Virginia licenses independent clinical counselors as the LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor), through the Virginia Board of Counseling (Department of Health Professions). Virginia has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not issuing privileges yet. Below: what Virginia asks of a counselor already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
Virginia LPC License Requirements
The independent clinical license in Virginia is the LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor).
Exams named for licensure: NCMHCE and NCE. The board accepts either the NCMHCE or the NCE. Endorsement applicants need a passing score on whatever exam their licensing state required (18VAC115-20-70).
2,000 hours of post-degree supervised experience for the independent license.
Those hours are completed under the associate credential, the Resident in Counseling (Resident in Counseling (temporary resident license)).
Licensed elsewhere: Since 2026-07-02, anyone who holds or has held a counselor license in another U.S. jurisdiction that allows independent assessment, diagnosis and treatment qualifies, with that state's exam score, a graduate transcript and an NPDB report. The rule sets no minimum years of practice.
How Much Does a Virginia LPC License Cost?
We have not published a Virginia figure yet
We have not verified Virginia Board of Counseling (Department of Health Professions)'s current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
Board: Virginia Board of Counseling (Department of Health Professions)
We handle the Virginia application end-to-end.
Eligibility screening, document prep, board follow-ups, and tracking — so you don't lose a board meeting cycle to a missing form.
View full pricingWhere Virginia Applications Get Delayed
Endorsement rule 18VAC115-20-45 was amended effective 2026-07-02: a current or past independent license anywhere in the U.S. plus that state's exam is enough.
The residency rule (18VAC115-20-52, last amended effective 2025-12-18) no longer states a 3,400-hour total. It requires at least 2,000 face-to-face client hours and 200 hours of supervision over at least 21 months, with 1,000 client hours and 100 supervision hours in the two years before applying.
Licenses renew every year, not every two years.
Supervisor attestations and verifications from other boards take the longest. Request them the week you decide to apply, not the week you file.
Renewing Your Virginia LPC License
Renewal Cycle
Every year
CE Requirement
20 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Counseling Compact and Virginia
Virginia has enacted the Counseling Compact (March 27, 2023), but it is not issuing or accepting privileges yet. Each member state has to finish its own setup, including FBI fingerprint authority, before it goes live. Until it does, practicing in Virginia takes a full Virginia license, and holding a Virginia license does not yet give you a privilege anywhere else.
Addiction counselors in Virginia
Virginia credentials addiction counselors as LSATP, CSAC and CSAC-A, through the Virginia Board of Counseling. That credential is separate from the LPC, and the Counseling Compact does not cover it. Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioner (license, 18VAC115-60); Certified Substance Abuse Counselor and CSAC-Assistant (certifications, 18VAC115-30).
Keeping it current
Virginia renews the LPC every year, with 20 hours of continuing education per cycle. Renews every June 30; 20 hours each year, at least 2 in ethics, standards or Virginia law. No CE is due at the first renewal after licensure by exam. If you hold licenses in several states, each runs its own calendar and its own CE rules, which is most of what our annual compliance service tracks.
Virginia LPC License FAQ
What is the counselor license called in Virginia?
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Can I use the Counseling Compact for Virginia?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in Virginia?
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Which exam does Virginia accept?
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Where these facts come from
Checked against primary sources. Boards change rules between sessions, so we confirm the current process again before anything is filed.
- endorsement requirements; amended eff. 2026-07-02 — checked 2026-10-08
- residency hours, supervision, 21-month minimum; amended eff. 2025-12-18 — checked 2026-10-08
- exam requirements incl. endorsement — checked 2026-10-08
- annual renewal by June 30 — checked 2026-10-08
- CE 20 hours per annual renewal — checked 2026-10-08
- NCMHCE or NCE; no separate law exam listed — checked 2026-10-08
- HB1433/SB802, compact not yet issuing privileges — checked 2026-10-08
- approved by governor 2023-03-27 (Chapter 684, effective 2024-01-01) — checked 2026-10-08
What Working with Us Costs
Transparent, a la carte service fees. Board, exam and fingerprinting fees are paid directly to those organizations. Our concierge fee is separate and is the only thing you pay us.
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