Counseling License from Tennessee to Georgia: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Yes, for working in Georgia — both Tennessee and Georgia are active members of the Counseling Compact. If Tennessee is your primary state of residence and your Tennessee license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in Georgia without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Georgia, you will need a Georgia license once Georgia becomes your home state.

National exam is not retaken: the applicant submits an official passing score on the NBCC NCE or NCMHCE. An applicant who has not passed either exam may be required to pass one before endorsement is considered. No Georgia jurisprudence exam is required for endorsement or for a compact privilege.

To work in Georgia while living in Tennessee: a $30 commission fee plus Georgia's state privilege fee, paid in CompactConnect. To relocate and take a Georgia license: $100 ($100 non-refundable LPC endorsement application fee; the 05/02/2023 paper form lists $110, which includes a $10 mail-in processing fee. The current online GOALS fee schedule (goals.sos.ga.gov) returned HTTP 403 and could not be checked. Fingerprint background check paid separately to the vendor; NBCC score-report fee separate. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Georgia charges $100 + $30 commission admin fee = $130 for a privilege; no jurisprudence exam).)

A privilege can issue once CompactConnect confirms your eligibility and any Georgia jurisprudence requirement is done, usually well ahead of a license. A Georgia license for a relocation: ~5 weeks (the endorsement application form says to allow up to 25 business days (about 5 weeks) to process a complete application. The Board may also take up the file at a meeting, and an application must be complete 15 days before a meeting to be placed on its agenda. Incomplete applications are withdrawn after 60 days.)

Yes, on a Georgia privilege. It covers telehealth and in-person counseling with clients located in Georgia, as long as your Tennessee license stays active and unencumbered and Tennessee remains your primary residence.

No. A privilege is for practice away from your home state, not for moving. Once you relocate, Georgia is your home state and you need a Georgia license. Because both states are compact members, Georgia verifies you through the compact's data system, and you complete its background checks and any jurisprudence requirement.