Counseling License from Illinois to New Mexico: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: New Mexico Counseling and Therapy Practice Board (Regulation and Licensing Department) (Licensed Professional Clinical Mental Health Counselor, LPCC) ↗
A counseling license transfers from Illinois to New Mexico by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New Mexico Counseling and Therapy Practice Board (Regulation and Licensing Department) (Licensed Professional Clinical Mental Health Counselor, LPCC), verify your Illinois license, and meet New Mexico's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken at application: expedited licensure by credentials (16.27.24 NMAC) relies on a current license from an approved jurisdiction. New Mexico's own LPCC route requires both the NCE and the NCMHCE (16.27.4 NMAC). An expedited licensee whose home jurisdiction did not require an exam New Mexico requires must pass it before the first renewal (16.27.24.12(B) NMAC). No New Mexico jurisprudence exam is listed..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
A counseling license moves from Illinois to New Mexico by endorsement. Neither Illinois nor New Mexico is operational in the Counseling Compact, so it plays no part in this move. You apply to the New Mexico Counseling and Therapy Practice Board (Regulation and Licensing Department) (Licensed Professional Clinical Mental Health Counselor, LPCC), which verifies your Illinois license and standing, matches it to New Mexico's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any New Mexico jurisprudence and background requirements.
What changes, Illinois → New Mexico
| Illinois (current) | New Mexico (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| 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.) | $75 (nonrefundable application fee (16.27.17 NMAC); + $220 initial license fee before issuance; military service members and veterans are not charged licensing fees for the first three years of expedited licensure) |
| Processing time | IDFPR 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. | ~4.3 weeks (16.27.24 NMAC: staff shall issue the expedited license to a qualified applicant within 30 days of receiving a complete application (30 days converted to 4.3 weeks); applications with a potential cause for denial go to the next Board meeting) |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation: Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) | New Mexico Counseling and Therapy Practice Board (Regulation and Licensing Department) (Licensed Professional Clinical Mental Health Counselor, LPCC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — New Mexico sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm New Mexico's current requirements on the New Mexico Counseling and Therapy Practice Board (Regulation and Licensing Department) (Licensed Professional Clinical Mental Health Counselor, LPCC) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the New Mexico Counseling and Therapy Practice Board (Regulation and Licensing Department) (Licensed Professional Clinical Mental Health Counselor, LPCC) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current, unrestricted license in good standing of an approved type from a jurisdiction listed in 16.27.24.8 NMAC (e.g., Ohio/Minnesota/North Dakota LPCC, Illinois LCPC, Indiana LMHC).
- Have practiced as a licensed professional for at least two consecutive years immediately before applying.
- Hold a master's or doctoral degree in counseling or a counseling-related field from an accredited institution.
- Have no formal disciplinary action by any licensing board within the past two years.
- Apply through the RLD online licensing portal (paper applications not accepted).
- Pay the fees ($75 (nonrefundable application fee (16.27.17 NMAC); + $220 initial license fee before issuance; military service members and veterans are not charged licensing fees for the first three years of expedited licensure)) and allow ~4.3 weeks (16.27.24 NMAC: staff shall issue the expedited license to a qualified applicant within 30 days of receiving a complete application (30 days converted to 4.3 weeks); applications with a potential cause for denial go to the next Board meeting).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does New Mexico accept an Illinois counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from Illinois to New Mexico by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New Mexico Counseling and Therapy Practice Board (Regulation and Licensing Department) (Licensed Professional Clinical Mental Health Counselor, LPCC), verify your Illinois license, and meet New Mexico's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken at application: expedited licensure by credentials (16.27.24 NMAC) relies on a current license from an approved jurisdiction. New Mexico's own LPCC route requires both the NCE and the NCMHCE (16.27.4 NMAC). An expedited licensee whose home jurisdiction did not require an exam New Mexico requires must pass it before the first renewal (16.27.24.12(B) NMAC). No New Mexico jurisprudence exam is listed..
Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Illinois to New Mexico?
National exam is not retaken at application: expedited licensure by credentials (16.27.24 NMAC) relies on a current license from an approved jurisdiction. New Mexico's own LPCC route requires both the NCE and the NCMHCE (16.27.4 NMAC). An expedited licensee whose home jurisdiction did not require an exam New Mexico requires must pass it before the first renewal (16.27.24.12(B) NMAC). No New Mexico jurisprudence exam is listed.
What does the move cost?
$75 (nonrefundable application fee (16.27.17 NMAC); + $220 initial license fee before issuance; military service members and veterans are not charged licensing fees for the first three years of expedited licensure)
How long will it take?
~4.3 weeks (16.27.24 NMAC: staff shall issue the expedited license to a qualified applicant within 30 days of receiving a complete application (30 days converted to 4.3 weeks); applications with a potential cause for denial go to the next Board meeting)
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- 16.27.24 NMAC Expedited Licensure (approved LPCC jurisdictions, 2-year practice, 30-day issuance), NM State Records Center and Archives ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 16.27.4 NMAC Requirements for Licensure as a Professional Clinical Mental Health Counselor (NCE + NCMHCE, 3,000 hours) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 16.27.17 NMAC Fees ($75 application, $220 initial license) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NM RLD Counseling and Therapy Practice: Licensing, Registration, and Renewal ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- IDFPR: Professional Counselor (license types, CORE online applications) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- IDFPR: LPC/LCPC application instruction sheet (Examination, Acceptance of Examination, Endorsement; packet updated 8/1/24) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 68 IAC 1375.160 Licensure by Endorsement as a Clinical Professional Counselor (ILGA JCAR; Internet Archive capture 2025-03-30) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 68 IAC 1375.205 Fees (ILGA JCAR; Internet Archive capture 2025-03-26) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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