Social Work License from Minnesota to Virginia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Virginia Board of Social Work (Department of Health Professions) ↗
Both Minnesota and Virginia have enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but multistate licenses are not yet being issued (as of 2026-09-27). Until the compact activates, transfer your social work license the standard way: apply for licensure by endorsement.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Compact enacted — endorsement for now
Interim path until the compact activates: licensure by endorsement.
Minnesota and Virginia have both enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but it was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27. Shared enactment changes nothing about this move today: you apply to the Virginia Board of Social Work (Department of Health Professions) through its standard out-of-state process below, and your ASWB score is transferred, not retaken.
Minnesota calls its clinical license the LICSW. Virginia knows the same tier by its own title, so apply for the Virginia license that authorizes independent clinical practice rather than one whose initials happen to match.
What changes, Minnesota → Virginia
| Minnesota (current) | Virginia (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $115 (Endorsement application fee $115, or $147 when paid together with the fingerprint criminal background check fee (Board application form, 2025 fee update; statutory maximum in Minn. Stat. 148E.180 subd. 1 is $115). After approval, the LICSW license fee is up to $335 (148E.180 subd. 2, prorated if the first term is not 24 months). All steps must be completed within one year of application.) | $165 (LCSW by Endorsement application fee per the Board's application instructions (rev. 09/2024), non-refundable and paid in the online portal. NPDB self-query costs are extra.) |
| Processing time | No processing time is published in the materials reviewed; the application closes if not completed within one year. | The Board says complete, fully documented applications are reviewed within 30 days of receipt (about 4 weeks to first review). Incomplete applications stay open for one year. |
| Licensing authority | Minnesota Board of Social Work | Virginia Board of Social Work (Department of Health Professions) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Virginia sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Virginia's current requirements on the Virginia Board of Social Work (Department of Health Professions) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Virginia Board of Social Work (Department of Health Professions) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active, unrestricted social work license comparable to Virginia's LCSW (18VAC140-20-45).
- Upload verification of every health or mental health license you hold or have held (online verification printouts accepted).
- Upload a National Practitioner Data Bank self-query report generated within 30 days of applying.
- Have ASWB transfer your Clinical exam score to Virginia.
- Explain any criminal conviction, past action or possible impairment with supporting documents (Guidance Document 140-2).
- Pay the fees ($165 (LCSW by Endorsement application fee per the Board's application instructions (rev. 09/2024), non-refundable and paid in the online portal. NPDB self-query costs are extra.)) and allow The Board says complete, fully documented applications are reviewed within 30 days of receipt (about 4 weeks to first review). Incomplete applications stay open for one year..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Virginia accept a Minnesota social work license?
Both Minnesota and Virginia have enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but multistate licenses are not yet being issued (as of 2026-09-27). Until the compact activates, transfer your social work license the standard way: apply for licensure by endorsement.
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Minnesota to Virginia?
The ASWB exam is not retaken: ask ASWB to transfer your passing ASWB Clinical exam score to Virginia before applying. If you were licensed at the clinical level without taking the ASWB exam, the Board may accept evidence that the other jurisdiction required no national exam at the time. No Virginia jurisprudence exam is listed. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Minnesota-to-Virginia move cost and how long does it take?
$165 (LCSW by Endorsement application fee per the Board's application instructions (rev. 09/2024), non-refundable and paid in the online portal. NPDB self-query costs are extra.) Processing: The Board says complete, fully documented applications are reviewed within 30 days of receipt (about 4 weeks to first review). Incomplete applications stay open for one year.
Minnesota and Virginia are both compact states. Can I practice in Virginia on my Minnesota license?
No. The Social Work Licensure Compact was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so it authorizes no practice in Virginia. You need a Virginia license from the Virginia Board of Social Work (Department of Health Professions).
Will Virginia accept the supervised hours I completed in Minnesota?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Virginia's rule, where the Virginia Board of Social Work (Department of Health Professions) 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.
- Virginia Board of Social Work — LCSW Endorsement (Internet Archive copy of 2026-04-14; dhp.virginia.gov failed DNS resolution from our fetcher on 2026-09-27) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Virginia Board of Social Work — LCSW by Endorsement Application Instructions, rev. 09/2024 (Internet Archive copy of 2026-05-10) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Minnesota Statutes 148E.055 License requirements (subd. 5a LICSW by endorsement) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Minnesota Statutes 148E.180 Fee amounts ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Minnesota Board of Social Work — Standard License Application, Information and Instructions (2025 fees update) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Minnesota Board of Social Work — Requirements for Social Work Licensure in Minnesota (presentation, March 26, 2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]