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LicenseReciprocity

Counseling License from Pennsylvania to Louisiana: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners (LPC) ↗

A counseling license transfers from Pennsylvania to Louisiana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners (LPC), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Louisiana's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken. Endorsement applicants show passage of the NCE or NCMHCE with an official score report sent directly from NBCC; under amended LAC 46:LX.1101(A) (Notice of Intent, Sept. 2024) an applicant with at least 1 year of practice may instead complete an oral exam administered by the Board. No state jurisprudence exam is listed for endorsement; applicants submit a Declaration of Practices and Procedures instead..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Louisiana is operational in the Counseling Compact, but Pennsylvania is not, so there is no home-state license here to anchor a privilege. Once you hold a Louisiana license and live in Louisiana, it can anchor privileges into the other operational states. The route is endorsement through the Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners (LPC): your Pennsylvania license is verified, your NCE or NCMHCE score is credited under Louisiana's own exam rule, and Louisiana applies any jurisprudence and background checks it requires. Check which Louisiana tier corresponds to your Pennsylvania license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.

What changes, Pennsylvania → Louisiana

Side-by-side: Pennsylvania vs Louisiana (Counseling (LPC / LMHC)), verified 2026-09-27
Pennsylvania (current)Louisiana (destination)
Counseling Compact statusCounseling Compact enacted — not yet issuingCounseling Compact member — compact privilege to practice
Application fee$100 (application fee for licensure and original license issuance as an LPC per 49 Pa. Code 47.4(6); no separate endorsement fee is listed. Pennsylvania is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.)$300 (non-refundable out-of-state licensure application, license and seal fee (Board fee schedule item 2; also stated on the LPC endorsement application); optional $60 expedited processing; fingerprint background check costs separate. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee: Louisiana charges $130 + $30 commission fee = $160 total, no jurisprudence exam.)
Processing timethe Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications; an Act 41 applicant may be granted a provisional license at the Board's discretion6–8 weeks (Board states 'allow 2-3 weeks for milestones to be updated and at least 6-8 weeks for application approval once the application is completed'; expedited processing ($60) gets a staff response within 5 business days, but files referred for Board review wait for the next meeting)
Licensing authorityPennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional CounselorsLouisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners (LPC)

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Louisiana sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm Louisiana's current requirements on the Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners (LPC) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners (LPC) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold a current, active LPC license in good standing in another jurisdiction, verified by each licensing board on the Board's License Verification Form.
  5. Submit an official NBCC score report for the NCE or NCMHCE (or, on the 1-year route, complete the Board's oral exam).
  6. Show at least 1 year of full, active LPC licensure (LAC 46:LX.1101 as amended under Act 253 of 2024); applicants licensed under 1 year must come from a jurisdiction with substantially equivalent academic and supervision requirements.
  7. Provide a colleague or supervisor letter verifying active practice and document 40 continuing education hours per Chapter 7 of the Board Rules.
  8. Complete a state and federal fingerprint background check within 60 days of application.
  9. Submit a Declaration of Practices and Procedures and a current photograph.
  10. Pay the fees ($300 (non-refundable out-of-state licensure application, license and seal fee (Board fee schedule item 2; also stated on the LPC endorsement application); optional $60 expedited processing; fingerprint background check costs separate. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee: Louisiana charges $130 + $30 commission fee = $160 total, no jurisprudence exam.)) and allow 6–8 weeks (Board states 'allow 2-3 weeks for milestones to be updated and at least 6-8 weeks for application approval once the application is completed'; expedited processing ($60) gets a staff response within 5 business days, but files referred for Board review wait for the next meeting).

Official links

Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners (LPC) ↗Louisiana application ↗Counseling Compact ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Louisiana → PennsylvaniaCounseling in PennsylvaniaCounseling in LouisianaAll counseling statesThe Counseling Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Louisiana accept a Pennsylvania counseling license?

A counseling license transfers from Pennsylvania to Louisiana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners (LPC), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Louisiana's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken. Endorsement applicants show passage of the NCE or NCMHCE with an official score report sent directly from NBCC; under amended LAC 46:LX.1101(A) (Notice of Intent, Sept. 2024) an applicant with at least 1 year of practice may instead complete an oral exam administered by the Board. No state jurisprudence exam is listed for endorsement; applicants submit a Declaration of Practices and Procedures instead..

Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Pennsylvania to Louisiana?

National exam is not retaken. Endorsement applicants show passage of the NCE or NCMHCE with an official score report sent directly from NBCC; under amended LAC 46:LX.1101(A) (Notice of Intent, Sept. 2024) an applicant with at least 1 year of practice may instead complete an oral exam administered by the Board. No state jurisprudence exam is listed for endorsement; applicants submit a Declaration of Practices and Procedures instead.

What does the move cost?

$300 (non-refundable out-of-state licensure application, license and seal fee (Board fee schedule item 2; also stated on the LPC endorsement application); optional $60 expedited processing; fingerprint background check costs separate. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee: Louisiana charges $130 + $30 commission fee = $160 total, no jurisprudence exam.)

How long will it take?

6–8 weeks (Board states 'allow 2-3 weeks for milestones to be updated and at least 6-8 weeks for application approval once the application is completed'; expedited processing ($60) gets a staff response within 5 business days, but files referred for Board review wait for the next meeting)

Will a Louisiana license get me into other compact states?

Yes, once Louisiana is your home state. Louisiana is operational, so an active, unencumbered Louisiana 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.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]