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LicenseReciprocity

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

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC) ↗

Maryland has enacted the Counseling Compact, but it was not yet issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so no privilege authorizes practice here. An out-of-state counselor needs a Maryland license, normally by endorsement from the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC); how Maryland treats your NCE or NCMHCE score is in the exam question below. Fee: $250 (LCPC out-of-state application fee (check or money order); + separate $150 license fee due on notification of eligibility; non-refundable; Maryland Law Assessment fee paid to CCE and CHRC fingerprint fee paid separately. Maryland is not yet issuing Counseling Compact privileges.). Processing: no approval timeframe is published; the Board determines within 30 days of receipt whether the application is complete, and applicants get 90 days to cure deficiencies before the file is closed.

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Verdict

Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing

Maryland 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 Maryland a non-compact state in practice: no privilege lets you see a client located here, in person or by telehealth, and a Maryland license cannot yet anchor privileges elsewhere. Plan on a Maryland license by endorsement, and check the commission's announcements, because states have been switching on every few weeks.

Maryland's independent tier is the Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC); the LGPC is the supervised graduate tier. Out-of-state applicants apply under COMAR 10.58.12.06. A license may issue if the other jurisdiction's clinical requirements are equivalent to or exceed Md. Health Occ. §17-304. Otherwise the Board may apply education and experience equivalencies that credit licensed-practice years. The Board's instructions describe experience tiers of 3 years/3,000 hours (60-credit master's), 3 years as an LCPC/3,000 hours (under 60 credits) and 2 years/2,000 hours (doctorate). This is licensure by credentials with substantive re-review, not full reciprocity. No published reciprocal-state list was found. Maryland has ENACTED the Counseling Compact but is not yet issuing or accepting privileges. compact_member and compact_status are assembler-provided. regs.maryland.gov renders by JavaScript, so the exact COMAR wording and effective date were not captured verbatim.

Maryland requirements at a glance

Out-of-state counseling license transfer requirements for Maryland, verified 2026-09-27
ExamNational exam is not retaken: submit NCE or NCMHCE scores. A state law exam is ALSO required: the Maryland Law Assessment (MLA), taken online through CCE, with the certificate submitted with the application. The Board may waive the examination requirement for applicants from jurisdictions granting similar endorsement to Maryland licensees who passed a Board-approved exam (COMAR 10.58.12.06).
Additional requirements
  • Hold a current clinical professional counselor license in good standing with no past or pending discipline, verified by the other board on Maryland's out-of-state verification form
  • Show the other jurisdiction's clinical licensure requirements are equivalent to or exceed Md. Health Occ. §17-304, or qualify under the COMAR equivalency provisions
  • Submit official transcripts for a master's or doctoral counseling degree
  • Pass the Maryland Law Assessment and submit NCE or NCMHCE scores
  • Complete a criminal history records check (CHRC)
Fees$250 (LCPC out-of-state application fee (check or money order); + separate $150 license fee due on notification of eligibility; non-refundable; Maryland Law Assessment fee paid to CCE and CHRC fingerprint fee paid separately. Maryland is not yet issuing Counseling Compact privileges.)
Processing timeno approval timeframe is published; the Board determines within 30 days of receipt whether the application is complete, and applicants get 90 days to cure deficiencies before the file is closed

Step by step

  1. Confirm Maryland's current requirements on the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC) website — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC) (application linked on this page).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold a current clinical professional counselor license in good standing with no past or pending discipline, verified by the other board on Maryland's out-of-state verification form.
  5. Show the other jurisdiction's clinical licensure requirements are equivalent to or exceed Md. Health Occ. §17-304, or qualify under the COMAR equivalency provisions.
  6. Submit official transcripts for a master's or doctoral counseling degree.
  7. Pass the Maryland Law Assessment and submit NCE or NCMHCE scores.
  8. Complete a criminal history records check (CHRC).
  9. Pay the fees ($250 (LCPC out-of-state application fee (check or money order); + separate $150 license fee due on notification of eligibility; non-refundable; Maryland Law Assessment fee paid to CCE and CHRC fingerprint fee paid separately. Maryland is not yet issuing Counseling Compact privileges.)) and allow no approval timeframe is published; the Board determines within 30 days of receipt whether the application is complete, and applicants get 90 days to cure deficiencies before the file is closed.

Official links

Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC) ↗Maryland application ↗

Coming from a specific state?

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

California → MarylandFlorida → MarylandGeorgia → MarylandIllinois → MarylandMichigan → MarylandNew York → MarylandNorth Carolina → MarylandOhio → MarylandPennsylvania → MarylandTexas → Maryland

Nearby states

Counseling license transfer into the states bordering Maryland:

Maryland for other professions

Frequently asked questions

Does my counseling license transfer to Maryland?

Maryland has enacted the Counseling Compact, but it was not yet issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so no privilege authorizes practice here. An out-of-state counselor needs a Maryland license, normally by endorsement from the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC); how Maryland treats your NCE or NCMHCE score is in the exam question below. Fee: $250 (LCPC out-of-state application fee (check or money order); + separate $150 license fee due on notification of eligibility; non-refundable; Maryland Law Assessment fee paid to CCE and CHRC fingerprint fee paid separately. Maryland is not yet issuing Counseling Compact privileges.). Processing: no approval timeframe is published; the Board determines within 30 days of receipt whether the application is complete, and applicants get 90 days to cure deficiencies before the file is closed.

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

National exam is not retaken: submit NCE or NCMHCE scores. A state law exam is ALSO required: the Maryland Law Assessment (MLA), taken online through CCE, with the certificate submitted with the application. The Board may waive the examination requirement for applicants from jurisdictions granting similar endorsement to Maryland licensees who passed a Board-approved exam (COMAR 10.58.12.06).

How much does a Maryland counseling license cost by endorsement?

$250 (LCPC out-of-state application fee (check or money order); + separate $150 license fee due on notification of eligibility; non-refundable; Maryland Law Assessment fee paid to CCE and CHRC fingerprint fee paid separately. Maryland is not yet issuing Counseling Compact privileges.)

How long does Maryland take to process the application?

no approval timeframe is published; the Board determines within 30 days of receipt whether the application is complete, and applicants get 90 days to cure deficiencies before the file is closed.

Is Maryland in the Counseling Compact?

Maryland 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 Maryland's own authorization, normally a Maryland license, to practice with clients located in Maryland.

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]