Counseling License from Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma 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
A counseling license moves from Oklahoma to New York 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. You apply to the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC), which verifies your Oklahoma license and standing, matches it to New York's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any New York jurisprudence and background requirements.
What changes, Oklahoma → New York
| Oklahoma (current) | New York (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $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.) | $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 | 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 | NYSED publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC endorsement applications |
| Licensing authority | Oklahoma State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure (BBHL) | 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 an Oklahoma counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma 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)
- 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)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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