Counseling License from Minnesota to Arizona: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Arizona accept a Minnesota counseling license?
Yes, for working in Arizona — both Minnesota and Arizona are active members of the Counseling Compact. If Minnesota is your primary state of residence and your Minnesota license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in Arizona without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Arizona, you will need an Arizona license once Arizona becomes your home state.
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Verdict
Compact privilege — work there without a second license
Minnesota and Arizona are both operational in the Counseling Compact, so the first question is whether you are moving. If you are staying in Minnesota and want to see clients located in Arizona, in person or by telehealth, you do not need an Arizona license: with an active, unencumbered independent-level Minnesota license and Minnesota as your primary residence, you buy an Arizona privilege through CompactConnect and meet any Arizona jurisprudence requirement. If you are relocating, the privilege does not carry you. Arizona becomes your home state and you must obtain an Arizona license from the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners (AZBBHE), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC); because both states are members, the compact streamlines that application, but it is still required.
What's different between Minnesota and Arizona
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Arizona. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Minnesota to Arizona (this page): Compact privilege — work there without a second license.
Arizona to Minnesota (the reverse move): Compact privilege — work there without a second license.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Minnesota matter?
Coming from Minnesota matters here: only 10 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Arizona.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (40).
- Counseling Compact membership
Minnesota and Arizona are both Counseling Compact member states.
A compact privilege lets you practice in Arizona while Minnesota is your home state; it is not a license, and a move to Arizona needs an Arizona license.
- Application fee
Arizona lists $250 for an out-of-state applicant and Minnesota lists $150 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Arizona and Minnesota carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Arizona (this move): National exam is not retaken: applicants must show they passed the required national exam for the discipline, not a state-level exam (R4-6-304(A)(11)). Arizona's counselor rule approves the NCE, NCMHCE and CRC exam (R4-6-502). Since 2026-05-14, endorsement and universal-recognition applicants who have not yet passed it are automatically approved to test while their application is under review. No jurisprudence exam, but applicants must submit a completion certificate for the Board's online Arizona Statutes/Regulations Tutorial.
- Minnesota (the reverse move): No exam is retaken for reciprocity. Minn. Stat. 148B.56 sets no exam condition: the Board rules on substantial similarity (licensed under 5 years) or 5+ years of active practice, then decides whether to grant the LPC or the LPCC. Minnesota-route LPCC applicants must pass the NCMHCE (148B.5301). The reciprocity application asks for license verification, transcripts and the other state's laws and rules, not a separate score transfer. No Minnesota jurisprudence exam.
What changes, Minnesota → Arizona
| Minnesota (current) | Arizona (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Licensure by endorsement · Counseling Compact privilege (not a license) | Licensure by endorsement · Counseling Compact privilege (not a license) |
| Application fee | $150 (non-refundable LPCC application fee (Minn. Stat. 148B.53 subd. 3); the reciprocity application also requires the $250 initial license fee and a $35 criminal background check fee, paid together as $435 ($400 if exempt from the check). NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee: Minnesota charges $50 + $30 commission fee = $80, no jurisprudence exam.) | $250 (nonrefundable license-by-endorsement application fee per the Board's Licensed in Another State page and its current Fee Structure (effective 2021-01-03, updated 2025-11-02), which also lists a $40 criminal-history background-check charge paid separately. The Board's older rules compilation (labelled 'Effective November 1, 2015') listed a separate $250 issuance fee for an independent-level license (LPC), but the current Fee Structure lists no license-issuance fee, so none is recorded here. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Arizona charges $250 + $30 commission admin fee = $280 for a privilege, plus the Statutes/Regulations tutorial).) |
| Processing time | the Board's reciprocity application (updated 2026-10-01) states no processing timeframe | the Board publishes no typical processing time. Its licensing time-frame rule (R4-6-302, Table 1) sets a 270-day overall legal maximum for a license by endorsement (90-day administrative completeness plus 180-day substantive review), which is a ceiling, not an expected time |
| Licensing authority | Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy (BBHT) (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC) | Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners (AZBBHE), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Arizona 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 Arizona: purchase a Counseling Compact privilege for Arizona through the compact commission and complete any Arizona jurisprudence requirement.
- Keep your home-state license active — every privilege lapses with it.
- If you are moving your primary residence to Arizona: apply for an Arizona license with the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners (AZBBHE), 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 Arizona while living in Minnesota: a $30 commission fee plus Arizona's state privilege fee, paid in CompactConnect. To relocate and take an Arizona license: $250 (nonrefundable license-by-endorsement application fee per the Board's Licensed in Another State page and its current Fee Structure (effective 2021-01-03, updated 2025-11-02), which also lists a $40 criminal-history background-check charge paid separately.
How long will it take?
A privilege can issue once CompactConnect confirms your eligibility and any Arizona jurisprudence requirement is done, usually well ahead of a license. An Arizona license for a relocation: the Board publishes no typical processing time.
Can I see Arizona clients by telehealth while living in Minnesota?
Yes, on an Arizona privilege. It covers telehealth and in-person counseling with clients located in Arizona, as long as your Minnesota license stays active and unencumbered and Minnesota remains your primary residence.
If I move from Minnesota to Arizona, does my privilege keep me covered?
No. A privilege is for practice away from your home state, not for moving. Once you relocate, Arizona is your home state and you need an Arizona license. Because both states are compact members, Arizona 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 2026-10-29.
- AZBBHE: Licensed in Another State (license by endorsement requirements, $250 fee, fingerprints, tutorial) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- AZBBHE: Fee Structure (effective 2021-01-03, updated 2025-11-02; $250 endorsement application, $40 background check, no issuance fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Arizona Revised Statutes 32-3274, Licensure by endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- AZBBHE: Universal Recognition (A.R.S. 32-4302, Arizona residency required) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Arizona Revised Statutes 32-4302, Out-of-state applicants (universal recognition: Arizona residence, 1 year of licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- AZBBHE: Automatic Exam Approval for License by Endorsement and Universal Recognition Applicants (effective 2026-05-14) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- AZBBHE Board Rules compilation (R4-6-215 fees, R4-6-302 time frames, R4-6-502 counselor exams) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- AZBBHE Notice of Final Rulemaking, May 2025 (R4-6-304 endorsement, universal recognition and compact-privilege applications) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Counseling Compact: state privilege fees and jurisprudence requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Minnesota BBHT: LPC/LPCC Reciprocity Application, updated 2026-10-01 (instructions, $435 fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Minn. Stat. 148B.56 Reciprocity (Revisor of Statutes, 2025 chapter 148B) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Minn. Stat. 148B.53 subd. 3 Fees (Revisor of Statutes) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Minnesota BBHT: Reciprocity Licenses by State (updated 2024-03-15) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Minnesota BBHT: LPC and LPCC Reciprocity page (Internet Archive capture 2026-04-21) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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