Counseling License from Louisiana to Georgia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Georgia accept a Louisiana counseling license?
Yes, for working in Georgia — both Louisiana and Georgia 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 Georgia without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Georgia, you will need a Georgia license once Georgia becomes your home state.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Compact privilege — work there without a second license
Louisiana and Georgia are both operational in the Counseling Compact, so the first question is whether you are moving. If you are staying in Louisiana and want to see clients located in Georgia, in person or by telehealth, you do not need a Georgia license: with an active, unencumbered independent-level Louisiana license and Louisiana as your primary residence, you buy a Georgia privilege through CompactConnect and meet any Georgia jurisprudence requirement. If you are relocating, the privilege does not carry you. Georgia becomes your home state and you must obtain a Georgia license from the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (Secretary of State), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC); because both states are members, the compact streamlines that application, but it is still required.
What's different between Louisiana and Georgia
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Georgia. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Louisiana to Georgia (this page): Compact privilege — work there without a second license.
Georgia 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 Georgia.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (40).
- Counseling Compact membership
Louisiana and Georgia are both Counseling Compact member states.
A compact privilege lets you practice in Georgia while Louisiana is your home state; it is not a license, and a move to Georgia needs a Georgia license.
- Application fee
Georgia lists $100 for an out-of-state applicant and Louisiana lists $300 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Georgia lists up to 4 weeks; Louisiana lists 6–8 weeks for the reverse move.
Georgia's longest listed wait is 4 weeks shorter than Louisiana's.
- Exam rules on record
Georgia and Louisiana carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Georgia (this move): 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.
- 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 → Georgia
| Louisiana (current) | Georgia (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.) | $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 | 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) | 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.) |
| Licensing authority | Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners (LPC) | Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (Secretary of State), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Georgia 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 Georgia: purchase a Counseling Compact privilege for Georgia through the compact commission and complete any Georgia jurisprudence requirement.
- Keep your home-state license active — every privilege lapses with it.
- If you are moving your primary residence to Georgia: apply for a Georgia license with the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (Secretary of State), 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 Georgia while living in Louisiana: a $30 commission fee plus Georgia's state privilege fee, paid in CompactConnect. To relocate and take a Georgia license: $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.
How long will it take?
A privilege can issue once CompactConnect confirms your eligibility and any Georgia jurisprudence requirement is done, usually well ahead of a license. A Georgia license for a relocation: 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.
Can I see Georgia clients by telehealth while living in Louisiana?
Yes, on a Georgia privilege. It covers telehealth and in-person counseling with clients located in Georgia, as long as your Louisiana license stays active and unencumbered and Louisiana remains your primary residence.
If I move from Louisiana to Georgia, does my privilege keep me covered?
No. A privilege is for practice away from your home state, not for moving. Once you relocate, Georgia is your home state and you need a Georgia license. Because both states are compact members, Georgia 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, Georgia 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)
- 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, Georgia 2026-10-29
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