Counseling License from North Carolina to South Dakota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists ↗
A counseling license transfers from North Carolina to South Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists, verify your North Carolina license, and meet South Dakota's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken but must have been passed: applicants indicate the NCE, CRC or NCMHCE passed and have the official score released to the Board through the NBCC online results portal; applicants who never passed a national exam are 'not eligible for a license by endorsement'. No state jurisprudence exam is required; the applicant signs that they have read South Dakota's laws and rules..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
A counseling license moves from North Carolina to South Dakota by endorsement. Both states have enacted the Counseling Compact, but neither was issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27. When both go operational, cross-border work between them could run on a privilege; a relocation would still need a South Dakota license. You apply to the South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists, which verifies your North Carolina license and standing, matches it to South Dakota's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any South Dakota jurisprudence and background requirements.
What changes, North Carolina → South Dakota
| North Carolina (current) | South Dakota (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $238 (Board-stated endorsement/reciprocity application fee of $238, which includes the $38 criminal background check fee; nonrefundable; jurisprudence exam provider fee not verified) | $100 (non-refundable endorsement application fee per the Board's fee schedule and the endorsement application (9/2023); the $225 biennial license fee must be paid with the application and is refunded if the application is denied. A temporary endorsement costs a $100 application fee plus $50 temporary license fee. South Dakota is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.) |
| Processing time | 4–6 weeks (Board-stated 'Application Processing Timeframe (provided there are no legal/special considerations) 4-6 weeks from completed application submission') | no timeframe published; the Board's FAQ says complete files go to a Board member reviewer 'on a rolling basis' |
| Licensing authority | North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors (NCBLCMHC) (Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, LCMHC) | South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — South Dakota sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm South Dakota's current requirements on the South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a license at the highest level of independent practice in another state or territory for at least 3 years (SDCL 36-32-67).
- Show active practice of at least 1,500 hours of clinical experience in the 3 years before applying (affidavit, calendars or other proof on request).
- Have the issuing state send a letter of verification directly to the Board.
- Have an official national exam score (NCE, CRC or NCMHCE) sent to the Board.
- Submit a notarized application with a color headshot photograph.
- Pay the fees ($100 (non-refundable endorsement application fee per the Board's fee schedule and the endorsement application (9/2023); the $225 biennial license fee must be paid with the application and is refunded if the application is denied. A temporary endorsement costs a $100 application fee plus $50 temporary license fee. South Dakota is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.)) and allow no timeframe published; the Board's FAQ says complete files go to a Board member reviewer 'on a rolling basis'.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does South Dakota accept a North Carolina counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from North Carolina to South Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists, verify your North Carolina license, and meet South Dakota's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken but must have been passed: applicants indicate the NCE, CRC or NCMHCE passed and have the official score released to the Board through the NBCC online results portal; applicants who never passed a national exam are 'not eligible for a license by endorsement'. No state jurisprudence exam is required; the applicant signs that they have read South Dakota's laws and rules..
Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from North Carolina to South Dakota?
National exam is not retaken but must have been passed: applicants indicate the NCE, CRC or NCMHCE passed and have the official score released to the Board through the NBCC online results portal; applicants who never passed a national exam are 'not eligible for a license by endorsement'. No state jurisprudence exam is required; the applicant signs that they have read South Dakota's laws and rules.
What does the move cost?
$100 (non-refundable endorsement application fee per the Board's fee schedule and the endorsement application (9/2023); the $225 biennial license fee must be paid with the application and is refunded if the application is denied. A temporary endorsement costs a $100 application fee plus $50 temporary license fee. South Dakota is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.)
How long will it take?
no timeframe published; the Board's FAQ says complete files go to a Board member reviewer 'on a rolling basis'.
South Dakota joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?
Not yet. South Dakota had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so counseling clients located in South Dakota takes South Dakota's own authorization, normally a South Dakota license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- SD Board of Examiners for Counselors & MFTs: Application for Licensure by Endorsement (9/2023) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SD Board of Examiners for Counselors & MFTs: Fee Schedule ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SD Board of Examiners for Counselors & MFTs: Applications ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SD Board of Examiners for Counselors & MFTs: Frequently Asked Questions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NCBLCMHC: Licensure by Endorsement (requirements, $238 fee, 4-6 week processing) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NCBLCMHC: LCMHC License by Reciprocity (South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NC OAH: 21 NCAC 53 .0304 Applicants Licensed in Other States ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NC OAH: 21 NCAC 53 .0305 Examination (NCE/NCMHCE/CRC; jurisprudence exam) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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