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

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Michigan Board of Counseling (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) ↗

Michigan has not enacted the Counseling Compact, so no privilege reaches it and an incoming counselor applies to the Michigan Board of Counseling (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) for a license by endorsement. How Michigan treats your NCE or NCMHCE score is in the exam question below. 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.). Processing: the LARA licensing guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications.

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Michigan has not enacted the Counseling Compact, so the planning is simple, if slower. There is no compact privilege to fall back on, including for telehealth: you cannot lawfully counsel a client located in Michigan until Michigan authorizes you, which for most counselors means a license from the Michigan Board of Counseling (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) (check the notes below for any telehealth-only registration). Start the application before you need the income.

Michigan's independent counselor license is the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC); the Limited Licensed Professional Counselor (LLPC) is the supervised tier. R 338.1775 licenses a counselor fully licensed in another state (or a Canadian province) by endorsement, on proof of a qualifying degree, a passing exam and a professional disclosure statement. Under R 338.1775(2), a full license for at least 5 years is presumed to satisfy the degree and exam requirements. The 3,000-hour / 2-year supervised experience required of Michigan exam applicants is not re-counted for endorsement. This is endorsement, not full reciprocity, and there is no published reciprocal-state list. Michigan has NOT enacted the Counseling Compact. compact_member and compact_status are assembler-provided. michigan.gov and the ARS rules server returned HTTP 403 to automated requests on 2026-09-27, so the guide, rules and board page were read from Internet Archive captures of the official URLs. A newer guide file (Counseling-Licensing-Guide--FAQ-12626.pdf) appears in search results but could not be retrieved, so re-confirm the fee against it.

Michigan requirements at a glance

Out-of-state counseling license transfer requirements for Michigan, verified 2026-09-27
ExamNational exam is not retaken. Michigan accepts one passing score from the NCE, the CRCC exam or the NCMHCE (R 338.1773). Applicants fully licensed in another state for 5+ years are presumed to meet the degree and exam requirements (R 338.1775(2)) and submit only a Professional Disclosure Statement beyond the common items. Applicants licensed under 5 years must have exam scores sent directly by the testing agency. No Michigan jurisprudence exam.
Additional requirements
  • Hold a full professional counselor license in another U.S. state (5+ years creates a presumption that degree and exam requirements are met)
  • If licensed under 5 years, send official master's or doctoral counseling transcripts and exam scores; non-CACREP programs need a CCE or NACES equivalency evaluation
  • Have license verification sent by every jurisdiction where you hold or held a license, showing no pending discipline or sanctions
  • Submit a Professional Disclosure Statement
  • Complete the criminal background check (fingerprints) after the application is submitted
  • Complete one-time human trafficking identification training (R 338.1771) and 2 hours of implicit bias training within 5 years before licensure
Fees$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.)
Processing timethe LARA licensing guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications

Step by step

  1. Confirm Michigan's current requirements on the Michigan Board of Counseling (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) website — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Michigan Board of Counseling (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) (application linked on this page).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold a full professional counselor license in another U.S. state (5+ years creates a presumption that degree and exam requirements are met).
  5. If licensed under 5 years, send official master's or doctoral counseling transcripts and exam scores; non-CACREP programs need a CCE or NACES equivalency evaluation.
  6. Have license verification sent by every jurisdiction where you hold or held a license, showing no pending discipline or sanctions.
  7. Submit a Professional Disclosure Statement.
  8. Complete the criminal background check (fingerprints) after the application is submitted.
  9. Complete one-time human trafficking identification training (R 338.1771) and 2 hours of implicit bias training within 5 years before licensure.
  10. Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow the LARA licensing guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications.

Official links

Michigan Board of Counseling (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) ↗Michigan application ↗

Coming from a specific state?

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

Alabama → MichiganAlaska → MichiganArizona → MichiganArkansas → MichiganCalifornia → MichiganColorado → MichiganConnecticut → MichiganDelaware → MichiganDistrict of Columbia → MichiganFlorida → MichiganGeorgia → MichiganHawaii → MichiganIdaho → MichiganIllinois → MichiganIndiana → MichiganIowa → MichiganKansas → MichiganKentucky → MichiganLouisiana → MichiganMaine → Michigan
All 50 origin states
Maryland → MichiganMassachusetts → MichiganMinnesota → MichiganMississippi → MichiganMissouri → MichiganMontana → MichiganNebraska → MichiganNevada → MichiganNew Hampshire → MichiganNew Jersey → MichiganNew Mexico → MichiganNew York → MichiganNorth Carolina → MichiganNorth Dakota → MichiganOhio → MichiganOklahoma → MichiganOregon → MichiganPennsylvania → MichiganRhode Island → MichiganSouth Carolina → MichiganSouth Dakota → MichiganTennessee → MichiganTexas → MichiganUtah → MichiganVermont → MichiganVirginia → MichiganWashington → MichiganWest Virginia → MichiganWisconsin → MichiganWyoming → Michigan

Nearby states

Counseling license transfer into the states bordering Michigan:

Michigan for other professions

Frequently asked questions

Does my counseling license transfer to Michigan?

Michigan has not enacted the Counseling Compact, so no privilege reaches it and an incoming counselor applies to the Michigan Board of Counseling (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) for a license by endorsement. How Michigan treats your NCE or NCMHCE score is in the exam question below. 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.). Processing: the LARA licensing guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications.

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

National exam is not retaken. Michigan accepts one passing score from the NCE, the CRCC exam or the NCMHCE (R 338.1773). Applicants fully licensed in another state for 5+ years are presumed to meet the degree and exam requirements (R 338.1775(2)) and submit only a Professional Disclosure Statement beyond the common items. Applicants licensed under 5 years must have exam scores sent directly by the testing agency. No Michigan jurisprudence exam.

How much does a Michigan counseling license cost by endorsement?

$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.)

How long does Michigan take to process the application?

the LARA licensing guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications.

Is Michigan in the Counseling Compact?

No. Michigan had not enacted the compact as of 2026-09-27. No privilege reaches Michigan, including for telehealth, so a Michigan license is required to counsel clients located there.

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]