, verify your Georgia license, and meet South Dakota's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken but must have been passed: applicants indicate the NCE, CRC or NCMHCE passed and have the official score released to the Board through the NBCC online results portal; applicants who never passed a national exam are 'not eligible for a license by endorsement'. No state jurisprudence exam is required; the applicant signs that they have read South Dakota's laws and rules..

Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Georgia to South Dakota?

National exam is not retaken but must have been passed: applicants indicate the NCE, CRC or NCMHCE passed and have the official score released to the Board through the NBCC online results portal; applicants who never passed a national exam are 'not eligible for a license by endorsement'. No state jurisprudence exam is required; the applicant signs that they have read South Dakota's laws and rules.

What does the move cost?

$100 (non-refundable endorsement application fee per the Board's fee schedule and the endorsement application (9/2023); the $225 biennial license fee must be paid with the application and is refunded if the application is denied. A temporary endorsement costs a $100 application fee plus $50 temporary license fee. South Dakota is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.)

How long will it take?

no timeframe published; the Board's FAQ says complete files go to a Board member reviewer 'on a rolling basis'.

South Dakota joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?

Not yet. South Dakota had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so counseling clients located in South Dakota takes South Dakota's own authorization, normally a South Dakota license.

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]