Counseling License from Louisiana to Arizona: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Arizona accept a Louisiana counseling license?
Yes, for working in Arizona — both Louisiana and Arizona are active members of the Counseling Compact. If Louisiana is your primary state of residence and your Louisiana license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in Arizona without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Arizona, you will need an Arizona license once Arizona becomes your home state.
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Verdict
Compact privilege — work there without a second license
Working in Arizona and moving to Arizona are two different transactions here. Cross-border practice, whether a telehealth caseload or in-person sessions, runs on an Arizona privilege bought through CompactConnect and anchored to your Louisiana license, which must stay active, unencumbered, and at the independent level. A move of residence needs a new home-state license from the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners (AZBBHE), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Both states being compact members shortens that license application, since Arizona verifies you through the compact's data system, but you still complete its background checks and any jurisprudence requirement.
What's different between Louisiana and Arizona
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Arizona. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Louisiana to Arizona (this page): Compact privilege — work there without a second license.
Arizona to Louisiana (the reverse move): Compact privilege — work there without a second license.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Louisiana matter?
Coming from Louisiana matters here: only 10 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Arizona.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (40).
- Counseling Compact membership
Louisiana and Arizona are both Counseling Compact member states.
A compact privilege lets you practice in Arizona while Louisiana is your home state; it is not a license, and a move to Arizona needs an Arizona license.
- Application fee
Arizona lists $250 for an out-of-state applicant and Louisiana lists $300 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Louisiana lists 6–8 weeks for the reverse move; Arizona has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Arizona and Louisiana carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Arizona (this move): National exam is not retaken: applicants must show they passed the required national exam for the discipline, not a state-level exam (R4-6-304(A)(11)). Arizona's counselor rule approves the NCE, NCMHCE and CRC exam (R4-6-502). Since 2026-05-14, endorsement and universal-recognition applicants who have not yet passed it are automatically approved to test while their application is under review. No jurisprudence exam, but applicants must submit a completion certificate for the Board's online Arizona Statutes/Regulations Tutorial.
- Louisiana (the reverse move): National exam is not retaken. Endorsement applicants show passage of the NCE or NCMHCE with an official score report sent directly from NBCC; under amended LAC 46:LX.1101(A) (Notice of Intent, Sept. 2024) an applicant with at least 1 year of practice may instead complete an oral exam administered by the Board. No state jurisprudence exam is listed for endorsement; applicants submit a Declaration of Practices and Procedures instead.
What changes, Louisiana → Arizona
| Louisiana (current) | Arizona (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Licensure by endorsement · Counseling Compact privilege (not a license) | Licensure by endorsement · Counseling Compact privilege (not a license) |
| Application fee | $300 (non-refundable out-of-state licensure application, license and seal fee (Board fee schedule item 2; also stated on the LPC endorsement application); optional $60 expedited processing; fingerprint background check costs separate. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee: Louisiana charges $130 + $30 commission fee = $160 total, no jurisprudence exam.) | $250 (nonrefundable license-by-endorsement application fee per the Board's Licensed in Another State page and its current Fee Structure (effective 2021-01-03, updated 2025-11-02), which also lists a $40 criminal-history background-check charge paid separately. The Board's older rules compilation (labelled 'Effective November 1, 2015') listed a separate $250 issuance fee for an independent-level license (LPC), but the current Fee Structure lists no license-issuance fee, so none is recorded here. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Arizona charges $250 + $30 commission admin fee = $280 for a privilege, plus the Statutes/Regulations tutorial).) |
| Processing time | 6–8 weeks (Board states 'allow 2-3 weeks for milestones to be updated and at least 6-8 weeks for application approval once the application is completed'; expedited processing ($60) gets a staff response within 5 business days, but files referred for Board review wait for the next meeting) | the Board publishes no typical processing time. Its licensing time-frame rule (R4-6-302, Table 1) sets a 270-day overall legal maximum for a license by endorsement (90-day administrative completeness plus 180-day substantive review), which is a ceiling, not an expected time |
| Licensing authority | Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners (LPC) | Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners (AZBBHE), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Arizona sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm your home-state license is active and unencumbered and that your home state is your primary state of residence.
- To work in Arizona: purchase a Counseling Compact privilege for Arizona through the compact commission and complete any Arizona jurisprudence requirement.
- Keep your home-state license active — every privilege lapses with it.
- If you are moving your primary residence to Arizona: apply for an Arizona license with the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners (AZBBHE), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC); a privilege does not follow you when your home state changes.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What does the move cost?
To work in Arizona while living in Louisiana: a $30 commission fee plus Arizona's state privilege fee, paid in CompactConnect. To relocate and take an Arizona license: $250 (nonrefundable license-by-endorsement application fee per the Board's Licensed in Another State page and its current Fee Structure (effective 2021-01-03, updated 2025-11-02), which also lists a $40 criminal-history background-check charge paid separately.
How long will it take?
A privilege can issue once CompactConnect confirms your eligibility and any Arizona jurisprudence requirement is done, usually well ahead of a license. An Arizona license for a relocation: the Board publishes no typical processing time.
Can I see Arizona clients by telehealth while living in Louisiana?
Yes, on an Arizona privilege. It covers telehealth and in-person counseling with clients located in Arizona, as long as your Louisiana license stays active and unencumbered and Louisiana remains your primary residence.
If I move from Louisiana to Arizona, does my privilege keep me covered?
No. A privilege is for practice away from your home state, not for moving. Once you relocate, Arizona is your home state and you need an Arizona license. Because both states are compact members, Arizona verifies you through the compact's data system, and you complete its background checks and any jurisprudence requirement.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified Louisiana 2026-09-27, Arizona 2026-10-29.
- AZBBHE: Licensed in Another State (license by endorsement requirements, $250 fee, fingerprints, tutorial) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- AZBBHE: Fee Structure (effective 2021-01-03, updated 2025-11-02; $250 endorsement application, $40 background check, no issuance fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Arizona Revised Statutes 32-3274, Licensure by endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- AZBBHE: Universal Recognition (A.R.S. 32-4302, Arizona residency required) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Arizona Revised Statutes 32-4302, Out-of-state applicants (universal recognition: Arizona residence, 1 year of licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- AZBBHE: Automatic Exam Approval for License by Endorsement and Universal Recognition Applicants (effective 2026-05-14) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- AZBBHE Board Rules compilation (R4-6-215 fees, R4-6-302 time frames, R4-6-502 counselor exams) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- AZBBHE Notice of Final Rulemaking, May 2025 (R4-6-304 endorsement, universal recognition and compact-privilege applications) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Counseling Compact: state privilege fees and jurisprudence requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Louisiana LPC Board: Application Information (endorsement applications, background checks, 6-8 week processing; Internet Archive capture 2026-02-19) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Louisiana LPC Board: Application for Licensure by Endorsement as LPC ($300, NCE/NCMHCE, 5-year practice rule; Internet Archive capture 2026-06-16) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Louisiana LPC Board: Fee Schedule (Internet Archive capture 2026-04-14) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Louisiana LPC Board: FAQ (LPC by endorsement, 40 CE hours; Internet Archive capture 2026-05-19) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Louisiana Register Notice of Intent: LAC 46:LX.1101 Endorsement (Act 253 of 2024) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources Louisiana 2026-09-27, Arizona 2026-10-29
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