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LicenseReciprocity

Counseling License from Illinois to Nebraska: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit, Board of Mental Health Practice (Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner, LIMHP) ↗

A counseling license transfers from Illinois to Nebraska by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit, Board of Mental Health Practice (Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner, LIMHP), verify your Illinois license, and meet Nebraska's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken. On the 1-year-practice route, official NCE or NCMHCE scores must be sent directly from the testing agency or another licensing board. On the 5-year-practice route the exam section is not required, but the applicant must pass the online Nebraska Mental Health Jurisprudence Examination..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

A counseling license moves from Illinois to Nebraska by endorsement. Neither state gives you a working compact route here: a state that has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not yet operational behaves like a non-member. You apply to the Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit, Board of Mental Health Practice (Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner, LIMHP), which verifies your Illinois license and standing, matches it to Nebraska's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any Nebraska jurisprudence and background requirements.

What changes, Illinois → Nebraska

Side-by-side: Illinois vs Nebraska (Counseling (LPC / LMHC)), verified 2026-09-27
Illinois (current)Nebraska (destination)
Counseling Compact statusLicensure by endorsementCounseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing
Application fee$150 (LCPC application fee (all methods, incl. endorsement) per 68 IAC 1375.205(a)(1) and the IDFPR LPC/LCPC instruction packet; nonrefundable. No separate license-issuance fee listed. Other-state certification fees are charged by those boards. Illinois is not a Counseling Compact state, so there is no privilege fee.)$155 (initial LIMHP license fee per the DHHS LIMHP and 5-year reciprocity applications; $38.75 if issued March-August of an even-numbered year; $205 for both LIMHP and LMHP; optional Certified Professional Counselor certificate (needed to use that title) + $50; Nebraska State Patrol fingerprint fee $55; payment by check or money order)
Processing timeIDFPR publishes no processing timeframe. The instruction packet only says to allow 6 weeks from mailing before asking about status. Applications are valid for 3 years.DHHS notifies the applicant within about 10 days (LIMHP application) or about 30 business days (5-year reciprocity application) after review whether the license issued or the file is incomplete; FBI check may take up to 30 days; no board-stated end-to-end range
Licensing authorityIllinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation: Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC)Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit, Board of Mental Health Practice (Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner, LIMHP)

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

Step by step

  1. Confirm Nebraska's current requirements on the Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit, Board of Mental Health Practice (Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner, LIMHP) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit, Board of Mental Health Practice (Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner, LIMHP) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold an out-of-state independent-level license that allows diagnosis of major mental illnesses or disorders (otherwise apply for the LMHP).
  5. Show at least 1 year of active practice under the equivalent credential within the 3 years before applying, or at least 5 years of practice after initial licensure.
  6. Pass the online Nebraska Mental Health Jurisprudence Examination (5-year-practice route).
  7. Complete an FBI fingerprint-based criminal background check through the Nebraska State Patrol.
  8. Submit verification of every health-related credential ever held, plus proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful presence.
  9. Pay the fees ($155 (initial LIMHP license fee per the DHHS LIMHP and 5-year reciprocity applications; $38.75 if issued March-August of an even-numbered year; $205 for both LIMHP and LMHP; optional Certified Professional Counselor certificate (needed to use that title) + $50; Nebraska State Patrol fingerprint fee $55; payment by check or money order)) and allow DHHS notifies the applicant within about 10 days (LIMHP application) or about 30 business days (5-year reciprocity application) after review whether the license issued or the file is incomplete; FBI check may take up to 30 days; no board-stated end-to-end range.

Official links

Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit, Board of Mental Health Practice (Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner, LIMHP) ↗Nebraska application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Nebraska → IllinoisCounseling in IllinoisCounseling in NebraskaAll counseling statesThe Counseling Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Nebraska accept an Illinois counseling license?

A counseling license transfers from Illinois to Nebraska by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit, Board of Mental Health Practice (Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner, LIMHP), verify your Illinois license, and meet Nebraska's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken. On the 1-year-practice route, official NCE or NCMHCE scores must be sent directly from the testing agency or another licensing board. On the 5-year-practice route the exam section is not required, but the applicant must pass the online Nebraska Mental Health Jurisprudence Examination..

Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Illinois to Nebraska?

National exam is not retaken. On the 1-year-practice route, official NCE or NCMHCE scores must be sent directly from the testing agency or another licensing board. On the 5-year-practice route the exam section is not required, but the applicant must pass the online Nebraska Mental Health Jurisprudence Examination.

What does the move cost?

$155 (initial LIMHP license fee per the DHHS LIMHP and 5-year reciprocity applications; $38.75 if issued March-August of an even-numbered year; $205 for both LIMHP and LMHP; optional Certified Professional Counselor certificate (needed to use that title) + $50; Nebraska State Patrol fingerprint fee $55; payment by check or money order)

How long will it take?

DHHS notifies the applicant within about 10 days (LIMHP application) or about 30 business days (5-year reciprocity application) after review whether the license issued or the file is incomplete; FBI check may take up to 30 days; no board-stated end-to-end range.

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

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