Currently Licensed in Another Jurisdiction

If you are currently licensed by a state, territorial, provincial, or foreign licensing agency as a social worker, you may apply for licensure through endorsement.  Endorsement in Minnesota does not allow for the automatic transfer of your current license; you must meet and provide verification of all Minnesota requirements.  The requirements are described below. 

According to Minnesota Statutes, Section 148E.055, subdivision 3 (6) (e), within one year of the time the board receives an application for licensure, you must meet all the requirements.   If you do not meet all the requirements, or do not provide all of the information requested, you will be considered ineligible and the application for licensure must be closed.

Applying for licensure by using the Board’s “Online License Application Service” available at the Board’s website www.socialwork.state.mn.us is easy.  You may also download the application materials at the Board’s website by going to the “Links” column and clicking on “Downloadable Forms.” 

Please contact the Board via email at social.work@state.mn.us if you need additional information.

• Academic Degree:  Obtain a baccalaureate or graduate degree in social work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the Canadian Association of Schools of Social Work (CASSW), or a similar accreditation body designated by the board.
• Examination:  Obtain a passing score at the required level of the national social work licensure examination provided by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB).  If you have taken the examination previously, you may transfer your exam score rather than taking the examination again.
• Supervised Practice:  At the time of application, fulfill the supervised practice requirements if you are applying for an LISW or LICSW.  For more information, click the following link:  (Link to “Supervised Practice Requirements”)

Step by Step Instructions

1)   Submit an Application for Licensure

• The application must be completed and signed.
• An application which is not completed and signed, or which is not accompanied by the correct fee, is void and will be returned.
• The Board and testing sites are required to make reasonable accommodations for applicants who have a disability recognized under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and applicants for whom English is a second language (ESL).  If you need either of these accommodations, the applicable forms are included with the application materials. 

2)   Submit the Criminal History Background Check form

• As required in Minnesota Statutes, Section 148E.055, subdivision 8, all applicants are required to complete and submit the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) Background Check form with the required fee.

• Submit the endorsement application fee of $85, which is the same for all licenses (LSW, LGSW, LISW and LICSW), plus the required $15 BCA background check fee.  The fee may be paid by credit care if submitting an online application or, if submitting a paper application, by personal check, cashier’s check, or money order made payable to the Minnesota Board of Social Work,  See the table below.

4)   Consider whether you wish to apply for a temporary license

• Pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, Section 148E.060, subdivision 2, a temporary license authorizes you to practice social work in Minnesota as a social worker currently licensed in another state planning to practice in Minnesota, with or without having applied for a permanent license, provided that you have 1) completed all degree requirements, and 2) have submitted evidence satisfactory to the Board verifying your current license.   
• A temporary license is valid for up to six months.
• An applicant who is engaged in the unauthorized practice of social work in Minnesota at the time of application is ineligible.
• For more information, click the following link: “Temporary Licenses”

5)   Submit official transcript verifying your degree

• An official transcript must be sent directly to the Board from the college or university verifying your major, degree granted, and the date of the degree.

6)   Submit Supervision Verification Form

• This is not required if you are applying for the LSW or the LGSW license.

• Complete the Board’s Supervision Verification form only if applying for the LISW or LICSW license.

7)   Submit a Verification of License

• You must request the state in which you are currently licensed to provide an official verification of licensure to the Board.  A copy of your license credential is not sufficient.
• You may use the form provided in the application materials. 

8)   Take or verify completion of the ASWB national licensure examination

• If you have already taken the ASWB examination required for licensure in Minnesota, contact ASWB at 800.225.6880 to request that an Official Score Transfer Report be sent directly to the Board.
• If you are required to take the examination, after all application materials have been approved, the Board will send you notification of approval for the examination and instructions regarding the examination process.

9)   Payment of license fee

• After the Board receives verification of your passing examination score and all other requirements are met, you will be sent a letter notifying you of approval for licensure, contingent upon payment of the licensure fee.
• This letter will indicate your specific licensing fee.  The fee, in addition to meeting all requirements, must be submitted within one year of the time the Board receives an application for licensure.
• Your license is effective the date the Board receives this fee.
• The initial licensure fee is prorated from the effective date of your license until your first biennial renewal/expiration date.  The first renewal date will be the last day of your birth month in the second calendar year after your effective date of licensure, and every two years after that date. 

*Paper and online renewal fees submitted on or after July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2015 will be assessed the mandatory OET Surcharge of 10%.  A law passed by the 2009 Minnesota Legislature, initiated by OET, requires a 10% surcharge of no less than $5 and no more than $150 on each business, commercial, professional, or occupational license, including social work licenses.  The OET will establish a statewide “one stop” electronic licensing system with the money collected.  [See Minnesota Statutes, section 16E.22.]

Revised 08/2011