Northern Mariana Islands licenses independent clinical social workers as the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker), through the Commonwealth Health Care Professions Licensing Board. Northern Mariana Islands is not a Social Work Licensure Compact member. Below: what Northern Mariana Islands asks of a social worker already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
Northern Mariana Islands Social Work License Requirements
Northern Mariana Islands licenses social workers at 3 levels: the LBSW (Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker), the LMSW (Licensed Master's Social Worker) and the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).
LBSW: ASWB Bachelors. BSW from a CSWE- or CASSW-accredited or Board-approved program. No private practice, diagnosis or psychotherapy (NMIAC § 185-10-2335).
LMSW: ASWB Masters. MSW. May practice clinical social work in an agency under clinical supervision and may run a non-clinical private practice.
LCSW: ASWB Clinical. Master's or doctorate in social work plus two years of continuous full-time supervised postgraduate clinical work (§ 185-10-2315(a)(3)).
Independent clinical practice requires the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).
Licensed elsewhere: License without examination for someone with a valid, active social work license at the same level in another U.S. state or territory who substantially meets CNMI requirements, if that jurisdiction's standards are at least as stringent (NMIAC § 185-10-2325). No minimum years licensed.
How Much Does a Northern Mariana Islands Social Work License Cost?
We have not published a Northern Mariana Islands figure yet
We have not verified Commonwealth Health Care Professions Licensing Board's current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
We handle the Northern Mariana Islands 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 Northern Mariana Islands Applications Get Delayed
The LCSW rule states experience in years, not hours: two years of continuous full-time postgraduate clinical work, with at least one hour of supervision a week in an agency that provides clinical diagnosis and psychotherapy (§§ 185-10-2315, -2320).
Applicants must be at least 21 and a U.S. citizen or a foreign national lawfully entitled to work in the Commonwealth. The Board must approve you before you register for the ASWB exam, which is given at the Pearson center on Saipan (§§ 185-10-2310, -2315).
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 Northern Mariana Islands Social Work License
Renewal Cycle
Every 2 years
CE Requirement
30 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Social Work Compact and Northern Mariana Islands
Northern Mariana Islands is not a Social Work Licensure Compact member, so a multistate license will not cover practice here even once the Compact opens. Seeing clients located in Northern Mariana Islands takes a Northern Mariana Islands license, by endorsement where the state offers it or a full application where it does not.
Keeping it current
Northern Mariana Islands renews social work licenses every 2 years, with 30 hours of continuing education per cycle. Licenses expire two years after issuance or renewal. CE per renewal: LCSW 30 hours, LMSW 25, LBSW 20 (§§ 185-10-2350, -2370). Holding licenses in several states means several calendars and several sets of CE rules, which is most of what our annual compliance service tracks.
Northern Mariana Islands Social Work License FAQ
What social work licenses does Northern Mariana Islands issue?
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Can I use the Social Work Compact for Northern Mariana Islands?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in Northern Mariana Islands?
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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.
- board name and URL (200, no redirect); links to Part 2300 and social work applications — checked 2026-10-08
- NMIAC Part 2300 (Law Revision Commission, 2020): levels, ASWB exams, LCSW experience, supervision, endorsement, CE, renewal — checked 2026-10-08
- Social Work Licensure Compact map: Northern Marianas, No Active Legislation — 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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