Social Work License from Georgia to New Mexico: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: New Mexico Board of Social Work Examiners (Regulation & Licensing Department) ↗
A social work license transfers from Georgia to New Mexico by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New Mexico Board of Social Work Examiners (Regulation & Licensing Department), verify your Georgia license, and meet New Mexico's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken by out-of-state licensees on the reciprocity/expedited route (Clinical exam for the LCSW). All applicants, including reciprocity applicants, must pass New Mexico's online jurisprudence exam inside the application (70% to pass, 3 attempts)..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. Georgia has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and New Mexico has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the New Mexico Board of Social Work Examiners (Regulation & Licensing Department)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.
What changes, Georgia → New Mexico
| Georgia (current) | New Mexico (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $100 (The Board's fee schedule (04/18/2023) lists a $100 application fee for CSW applications, plus a $10 processing fee on mail-in applications. The Board no longer accepts paper applications, and GOALS shows the current fee schedule. The schedule's separate $350 licensure-by-endorsement fee is marked 'NOT APPLICABLE TO SOCIAL WORKERS'.) | $125 (Clinical Social Worker application for licensure fee $125, nonrefundable (Board fee page). No separate fingerprint fee is stated on the fee page.) |
| Processing time | ~4 weeks (The Board says applications are generally processed within 20 business days of receipt (about 4 weeks). The count restarts after a deficiency letter. Complete applications then go to the next Board meeting and must arrive at least 15 days before it.) | No processing time is published; the Board says it will decide whether a file goes through Expedited Licensure or Reciprocity and emails status letters listing required documents. |
| Licensing authority | Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage & Family Therapists | New Mexico Board of Social Work Examiners (Regulation & Licensing Department) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — New Mexico sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm New Mexico's current requirements on the New Mexico Board of Social Work Examiners (Regulation & Licensing Department) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the New Mexico Board of Social Work Examiners (Regulation & Licensing Department) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Apply online for the LCSW, answering 'Yes' to holding a social work license outside New Mexico so the reciprocity section opens.
- Enter your out-of-state license number, issuing state and dates, and upload the documents the portal requests for reciprocity.
- Pass the New Mexico jurisprudence exam within the application.
- Verify that you meet New Mexico's cultural-awareness requirement (the Board offers a 6-hour NM culture course).
- Pay the fees ($125 (Clinical Social Worker application for licensure fee $125, nonrefundable (Board fee page). No separate fingerprint fee is stated on the fee page.)) and allow No processing time is published; the Board says it will decide whether a file goes through Expedited Licensure or Reciprocity and emails status letters listing required documents..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does New Mexico accept a Georgia social work license?
A social work license transfers from Georgia to New Mexico by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New Mexico Board of Social Work Examiners (Regulation & Licensing Department), verify your Georgia license, and meet New Mexico's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken by out-of-state licensees on the reciprocity/expedited route (Clinical exam for the LCSW). All applicants, including reciprocity applicants, must pass New Mexico's online jurisprudence exam inside the application (70% to pass, 3 attempts)..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Georgia to New Mexico?
The ASWB exam is not retaken by out-of-state licensees on the reciprocity/expedited route (Clinical exam for the LCSW). All applicants, including reciprocity applicants, must pass New Mexico's online jurisprudence exam inside the application (70% to pass, 3 attempts). ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Georgia-to-New Mexico move cost and how long does it take?
$125 (Clinical Social Worker application for licensure fee $125, nonrefundable (Board fee page). No separate fingerprint fee is stated on the fee page.) Processing: No processing time is published; the Board says it will decide whether a file goes through Expedited Licensure or Reciprocity and emails status letters listing required documents.
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. Georgia has enacted it and New Mexico has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the New Mexico Board of Social Work Examiners (Regulation & Licensing Department) is the route.
Will New Mexico accept the supervised hours I completed in Georgia?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. New Mexico's rule, where the New Mexico Board of Social Work Examiners (Regulation & Licensing Department) publishes one, is in the requirements on this page; confirm with the board if your hours were logged under a different structure.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- NM Board of Social Work Examiners — LCSW Application Manual (July 2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NM Board of Social Work Examiners — FAQs (out-of-state licensees: expedited licensure or reciprocity) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NM Board of Social Work Examiners — Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NM Board of Social Work Examiners — Licensing, Registration, and Renewal ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Georgia Secretary of State — How to Guide: Clinical Social Worker ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Georgia Composite Board — Fee Schedule (04/18/2023) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 135-5-.04 — Clinical Social Workers (official rule text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 135-3-.04 — Licensure by Endorsement (PC and MFT only) (official rule text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Georgia Composite Board — Clinical Social Worker Form N (verification of licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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