Transfer Your Counseling License to Georgia: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Does my counseling license transfer to Georgia?
Georgia is operational in the Counseling Compact, so the answer depends on whether you are moving. If you live in and hold an independent-level license from another operational state, you can practice in Georgia, in person or by telehealth, on a privilege bought through CompactConnect, with no Georgia license. If you are relocating to Georgia, or your home state is not operational, you apply to the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (Secretary of State), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) for a license by endorsement (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).); processing 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 Incomplete applications may be withdrawn if deficiencies are not fixed within 60 days of notice.)).
Moving to Georgia from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement · Counseling Compact privilege (not a license)
Before filing anything with the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (Secretary of State), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), work out whether you are moving or just reaching across the line. A counselor who stays licensed and resident in another operational compact state can serve Georgia clients on a privilege, including by telehealth, and never needs a Georgia license. A counselor moving to Georgia changes home states, and that requires a Georgia license; if your current home state is also a compact member, the compact shortens the application.
Georgia's independent counselor license is the LPC, a clinical-level license with no required supervision; the APC (Associate Professional Counselor) is the associate tier and cannot be obtained by endorsement. Rule 135-3-.04 lets the Board license without examination a counselor licensed in a state whose requirements are 'substantially equal to or greater than' Georgia's. The Board's endorsement policy adds 2 years of unrestricted LPC-level licensure and 2 years of active practice immediately before applying, plus a passing NCE or NCMHCE. The Board considers endorsement 'on a state-by-state basis' and case by case, and may request further verification, so this is endorsement, not full reciprocity. No general universal-licensure-recognition statute is referenced on the Board's pages. Georgia has been an OPERATIONAL Counseling Compact state since 2026-06-02. A counselor whose home state is also operational can practice in Georgia on a privilege ($100 Georgia fee + $30 commission fee, no jurisprudence exam) without this license. Relocating to Georgia still requires a Georgia license. compact_member and compact_status are assembler-provided. On 2026-10-29 the Board's How-to Guide, policy statements, fee schedule, Form N and board page were read live on sos.ga.gov. The 05/02/2023 paper endorsement application (the earlier source of a '25 business days' processing figure) now returns 404; the How-to Guide says to choose Endorsement on the application filed in GOALS. Rule 135-3-.04 was re-read live on rules.sos.ga.gov the same day. goals.sos.ga.gov returned HTTP 403, so the GOALS fee schedule was not read.
Georgia requirements at a glance
| Exam | 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. |
|---|---|
| Fees | $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).) |
| 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.) |
Step by step
- Confirm Georgia's current requirements on the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (Secretary of State), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (Secretary of State), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current, unencumbered clinical-level (independent) professional counselor license in another state; associate-level licenses are not eligible.
- Verify at least 2 years of unrestricted licensure at the Georgia LPC level from every state ever licensed (Form N or the state's own verification, including any discipline).
- Verify at least 2 years of active, unrestricted practice at the LPC level immediately preceding the application.
- Submit an official passing NCE or NCMHCE score, an official conferred master's or doctoral transcript sent directly by the school, and the practicum-internship verification.
- Complete the national fingerprint background check on the Board's endorsement checklist, at the applicant's expense.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Georgia:
Nearby states
Counseling license transfer into the states bordering Georgia:
Georgia for other professions
- Nursing in Georgia
- Cosmetology / Barber in Georgia
- Real Estate in Georgia
- Contractor in Georgia
- Teaching in Georgia
- CPA / Accounting in Georgia
- Electrician in Georgia
- Plumber in Georgia
- Engineering in Georgia
- Pharmacy in Georgia
- Physical Therapy in Georgia
- Psychology in Georgia
- Social Work in Georgia
- Occupational Therapy in Georgia
Frequently asked questions
Is Georgia in the Counseling Compact?
Yes. Georgia was operational as of 2026-10-29, issuing privileges to its own licensees and accepting privileges from other operational states. A counselor whose home state is also operational can practice in Georgia on a privilege; moving to Georgia still requires a Georgia license.
Can I see Georgia clients by telehealth from another state?
Yes, if your home state is also operational and you hold a Georgia privilege. The privilege covers telehealth as well as in-person work. From a home state that is not operational, you need Georgia's own authorization, normally a Georgia license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 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)
- Counseling Compact: state privilege fees and jurisprudence requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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