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LicenseReciprocity

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

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Virginia Board of Counseling (Department of Health Professions) ↗

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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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Both states have enacted the Counseling Compact, but neither was issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27. 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 changes, Pennsylvania → Virginia

Side-by-side: Pennsylvania vs Virginia (Counseling (LPC / LMHC)), verified 2026-09-27
Pennsylvania (current)Virginia (destination)
Counseling Compact statusCounseling Compact enacted — not yet issuingCounseling 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 timethe Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications; an Act 41 applicant may be granted a provisional license at the Board's discretion6–9 weeks (board-stated '45 to 60 days from complete application' for Board approval, converted to weeks)
Licensing authorityPennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional CounselorsVirginia 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

  1. Confirm Virginia's current requirements on the Virginia Board of Counseling (Department of Health Professions) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Virginia Board of Counseling (Department of Health Professions) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. 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.
  5. Verify all mental health or health professional licenses, certificates or registrations ever held.
  6. Submit verification of a passing score on the exam required for counseling licensure in the jurisdiction where you were licensed.
  7. Submit a current National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) self-query report.
  8. Submit an official transcript documenting completion of a graduate degree program.
  9. Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow 6–9 weeks (board-stated '45 to 60 days from complete application' for Board approval, converted to weeks).

Official links

Virginia Board of Counseling (Department of Health Professions) ↗Virginia application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Virginia → PennsylvaniaCounseling in PennsylvaniaCounseling in VirginiaAll counseling statesThe Counseling Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

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..

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

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.

What does the move cost?

$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.)

How long will it take?

6–9 weeks (board-stated '45 to 60 days from complete application' for Board approval, converted to weeks)

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 2026-09-27, 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 2026-09-27.

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

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