Counseling License from North Dakota to Ohio: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) ↗
A counseling license transfers from North Dakota to Ohio by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT), verify your North Dakota license, and meet Ohio's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: NCE (or NCMHCE) results are sent by NBCC score transfer or submitted with the application, and the 7-year exam-age limit is waived for applicants licensed in an equivalent capacity in another state. No separate jurisprudence exam; applicants must watch the Board's online Laws and Rules video..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
A counseling license moves from North Dakota to Ohio by endorsement. Ohio is operational in the Counseling Compact, but North Dakota is not, so there is no home-state license here to anchor a privilege. Once you hold an Ohio license and live in Ohio, it can anchor privileges into the other operational states. You apply to the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT), which verifies your North Dakota license and standing, matches it to Ohio's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any Ohio jurisprudence and background requirements.
What changes, North Dakota → Ohio
| North Dakota (current) | Ohio (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Counseling Compact member — compact privilege to practice |
| Application fee | $150 (LPCC application fee per NDAC 97-02-01.1-04 and the LPCC application form. Because the LPCC is a specialty license issued only to ND LPCs, an out-of-state applicant also files the LPC reciprocity application ($150, of which $50 is non-refundable per the form; NDAC 97-02-01-01.1), so the realistic total is $300. LPCC renewal $75 biennially on top of the $150 LPC renewal. NBCC score-report and transcript fees are separate. North Dakota is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.) | $100 (LPCC reciprocity application fee per OAC 4757-1-05 and the Board's out-of-state page ('$100 + $3.50 processing', re-read 2026-09-27); + $3.50 eLicense processing fee; BCI/FBI fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; NBCC score-transfer fee separate. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Ohio charges $25 + $30 commission admin fee = $55 for a privilege, per the commission's fee table).) |
| Processing time | no processing timeframe published in the Board's rules or application forms; applications are valid for one year from submission | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; applicants track status in eLicense (Review Status checklist) |
| Licensing authority | North Dakota Board of Counselor Examiners (NDBCE) | Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Ohio sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Ohio's current requirements on the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold an active, independent-level counselor license (the Ohio LPCC equivalent) in good standing in another jurisdiction.
- Submit national counselor exam results (NCE or NCMHCE) via NBCC score transfer.
- Provide online license look-up or official verification from every jurisdiction where licensed, including disciplinary history.
- Complete Ohio BCI and FBI fingerprint background checks with results sent to the Board.
- Watch the Board's online Laws and Rules video before licensure.
- Pay the fees ($100 (LPCC reciprocity application fee per OAC 4757-1-05 and the Board's out-of-state page ('$100 + $3.50 processing', re-read 2026-09-27); + $3.50 eLicense processing fee; BCI/FBI fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; NBCC score-transfer fee separate. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Ohio charges $25 + $30 commission admin fee = $55 for a privilege, per the commission's fee table).)) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; applicants track status in eLicense (Review Status checklist).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Ohio accept a North Dakota counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from North Dakota to Ohio by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT), verify your North Dakota license, and meet Ohio's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: NCE (or NCMHCE) results are sent by NBCC score transfer or submitted with the application, and the 7-year exam-age limit is waived for applicants licensed in an equivalent capacity in another state. No separate jurisprudence exam; applicants must watch the Board's online Laws and Rules video..
Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from North Dakota to Ohio?
National exam is not retaken: NCE (or NCMHCE) results are sent by NBCC score transfer or submitted with the application, and the 7-year exam-age limit is waived for applicants licensed in an equivalent capacity in another state. No separate jurisprudence exam; applicants must watch the Board's online Laws and Rules video.
What does the move cost?
$100 (LPCC reciprocity application fee per OAC 4757-1-05 and the Board's out-of-state page ('$100 + $3.50 processing', re-read 2026-09-27); + $3.50 eLicense processing fee; BCI/FBI fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; NBCC score-transfer fee separate. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Ohio charges $25 + $30 commission admin fee = $55 for a privilege, per the commission's fee table).)
How long will it take?
the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; applicants track status in eLicense (Review Status checklist)
Will an Ohio license get me into other compact states?
Yes, once Ohio is your home state. Ohio is operational, so an active, unencumbered Ohio license held while you live there can anchor privileges into the other operational states through CompactConnect.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- Ohio CSWMFT Board: Out of State Applicants (counselor reciprocity steps and fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board: Counselors (LPC/LPCC application instructions, exam policy) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board Laws and Rules compilation (ORC 4757.18; OAC 4757-1-05, 4757-13-03, 4757-13-06) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board: Counseling Compact Privileges (eligibility, $25 state fee, go-live 2026-01-05) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Counseling Compact: state privilege fees and jurisprudence requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- North Dakota Administrative Code ch. 97-02-01.1 (LPCC requirements, reciprocity 97-02-01.1-03, fees 97-02-01.1-04) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- North Dakota Administrative Code ch. 97-02-01 (LPC requirements, fees, reciprocity 97-02-01-04) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- North Dakota Century Code ch. 43-47 (43-47-06 licenses, qualifications, reciprocity; 43-47-06.1 specialty licenses) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NDBCE Reciprocity Application for LPC (Internet Archive copy of the official PDF, 2026-05-15 snapshot; live board site refused connections) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NDBCE LPCC page (Internet Archive copy, 2026-03-10 snapshot) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NDBCE LPCC Application form (Internet Archive copy of the official PDF) ↗ (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]