Counseling License from Pennsylvania to Virginia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Virginia accept a Pennsylvania counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from Pennsylvania to Virginia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Virginia Board of Counseling (Department of Health Professions), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Virginia's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: 18VAC115-20-45 requires verification of a passing score on the exam required for counseling licensure in the jurisdiction where the applicant was licensed. No separate Virginia jurisprudence exam is listed for endorsement.
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Both states have enacted the Counseling Compact, but neither was issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-10-29. When both go operational, cross-border work between them could run on a privilege; a relocation would still need a Virginia license. The route is endorsement through the Virginia Board of Counseling (Department of Health Professions): your Pennsylvania license is verified, your NCE or NCMHCE score is credited under Virginia's own exam rule, and Virginia applies any jurisprudence and background checks it requires. Check which Virginia tier corresponds to your Pennsylvania license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.
What's different between Pennsylvania and Virginia
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Virginia. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Pennsylvania to Virginia (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Virginia to Pennsylvania (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Pennsylvania matter?
Coming from Pennsylvania does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Virginia.
- Counseling Compact membership
Pennsylvania has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not issuing under it yet; Virginia has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not issuing under it yet.
Because they are not both active members, the Counseling Compact does not cover this move.
- Application fee
Virginia lists $175 for an out-of-state applicant and Pennsylvania lists $100 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Virginia lists 6–9 weeks; Pennsylvania has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Virginia and Pennsylvania carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Virginia (this move): National exam is not retaken: 18VAC115-20-45 requires verification of a passing score on the exam required for counseling licensure in the jurisdiction where the applicant was licensed. No separate Virginia jurisprudence exam is listed for endorsement.
- Pennsylvania (the reverse move): No exam retake on the endorsement route: 49 Pa. Code 49.18 issues the license 'without examination'. Under the separate reciprocity rule (49.16) the Board accepts exam grades from another jurisdiction (e.g., the NCE) if the exam is similar and the passing grade at least equals Pennsylvania's, but only where that state grants reciprocity to Pennsylvania licensees. No state jurisprudence exam is required.
What changes, Pennsylvania → Virginia
| Pennsylvania (current) | Virginia (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Licensure by endorsement · Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement · Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| 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 (LPC 'Initial licensure by endorsement: application processing and initial licensure' fee per 18VAC115-20-20 (re-read 2026-09-27) and the Board's endorsement page; all fees nonrefundable. Virginia is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.) |
| Processing time | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications; an Act 41 applicant may be granted a provisional license at the Board's discretion | 6–9 weeks (board-stated '45 to 60 days from complete application' for Board approval, converted to weeks) |
| Licensing authority | Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors | Virginia Board of Counseling (Department of Health Professions) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Virginia sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Virginia's current requirements on the Virginia Board of Counseling (Department of Health Professions) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Virginia Board of Counseling (Department of Health Professions) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold or have held a professional counselor license in another U.S. jurisdiction that allows independent assessment, diagnosis and treatment of behavioral health conditions, with no unresolved action against any license.
- Verify all mental health or health professional licenses, certificates or registrations ever held.
- Submit verification of a passing score on the exam required for counseling licensure in the jurisdiction where you were licensed.
- Submit a certified National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) self-query report generated no more than 30 days before applying.
- Submit an official transcript documenting completion of a graduate degree program.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Virginia joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?
Not yet. Virginia had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-10-29, so counseling clients located in Virginia takes Virginia's own authorization, normally a Virginia license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- Virginia Administrative Code 18VAC115-20-45, Licensure by endorsement (as amended eff. 2026-07-02, Virginia Register Vol. 42 Iss. 20; Internet Archive copy of law.lis.virginia.gov, 2026-07-27 snapshot) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Virginia Administrative Code 18VAC115-20-20, Fees required by the board ($175 initial licensure by endorsement; Internet Archive copy, 2026-07-27 snapshot) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Virginia Board of Counseling: LPC by Endorsement (Internet Archive capture 2026-10-08, post-amendment; live dhp.virginia.gov unreachable on 2026-10-29) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Virginia Board of Counseling: Application Instructions, Licensure by Endorsement, LPC (Rev. 07/2026; Internet Archive capture 2026-10-08) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Pennsylvania Code 49 Pa. Code 49.18, Licensure by endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Pennsylvania Code 49 Pa. Code 49.16, Application for licensure by reciprocity ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Pennsylvania Code 49 Pa. Code 49.12, General qualifications (child abuse training, recommendations) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Pennsylvania Code 49 Pa. Code 47.4, Licensure fees ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- PA Department of State: Professional Counselor Licensure Snapshot (endorsement and Act 41) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- PA State Board: LPC application FAQs (Act 41 provisional license) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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