Counseling License from New Mexico to New York: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) ↗
A counseling license transfers from New Mexico to New York by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC), verify your New Mexico license, and meet New York's endorsement requirements. NCMHCE only: the endorsement applicant has NBCC send passing NCMHCE scores directly to NYSED; the NCE is not acceptable. An exam passed elsewhere under non-standard conditions may have to be retaken. No New York jurisprudence exam..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither New Mexico nor New York is operational in the Counseling Compact, so it plays no part in this move. The route is endorsement through the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC): your New Mexico license is verified, your NCE or NCMHCE score is credited under New York's own exam rule, and New York applies any jurisprudence and background checks it requires. Check which New York tier corresponds to your New Mexico license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.
What changes, New Mexico → New York
| New Mexico (current) | New York (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $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) | $371 (fee for licensure and first registration, paid with Form 1; no fingerprint requirement listed; the separate LMHC diagnostic privilege costs $175 to issue. New York has not enacted the Counseling Compact.) |
| Processing time | ~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) | NYSED publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC endorsement applications |
| Licensing authority | New Mexico Counseling and Therapy Practice Board (Regulation and Licensing Department) (Licensed Professional Clinical Mental Health Counselor, LPCC) | New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — New York sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm New York's current requirements on the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Show at least 5 years of licensed mental health counseling practice within the 10 years before applying, attested on Forms 4E/4F.
- Have NBCC send passing NCMHCE scores directly to the Office of the Professions.
- Have every jurisdiction where you are or were licensed submit Form 3 license verification directly to NYSED.
- Have your graduate school submit Form 2 (Certification of Professional Education).
- Complete NYSED-approved coursework or training in identifying and reporting child abuse (or document an exemption).
- Pay the fees ($371 (fee for licensure and first registration, paid with Form 1; no fingerprint requirement listed; the separate LMHC diagnostic privilege costs $175 to issue. New York has not enacted the Counseling Compact.)) and allow NYSED publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC endorsement applications.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does New York accept a New Mexico counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from New Mexico to New York by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC), verify your New Mexico license, and meet New York's endorsement requirements. NCMHCE only: the endorsement applicant has NBCC send passing NCMHCE scores directly to NYSED; the NCE is not acceptable. An exam passed elsewhere under non-standard conditions may have to be retaken. No New York jurisprudence exam..
Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from New Mexico to New York?
NCMHCE only: the endorsement applicant has NBCC send passing NCMHCE scores directly to NYSED; the NCE is not acceptable. An exam passed elsewhere under non-standard conditions may have to be retaken. No New York jurisprudence exam.
What does the move cost?
$371 (fee for licensure and first registration, paid with Form 1; no fingerprint requirement listed; the separate LMHC diagnostic privilege costs $175 to issue. New York has not enacted the Counseling Compact.)
How long will it take?
NYSED publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC endorsement applications.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- NYSED Office of the Professions: Mental Health Counseling License Requirements (licensure by endorsement, NCMHCE only, $371 fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NYSED: Form 4E Endorsement Applicant Experience Record ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NYSED: Commissioner's Regulations Subpart 79-9 (79-9.7 licensure by endorsement; diagnostic privilege) ↗ (accessed 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)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]