Transfer Your Counseling License to Maine: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Maine Board of Counseling Professionals Licensure, Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC) ↗

A counselor licensed elsewhere gets into Maine by endorsement through the Maine Board of Counseling Professionals Licensure, Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC), subject to Maine's own rule on the national exam (see below). Maine is a Counseling Compact state on paper only for now: it had not begun issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27. Fee: $200 (license fee listed on the Board's Licensing and Forms page; + $21 criminal history record check fee; non-refundable; biennial renewal $200. Maine is not yet issuing Counseling Compact privileges.). Processing: the Board publishes no processing timeframe; endorsement applications are decided at public Board meetings.

Moving to Maine from a specific state?

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Verdict

Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing

Maine has passed the Counseling Compact into law, and its board may describe the state as having joined, but as of 2026-09-27 it was not issuing or accepting privileges. That makes Maine a non-compact state in practice: no privilege lets you see a client located here, in person or by telehealth, and a Maine license cannot yet anchor privileges elsewhere. Plan on a Maine license by endorsement, and check the commission's announcements, because states have been switching on every few weeks.

Maine's independent clinical tier is the Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC, Board code CC). It may diagnose, treat and practice privately; the conditional LCPC and the LPC are not this tier. Endorsement authority is 32 M.R.S. §13857 and 10 M.R.S. §8003-H, implemented by Board Rule Ch. 6-A (effective 2023-04-01). §13857 also keeps statutory alternatives: reciprocal agreements (the Board has none), 5 consecutive years of a substantially equivalent license at the same level immediately before applying, or qualifications substantially similar to Maine's. On 2026-03-23 the Board voted that LCPC-equivalent licenses from AK, AZ, CO, IL, MI, MN, NC, NE, NM, OR, SC, SD and WI are comparable enough for endorsement, and that Ohio's is not. That is an eligibility determination in minutes, not automatic reciprocity, so reciprocity_partners stays empty. Maine has ENACTED the Counseling Compact but is not yet issuing or accepting privileges. compact_member and compact_status are assembler-provided. The Board's per-license licensing page and FAQ returned HTTP 403 on 2026-09-27.

Maine requirements at a glance

Out-of-state counseling license transfer requirements for Maine, verified 2026-09-27
Exam	National exam is not retaken. For LCPC endorsement, the other jurisdiction's initial-licensure pathway must require a passing NCMHCE score (Board Rule Ch. 6-A Sec. 2(B)(ii)). No Maine jurisprudence exam is listed.
Additional requirements	Hold a valid, active clinical counseling license from a U.S. jurisdiction whose licensing requirements the Board finds substantially equivalent to the Maine LCPC Show the other jurisdiction's pathway requires a 60-semester-hour accredited (or equivalent) counseling master's, NCMHCE passage and supervised clinical experience Be in good standing in every jurisdiction ever licensed: no pending complaint, restriction, surrender or revocation Submit official license verifications for all professional licenses held or ever held Submit the application, the fee, a proposed disclosure statement and a criminal history record check
Fees	$200 (license fee listed on the Board's Licensing and Forms page; + $21 criminal history record check fee; non-refundable; biennial renewal $200. Maine is not yet issuing Counseling Compact privileges.)
Processing time	the Board publishes no processing timeframe; endorsement applications are decided at public Board meetings

Step by step

Confirm Maine's current requirements on the Maine Board of Counseling Professionals Licensure, Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC) website — rules change.
Submit the endorsement application to the Maine Board of Counseling Professionals Licensure, Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC) (application linked on this page).
Arrange license verification from your current state.
Hold a valid, active clinical counseling license from a U.S. jurisdiction whose licensing requirements the Board finds substantially equivalent to the Maine LCPC.
Show the other jurisdiction's pathway requires a 60-semester-hour accredited (or equivalent) counseling master's, NCMHCE passage and supervised clinical experience.
Be in good standing in every jurisdiction ever licensed: no pending complaint, restriction, surrender or revocation.
Submit official license verifications for all professional licenses held or ever held.
Submit the application, the fee, a proposed disclosure statement and a criminal history record check.
Pay the fees ($200 (license fee listed on the Board's Licensing and Forms page; + $21 criminal history record check fee; non-refundable; biennial renewal $200. Maine is not yet issuing Counseling Compact privileges.)) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe; endorsement applications are decided at public Board meetings.

Official links

Maine Board of Counseling Professionals Licensure, Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC) ↗Maine application ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Maine:

California → Maine Florida → Maine Georgia → Maine Illinois → Maine Michigan → Maine New York → Maine North Carolina → Maine Ohio → Maine Pennsylvania → Maine Texas → Maine

Nearby states

Counseling license transfer into the states bordering Maine:

New Hampshire

Maine for other professions

Frequently asked questions

Does my counseling license transfer to Maine?

Do I have to retake the NCE or NCMHCE to get licensed in Maine?

National exam is not retaken. For LCPC endorsement, the other jurisdiction's initial-licensure pathway must require a passing NCMHCE score (Board Rule Ch. 6-A Sec. 2(B)(ii)). No Maine jurisprudence exam is listed.

How much does a Maine counseling license cost by endorsement?

$200 (license fee listed on the Board's Licensing and Forms page; + $21 criminal history record check fee; non-refundable; biennial renewal $200. Maine is not yet issuing Counseling Compact privileges.)

How long does Maine take to process the application?

the Board publishes no processing timeframe; endorsement applications are decided at public Board meetings.

Is Maine in the Counseling Compact?

Maine has enacted the compact but was not yet operational as of 2026-09-27, so it neither issues nor accepts privileges. For now you need Maine's own authorization, normally a Maine license, to practice with clients located in Maine.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.

Maine Board of Counseling Professionals Licensure: Licensing and Forms (LCPC description, exams, fees, endorsement per Rule 6-A) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Board Rules Chapter 6-A: Licensure by Endorsement (effective 2023-04-01) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
32 M.R.S. §13857: Nonresidents; applicants licensed in another jurisdiction; licensure by endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Board minutes 2026-03-23 (LCPC endorsement comparable-jurisdiction vote) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27

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