Counseling License from Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas to Oregon by endorsement. Neither Texas nor Oregon is operational in the Counseling Compact, so it plays no part in this move. You apply to the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists (OBLPCT), which verifies your Texas 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, Texas → Oregon
| Texas (current) | Oregon (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Full re-application required | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $165 (LPC Associate/LPC/Provisional License Application fee per 22 TAC 885.1(b) as amended in the 2026-03-13 Texas Register ($154 base + $6 Texas.gov + $5 OPP); this is the ordinary LPC application fee, since Texas has no separate endorsement fee. Jurisprudence exam $39; fingerprinting paid to the vendor. Texas has not enacted the Counseling Compact.) | $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 time | ~6 weeks (BHEC's out-of-state LPC application guide says 'Please allow at least 6 weeks for processing before contacting BHEC for a status update'; no maximum is stated) | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications |
| Licensing authority | Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC), Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors | Oregon 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
- Confirm Oregon's current requirements on the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists (OBLPCT) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists (OBLPCT) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current, active license to practice professional counseling issued by another state (OAR 833-020-0051(2)).
- Submit official verification of every healthcare license, registration or certification ever held.
- 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).
- Submit competency exam verification (or the CE substitute) and pass the Oregon Law and Rules exam.
- Complete a fingerprint-based criminal background check within 90 days before applying.
- 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
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Oregon accept a Texas counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas 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.
- OBLPCT: Apply for a License (reciprocity method, required materials, $175 + $45 fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- OBLPCT: ORS 675 (2025) and OAR 833 compilation, revised 2/26 (ORS 675.735; OAR 833-020-0051, 833-020-0081, 833-030-0011, 833-030-0021, 833-030-0041, 833-070-0011) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- BHEC: Applying for an LPC License, Licensed in Another Jurisdiction (no reciprocity, endorsement or temporary licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- BHEC: How to Apply for an LPC License from Out of State (online application guide, 6-week processing note) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Texas Register 2026-03-13: Figure 22 TAC 885.1(b), BHEC fee schedule ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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