Login

Relocating While Getting Licensed

 

A question that often comes up when it comes to getting licensed is, “What happens if I move?” Because each state has its own licensing board, this can be a tricky question to answer.  It is important to know how changing your location can affect the pursuit of your license.  Some individuals may worry that they will lose supervision hours or that they will have to retake the ASWB exam. Some individuals may even be looking into moving out of the country at some point and need to know how it will affect their license.

According to ASWB, there is currently no system of reciprocity from state to state. This means that there is no way to directly transfer your license from one state to another. Therefore if you are moving to another state within the US, you will need to check with their licensing board to find out what you need and be prepared to provide ample documentation of any supervision hours that you have accumulated. It is fairly easy to transfer your ASWB exam scores from state to state, but be aware that California operates under an entirely different test. Moving to or from California will require that you partake in additional testing procedures.

The ASWB does not require that you take the test in the state in which you wish to be licensed, but it does require that you list your intended jurisdiction on the test.  This means that if you are currently in school in one state, but know that you will be moving, you can go ahead and take the test with your new location in mind. The ASWB exam is offered in over 200 locations in the United States and it can also be taken in various international locations.

If you are thinking about moving to an area outside of the United States, it is important to check with your state’s licensing board to make sure that everything lines up and to see if supervision hours will count while you are overseas. You can access this information from the ASWB website (aswb.org). 

September 19, 2013

Copyright 2021 Independent Study, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sign Up for News & Updates

top