Transfer Your Counseling License to Washington: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Washington State Department of Health, Licensed Mental Health Counselor program ↗
A counselor licensed elsewhere gets into Washington by endorsement through the Washington State Department of Health, Licensed Mental Health Counselor program, subject to Washington's own rule on the national exam (see below). Washington is a Counseling Compact state on paper only for now: it had not begun issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27. Fee: $95 (LMHC application fee per WAC 246-809-990; initial license fee $80 and UW HEAL-WA online access fee $16 are charged separately. Applicants on the reciprocity/probationary route also pay the probationary 'application and initial license' fee of $175. Washington is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.). Processing: DOH publishes no processing timeframe for out-of-state LMHC applications on the pages read.
Moving to Washington from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing
Washington has passed the Counseling Compact into law, and its board may describe the state as having joined, but as of 2026-09-27 it was not issuing or accepting privileges. That makes Washington a non-compact state in practice: no privilege lets you see a client located here, in person or by telehealth, and a Washington license cannot yet anchor privileges elsewhere. Plan on a Washington license by endorsement, and check the commission's announcements, because states have been switching on every few weeks.
Washington's independent tier is the Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC); the LMHC Associate is the supervised tier. Under RCW 18.130.077 (criteria effective 2023-07-23), a counselor licensed for at least two years in a substantially equivalent state, with no discipline, receives the LMHC without repeating education or exams, reviewed case by case. DOH found 39 states' scopes equivalent and named 11 that are not. Applicants from those 11 states can get a one-year probationary license (renewable once) while closing the gap. DOH publishes the 11 non-equivalent states by name but gives the equivalent ones only through a lookup tool, so reciprocity_partners stays [] (an equivalence list is an eligibility test, not automatic reciprocity). This is endorsement, not full reciprocity. Washington has enacted the Counseling Compact (DOH has a Counseling Compact page) but is not yet issuing or accepting privileges; compact_member and compact_status are assembler-provided.
Washington requirements at a glance
| Exam | Applicants from a substantially equivalent state obtain the license 'without repeating education or exams already completed in another state' (DOH out-of-state page); the specific national exam Washington accepts was not stated on the pages read. No Washington jurisprudence exam is listed for out-of-state applicants. |
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| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | $95 (LMHC application fee per WAC 246-809-990; initial license fee $80 and UW HEAL-WA online access fee $16 are charged separately. Applicants on the reciprocity/probationary route also pay the probationary 'application and initial license' fee of $175. Washington is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.) |
| Processing time | DOH publishes no processing timeframe for out-of-state LMHC applications on the pages read |
Step by step
- Confirm Washington's current requirements on the Washington State Department of Health, Licensed Mental Health Counselor program website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Washington State Department of Health, Licensed Mental Health Counselor program (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current license in a state DOH considers substantially equivalent, held for at least two years, with no history of disciplinary action (RCW 18.130.077).
- Have been first licensed in a substantially equivalent state; a later license from a universal-licensure state does not cure a non-equivalent original license (SHB 1724).
- From a state whose scope DOH found not substantially equivalent (Arkansas, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, South Carolina, Wisconsin), apply for both the probationary license and the full LMHC and close the gap within the probationary period.
- Use the DOH state credential search tool to confirm which out-of-state pathway applies.
- Pay the fees ($95 (LMHC application fee per WAC 246-809-990; initial license fee $80 and UW HEAL-WA online access fee $16 are charged separately. Applicants on the reciprocity/probationary route also pay the probationary 'application and initial license' fee of $175. Washington is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.)) and allow DOH publishes no processing timeframe for out-of-state LMHC applications on the pages read.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Washington:
Nearby states
Counseling license transfer into the states bordering Washington:
Washington for other professions
- Nursing in Washington
- Cosmetology / Barber in Washington
- Real Estate in Washington
- Contractor in Washington
- Teaching in Washington
- CPA / Accounting in Washington
- Electrician in Washington
- Plumber in Washington
- Engineering in Washington
- Pharmacy in Washington
- Physical Therapy in Washington
- Psychology in Washington
- Social Work in Washington
- Occupational Therapy in Washington
Frequently asked questions
Does my counseling license transfer to Washington?
A counselor licensed elsewhere gets into Washington by endorsement through the Washington State Department of Health, Licensed Mental Health Counselor program, subject to Washington's own rule on the national exam (see below). Washington is a Counseling Compact state on paper only for now: it had not begun issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27. Fee: $95 (LMHC application fee per WAC 246-809-990; initial license fee $80 and UW HEAL-WA online access fee $16 are charged separately. Applicants on the reciprocity/probationary route also pay the probationary 'application and initial license' fee of $175. Washington is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.). Processing: DOH publishes no processing timeframe for out-of-state LMHC applications on the pages read.
Do I have to retake the NCE or NCMHCE to get licensed in Washington?
Applicants from a substantially equivalent state obtain the license 'without repeating education or exams already completed in another state' (DOH out-of-state page); the specific national exam Washington accepts was not stated on the pages read. No Washington jurisprudence exam is listed for out-of-state applicants.
How much does a Washington counseling license cost by endorsement?
$95 (LMHC application fee per WAC 246-809-990; initial license fee $80 and UW HEAL-WA online access fee $16 are charged separately. Applicants on the reciprocity/probationary route also pay the probationary 'application and initial license' fee of $175. Washington is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.)
How long does Washington take to process the application?
DOH publishes no processing timeframe for out-of-state LMHC applications on the pages read.
Is Washington in the Counseling Compact?
Washington has enacted the compact but was not yet operational as of 2026-09-27, so it neither issues nor accepts privileges. For now you need Washington's own authorization, normally a Washington license, to practice with clients located in Washington.
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
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