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LicenseReciprocity

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

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists (OBLPCT) ↗

A counseling license transfers from Pennsylvania to Oregon by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists (OBLPCT), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Oregon's endorsement requirements. Competency exam (NCE, NCMHCE or CRC) is not retaken if passed within 10 years of applying; reciprocity applicants whose exam is 10+ years old must retake it or document CE meeting Division 80 in the prior 24 months, and applicants who have held a comparable license for at least two years may substitute that CE for exam verification (OAR 833-020-0081). All applicants must also pass the Oregon Law and Rules exam..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

A counseling license moves from Pennsylvania to Oregon 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 Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists (OBLPCT), which verifies your Pennsylvania license and standing, matches it to Oregon's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any Oregon jurisprudence and background requirements.

What changes, Pennsylvania → Oregon

Side-by-side: Pennsylvania vs Oregon (Counseling (LPC / LMHC)), verified 2026-09-27
Pennsylvania (current)Oregon (destination)
Counseling Compact statusCounseling Compact enacted — not yet issuingLicensure by endorsement
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.)$175 (application fee per OAR 833-070-0011(1) and the Board's Apply page; + $45 fingerprint-based background check (Board page: $220 total at application); initial license fee $115 after approval; exam fees paid to exam providers. Oregon has not enacted the Counseling Compact.)
Processing timethe Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications; an Act 41 applicant may be granted a provisional license at the Board's discretionthe Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications
Licensing authorityPennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional CounselorsOregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists (OBLPCT)

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

Step by step

  1. Confirm Oregon's current requirements on the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists (OBLPCT) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists (OBLPCT) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold a current, active license to practice professional counseling issued by another state (OAR 833-020-0051(2)).
  5. Submit official verification of every healthcare license, registration or certification ever held.
  6. Document education and supervised clinical experience equivalent to Oregon's; three or more years of active out-of-state licensure is presumed to meet the experience requirement and may substitute for the degree-content requirements (OAR 833-030-0021(4)(b), 833-030-0011).
  7. Submit competency exam verification (or the CE substitute) and pass the Oregon Law and Rules exam.
  8. Complete a fingerprint-based criminal background check within 90 days before applying.
  9. Pay the fees ($175 (application fee per OAR 833-070-0011(1) and the Board's Apply page; + $45 fingerprint-based background check (Board page: $220 total at application); initial license fee $115 after approval; exam fees paid to exam providers. Oregon has not enacted the Counseling Compact.)) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications.

Official links

Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists (OBLPCT) ↗Oregon application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Oregon → PennsylvaniaCounseling in PennsylvaniaCounseling in OregonAll counseling statesThe Counseling Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Oregon accept a Pennsylvania counseling license?

A counseling license transfers from Pennsylvania to Oregon by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists (OBLPCT), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Oregon's endorsement requirements. Competency exam (NCE, NCMHCE or CRC) is not retaken if passed within 10 years of applying; reciprocity applicants whose exam is 10+ years old must retake it or document CE meeting Division 80 in the prior 24 months, and applicants who have held a comparable license for at least two years may substitute that CE for exam verification (OAR 833-020-0081). All applicants must also pass the Oregon Law and Rules exam..

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

Competency exam (NCE, NCMHCE or CRC) is not retaken if passed within 10 years of applying; reciprocity applicants whose exam is 10+ years old must retake it or document CE meeting Division 80 in the prior 24 months, and applicants who have held a comparable license for at least two years may substitute that CE for exam verification (OAR 833-020-0081). All applicants must also pass the Oregon Law and Rules exam.

What does the move cost?

$175 (application fee per OAR 833-070-0011(1) and the Board's Apply page; + $45 fingerprint-based background check (Board page: $220 total at application); initial license fee $115 after approval; exam fees paid to exam providers. Oregon has not enacted the Counseling Compact.)

How long will it take?

the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications.

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]