Transfer Your Social Work License to Vermont: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers ↗

Yes, by endorsement. The Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers issues Vermont's clinical-level social work license to social workers already licensed at the clinical level elsewhere, verifying your license and accepting your ASWB score rather than retesting you. Fee: $180 (Initial fee for the Clinical Social Worker license (OPR code 089) on OPR's fee chart (Internet Archive copy of 2026-04-14; outside.vermont.gov returned 403 to automated fetches). Biennial renewal is $120, due January 31 of even years.). Processing: OPR publishes no processing time for social work applications. Under its 90-day policy, a license issued within 90 days of the renewal date runs through the next full two-year cycle.. Vermont is a Social Work Licensure Compact state on paper only: nothing was being issued as of 2026-09-27, and endorsement through the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers is the route in.

Moving to Vermont from a specific state?

Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.

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Verdict

SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing

Being a compact state has not changed how Vermont licenses incoming social workers. The Social Work Licensure Compact is law here but was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers handles every out-of-state applicant through the steps below. If you expect to work across state lines later, a Vermont license will be a sensible base once the compact is running; the commission's stated target for its data system is Spring 2027.

Vermont's clinical license is the LICSW (Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker). The master's-level tier is the LMSW. Vermont has three out-of-state routes. (1) Endorsement (Rule 3.3): an active license from a substantially equivalent jurisdiction plus the jurisprudence exam. (2) The Five Year Rule (Rule 3.4), for applicants from non-equivalent jurisdictions: an active, unencumbered license, no disciplinary history, at least 1,200 hours a year of practice for at least five years, and the jurisprudence exam. (3) Fast Track Endorsement (3 V.S.A. 136a): social workers must have been licensed to practice independently, in good standing, for three or more years. By-exam LICSWs need 3,000 supervised hours. People practicing psychotherapy under supervision toward the LICSW must be on the Allied Mental Health roster. The LICSW application instructions PDF could not be retrieved (403, no archive copy), so the requirements were taken from the rules and web pages. Vermont has ENACTED the Social Work Licensure Compact, but the compact is not issuing multistate licenses yet.

Vermont requirements at a glance

Out-of-state social work license transfer requirements for Vermont, verified 2026-09-27
Exam	The ASWB exam is not retaken: an out-of-state LICSW from a substantially equivalent jurisdiction is licensed by endorsement without re-examination (CVR Social Work Rule 3.3). By-exam applicants need the ASWB clinical exam. Every route ALSO requires the Vermont jurisprudence examination.
Additional requirements	Hold an active independent clinical social work license (or equivalent) in a U.S. or Canadian jurisdiction whose requirements are substantially equivalent to Vermont's Pass the Vermont jurisprudence examination Have your other licensing jurisdiction(s) complete OPR's Verification of Licensure form Apply through OPR's online licensing system
Fees	$180 (Initial fee for the Clinical Social Worker license (OPR code 089) on OPR's fee chart (Internet Archive copy of 2026-04-14; outside.vermont.gov returned 403 to automated fetches). Biennial renewal is $120, due January 31 of even years.)
Processing time	OPR publishes no processing time for social work applications. Under its 90-day policy, a license issued within 90 days of the renewal date runs through the next full two-year cycle.

Step by step

Confirm Vermont's current requirements on the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers website — rules change.
Submit the endorsement application to the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers (application linked on this page).
Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
Hold an active independent clinical social work license (or equivalent) in a U.S. or Canadian jurisdiction whose requirements are substantially equivalent to Vermont's.
Pass the Vermont jurisprudence examination.
Have your other licensing jurisdiction(s) complete OPR's Verification of Licensure form.
Apply through OPR's online licensing system.
Pay the fees ($180 (Initial fee for the Clinical Social Worker license (OPR code 089) on OPR's fee chart (Internet Archive copy of 2026-04-14; outside.vermont.gov returned 403 to automated fetches). Biennial renewal is $120, due January 31 of even years.)) and allow OPR publishes no processing time for social work applications. Under its 90-day policy, a license issued within 90 days of the renewal date runs through the next full two-year cycle..

Official links

Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers ↗Vermont application ↗License verification ↗Social Work Licensure Compact ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Vermont:

All 39 origin states

Missouri → Vermont Nebraska → Vermont New Hampshire → Vermont New Jersey → Vermont New York → Vermont North Carolina → Vermont North Dakota → Vermont Ohio → Vermont Oklahoma → Vermont Pennsylvania → Vermont Rhode Island → Vermont South Dakota → Vermont Tennessee → Vermont Texas → Vermont Utah → Vermont Virginia → Vermont Washington → Vermont West Virginia → Vermont Wisconsin → Vermont

Nearby states

Social Work license transfer into the states bordering Vermont:

Vermont for other professions

Frequently asked questions

Does my social work license transfer to Vermont?

Do I have to retake the ASWB exam to get licensed in Vermont?

The ASWB exam is not retaken: an out-of-state LICSW from a substantially equivalent jurisdiction is licensed by endorsement without re-examination (CVR Social Work Rule 3.3). By-exam applicants need the ASWB clinical exam. Every route ALSO requires the Vermont jurisprudence examination. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.

How much does a Vermont clinical social work license cost for an out-of-state applicant?

$180 (Initial fee for the Clinical Social Worker license (OPR code 089) on OPR's fee chart (Internet Archive copy of 2026-04-14; outside.vermont.gov returned 403 to automated fetches). Biennial renewal is $120, due January 31 of even years.)

How long does the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers take?

OPR publishes no processing time for social work applications. Under its 90-day policy, a license issued within 90 days of the renewal date runs through the next full two-year cycle.

Is Vermont in the Social Work Licensure Compact?

Vermont has enacted it, but the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. No one can practice in Vermont on a compact license yet; endorsement through the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers is the route.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.

Vermont OPR — Social Worker Forms & Instructions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Vermont OPR — Social Work Administrative Rules, eff. 2017-07-01, Part 3 LICSW routes (Internet Archive copy of 2025-05-02) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Vermont OPR — Initial licensing and renewal fees chart (Internet Archive copy of 2026-04-14) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Vermont OPR — Fast Track Endorsement (3 V.S.A. 136a) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Vermont OPR — Social Worker FAQs ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (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]