Counseling License from Michigan 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 Michigan 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 Michigan 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
Neither Michigan nor New Mexico is operational in the Counseling Compact, so it plays no part in this move. The route is endorsement through the New Mexico Counseling and Therapy Practice Board (Regulation and Licensing Department) (Licensed Professional Clinical Mental Health Counselor, LPCC): your Michigan license is verified, your NCE or NCMHCE score is credited under New Mexico's own exam rule, and New Mexico applies any jurisprudence and background checks it requires. Check which New Mexico tier corresponds to your Michigan license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.
What changes, Michigan → New Mexico
| Michigan (current) | New Mexico (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $259.05 ('Professional Counselor By Endorsement - $259.05' per the LARA licensing guide (rev. 4/17/25). This is a combined application fee plus 3-year license fee, paid by card. Fingerprint fees are paid separately under the instructions LARA sends after the application. Michigan has not enacted the Counseling Compact.) | $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 | the LARA licensing guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications | ~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 | Michigan Board of Counseling (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) | 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 a Michigan counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from Michigan 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 Michigan 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 Michigan 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)
- LARA: Michigan Professional Counselor Licensing Guide, rev. 4/17/25 (endorsement requirements, $259.05 fee; Internet Archive capture 2026-03-29) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Michigan Admin. Code R 338.1751-R 338.1781, Counseling General Rules (R 338.1773 exams; R 338.1775 licensure by endorsement; Internet Archive capture 2026-02-11 of the official ARS compilation) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- LARA: Counseling licensing page (Internet Archive capture 2026-01-16) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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