Puerto Rico's social work licensing runs through Junta Examinadora de Profesionales del Trabajo Social de Puerto Rico (Departamento de Estado, Secretaría Auxiliar de Juntas Examinadoras). Puerto Rico is not a Social Work Licensure Compact member. Below: what Puerto Rico asks of a social worker already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
Puerto Rico Social Work License Requirements
Puerto Rico licenses social workers at 3 levels: the Licencia Provisional (Profesional del Trabajo Social Licenciado(a) Provisional (provisional license)), the Licencia Permanente por Experiencia (Profesional del Trabajo Social Licenciado(a) Permanente por Experiencia (permanent license by experience)) and the Licencia Permanente por Maestría (Profesional del Trabajo Social Licenciado(a) Permanente por Maestría (permanent license by master's degree)).
Licensed elsewhere: Ley 171 has no reciprocity or endorsement provision, and the Junta accepts applications only from legal residents of Puerto Rico. A social worker from elsewhere applies through the same provisional or permanent routes.
How Much Does a Puerto Rico Social Work License Cost?
We have not published a Puerto Rico figure yet
We have not verified Junta Examinadora de Profesionales del Trabajo Social de Puerto Rico (Departamento de Estado, Secretaría Auxiliar de Juntas Examinadoras)'s current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
We handle the Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico Applications Get Delayed
Puerto Rico has no endorsement shortcut, so a social worker licensed elsewhere documents education, supervised hours and the ASWB exam as a new applicant would.
Puerto Rico licenses social work at the bachelor's and master's level only and has no separate clinical license. Applications go through Professional Credential Services (PCS) for the Departamento de Estado. Applicants must be legal residents of Puerto Rico and supply three references from social workers licensed in Puerto Rico.
Ley 171 made membership in the Colegio de Profesionales del Trabajo Social a condition of practice. The Puerto Rico Supreme Court held compulsory membership unconstitutional on June 10, 2024 (Rivera Ramos v. ELA, 2024 TSPR 58). The Junta's Resolution 2024-02 said the ruling was not yet final pending reconsideration, and the PCS application pages still refer to "colegiación vigente."
Senate Bill 1164 (P. del S. 1164, filed March 27, 2026) would replace Ley 171 with a new social work practice law that ends compulsory Colegio membership. Its status after referral to committee was not confirmed.
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 Puerto Rico Social Work License
Renewal Cycle
Every year
CE Requirement
12 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Social Work Compact and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico takes a Puerto Rico license, by endorsement where the state offers it or a full application where it does not.
Keeping it current
Puerto Rico renews social work licenses every year, with 12 hours of continuing education per cycle. A permanent license does not expire (Ley 171 Art. 9). Every holder of a permanent or provisional license owes 12 contact hours of continuing education each year, certified by the Colegio's Instituto de Educación Continuada (Art. 6). Provisional licenses are renewed by extension. Holding licenses in several states means several calendars and several sets of CE rules, which is most of what our annual compliance service tracks.
Puerto Rico Social Work License FAQ
What social work licenses does Puerto Rico issue?
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Can I use the Social Work Compact for Puerto Rico?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in Puerto Rico?
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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.
- Ley 171 de 11 de mayo de 1940 as amended (OGP rev. June 12, 2025): Junta as sole licensing body, permanent and provisional license requirements, lifetime permanent license, 12 CE hours per year, compulsory Colegio membership; no exam or reciprocity provision — checked 2026-10-08
- board name and URL (200, no redirect); license categories; PCS handles applications; Reglamento 8644 and Resolution 2024-02 listed — checked 2026-10-08
- provisional license requirements, Puerto Rico residency, three references from Puerto Rico-licensed social workers; no exam listed — checked 2026-10-08
- permanent license by experience: 3 or more years full time; time without a license does not count; no exam listed — checked 2026-10-08
- permanent license by master's or doctorate; no exam listed — checked 2026-10-08
- Junta Resolution 2024-02 on the Supreme Court ruling; Reglamento 9251 (Dec. 30, 2020) exists — checked 2026-10-08
- 2024 TSPR 58 (June 10, 2024): compulsory membership in the Colegio held unconstitutional — checked 2026-10-08
- P. del S. 1164, filed March 27, 2026 — 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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