Transfer Your Social Work License to Virginia: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Does my social work license transfer to Virginia?
A clinical social work license moves to Virginia through licensure by endorsement with the Virginia Board of Social Work (Department of Health Professions): license verification, your ASWB score sent by score transfer, and Virginia's own checks. Expect $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.); no verified processing time. Virginia has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but it was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so the compact does not change this application.
Moving to Virginia from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing
Virginia's legislature has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, and you may see Virginia described as a compact state. In practice that means nothing yet. No multistate license has been issued anywhere, there is no application to file, and a license from another compact state gives you no right to practice in Virginia. Plan on the endorsement file below; the compact becomes relevant only once the commission launches, and its stated target for the data system that launch depends on is Spring 2027.
Virginia's clinical license is the LCSW. The other tiers are the LBSW and LMSW. Endorsement is governed by 18VAC140-20-45 and is open to anyone with an active, unrestricted license comparable to the Virginia LCSW. The Board's endorsement checklist does not list a supervised-hours comparison or a fingerprint check. Every Board page was read from Internet Archive copies (April and May 2026) because the dhp.virginia.gov hosts did not resolve on 2026-09-27; re-check the live site. Virginia has ENACTED the Social Work Licensure Compact (the Board's menu has a 'Social Work Compact' page), but the compact is not issuing multistate licenses yet.
Virginia requirements at a glance
| Exam | 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. |
|---|---|
| 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.) |
| Processing time | 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 |
Step by step
- Confirm Virginia's current requirements on the Virginia Board of Social Work (Department of Health Professions) website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Virginia Board of Social Work (Department of Health Professions) (application linked on this page).
- 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 listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Virginia:
Nearby states
Social Work license transfer into the states bordering Virginia:
Virginia for other professions
- Nursing in Virginia
- Cosmetology / Barber in Virginia
- Real Estate in Virginia
- Contractor in Virginia
- Teaching in Virginia
- CPA / Accounting in Virginia
- Electrician in Virginia
- Plumber in Virginia
- Engineering in Virginia
- Pharmacy in Virginia
- Physical Therapy in Virginia
- Psychology in Virginia
- Counseling in Virginia
- Occupational Therapy in Virginia
Frequently asked questions
Is Virginia in the Social Work Licensure Compact?
Virginia has enacted it, but the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. No one can practice in Virginia on a compact license yet; endorsement through the Virginia Board of Social Work (Department of Health Professions) is the route.
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)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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