Counseling License from Texas to Florida: Does It Transfer? (2026)

What's different between Texas and Florida

Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Florida. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.

Route, each way

Texas to Florida (this page): Licensure by endorsement.

Florida to Texas (the reverse move): Full re-application.

The two directions differ: Texas and Florida do not give each other's licensees the same route.

Does coming from Texas matter?

Coming from Texas does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Florida.

Counseling Compact membership

Texas is not in the Counseling Compact; Florida 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

Florida lists $100 for an out-of-state applicant and Texas lists $165 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.

Processing time

Texas lists 6+ weeks for the reverse move; Florida has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.

Exam rules on record

Florida and Texas carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.

• Florida (this move): National exam is not retaken: the Board's LMHC page names the NCMHCE (NBCC) as the accepted exam, and an out-of-state applicant has NBCC send an official score report directly to the Board. Section 456.0145 accepts 'a passing score on a national licensure examination or ... a national certification recognized by the board'; the Board does not state whether an NCE-only licensee qualifies. No separate jurisprudence exam, but an 8-hour Florida Laws and Rules course is required before licensure.
• Texas (the reverse move): No endorsement route. The national exam already passed (NCE or NCMHCE) is not retaken: scores are requested from NBCC for direct submission to the Texas portal. Every applicant must also pass the Texas Jurisprudence Examination within six months before applying.

What changes, Texas → Florida

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

Step by step

1. Confirm Florida's current requirements on the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) website (linked below) — rules change.
2. Submit the endorsement application to the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) (application linked below).
3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
4. Hold an active, unencumbered mental health counseling license (similar scope of practice) in another state, DC or US territory.
5. Have actively practiced for at least 2 of the 4 years immediately before applying, with no disciplinary action in the past 5 years and no pending disciplinary proceeding. A National Practitioner Data Bank report makes you ineligible unless it was removed on appeal; if the reported conduct would not violate Florida law, the Board decides case by case (approve, approve with restrictions or probation, or deny).
6. Have NBCC send an official passing national exam score (NCMHCE) directly to the Board.
7. Complete a Board-approved 8-hour Florida Laws and Rules course and a 3-hour HIV/AIDS course (or file the HIV/AIDS affidavit).
8. Complete a Board-approved 2-hour domestic violence course within six months after licensure.
9. Submit electronic Livescan fingerprints through an FDLE-approved vendor for background screening.
10. Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.

Official links

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