Counseling License from New York to Oklahoma: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Oklahoma State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure (BBHL) ↗
A counseling license transfers from New York to Oklahoma by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Oklahoma State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure (BBHL), verify your New York license, and meet Oklahoma's endorsement requirements. No national exam retake: the endorsement rule (OAC 86:10-25-3) lists no NCE/NCMHCE requirement, and the Board's LPC page says endorsement needs no additional academic review beyond an official transcript. Endorsement applicants must pass the Oklahoma Legal and Ethical Responsibilities Examination (OLERE), the state jurisprudence exam..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither state gives you a working compact route here: a state that has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not yet operational behaves like a non-member. The route is endorsement through the Oklahoma State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure (BBHL): your New York license is verified, your NCE or NCMHCE score is credited under Oklahoma's own exam rule, and Oklahoma applies any jurisprudence and background checks it requires. Check which Oklahoma tier corresponds to your New York license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.
What changes, New York → Oklahoma
| New York (current) | Oklahoma (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $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.) | $145 (application fee per OAC 86:10-13-2(a) (Board's unofficial permanent rules compilation, rules effective 2023-08-11); initial license fee $90 due on Board notification (86:10-13-2(c)); OSBI state fingerprint check $19 and FBI check paid separately; fees non-refundable. Oklahoma is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.) |
| Processing time | NYSED publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC endorsement applications | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications; its Making Application page notes the FBI check itself takes about 7 business days after the FBI receives the request |
| Licensing authority | New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) | Oklahoma State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure (BBHL) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Oklahoma sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Oklahoma's current requirements on the Oklahoma State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure (BBHL) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Oklahoma State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure (BBHL) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold an active professional counselor license in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction that allows independent practice without supervision, with no history of suspension or revocation (OAC 86:10-25-3(1)).
- Have a letter sent from the other state's licensing agency stating the license is active and in good standing (OAC 86:10-25-1).
- Hold at least a master's degree in counseling or a mental health related field from a regionally accredited institution, verified by official transcript.
- Complete FBI and Oklahoma OSBI fingerprint-based background checks (the FBI check must be processed within 30 days of submission).
- Pass the Oklahoma Legal and Ethical Responsibilities Examination (OLERE).
- Pay the fees ($145 (application fee per OAC 86:10-13-2(a) (Board's unofficial permanent rules compilation, rules effective 2023-08-11); initial license fee $90 due on Board notification (86:10-13-2(c)); OSBI state fingerprint check $19 and FBI check paid separately; fees non-refundable. Oklahoma is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.)) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications; its Making Application page notes the FBI check itself takes about 7 business days after the FBI receives the request.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Oklahoma accept a New York counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from New York to Oklahoma by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Oklahoma State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure (BBHL), verify your New York license, and meet Oklahoma's endorsement requirements. No national exam retake: the endorsement rule (OAC 86:10-25-3) lists no NCE/NCMHCE requirement, and the Board's LPC page says endorsement needs no additional academic review beyond an official transcript. Endorsement applicants must pass the Oklahoma Legal and Ethical Responsibilities Examination (OLERE), the state jurisprudence exam..
Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from New York to Oklahoma?
No national exam retake: the endorsement rule (OAC 86:10-25-3) lists no NCE/NCMHCE requirement, and the Board's LPC page says endorsement needs no additional academic review beyond an official transcript. Endorsement applicants must pass the Oklahoma Legal and Ethical Responsibilities Examination (OLERE), the state jurisprudence exam.
What does the move cost?
$145 (application fee per OAC 86:10-13-2(a) (Board's unofficial permanent rules compilation, rules effective 2023-08-11); initial license fee $90 due on Board notification (86:10-13-2(c)); OSBI state fingerprint check $19 and FBI check paid separately; fees non-refundable. Oklahoma is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.)
How long will it take?
the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications; its Making Application page notes the FBI check itself takes about 7 business days after the FBI receives the request.
Oklahoma joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?
Not yet. Oklahoma had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so counseling clients located in Oklahoma takes Oklahoma's own authorization, normally an Oklahoma license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- Oklahoma BBHL: Licensed Professional Counselor (Pathway 2, licensure by endorsement) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Oklahoma BBHL: Making Application (endorsement steps, FBI/OSBI background checks, jurisprudence exam) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Oklahoma BBHL: LPC permanent rules, unofficial compilation (OAC 86:10-13-2 fees; 86:10-25-1 to 25-3 licensure by endorsement) ↗ (accessed 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)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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