Professional License Portability

Military spouses have reported difficulty transferring their professional licenses from one jurisdiction to another, hindering their ability to find jobs when moving due to military orders. The SCRA provision on license portability helps servicemembers and their spouses have their licenses and certificates recognized in certain circumstances when they relocate due to military orders.

Servicemembers and their spouses are eligible.

For a license to be considered valid in a new location, a servicemember or their spouse must satisfy the following criteria:

1. Have a covered license;
2. move to another State due to military orders; and
3. submit an application to the licensing authority of the new State.

If these three criteria are met, the servicemember or their spouse’s covered license or certificate shall be considered valid for the scope of practice in the State of the new residence.

The term “covered license” means a professional license that, with respect to a scope of practice -

1. is in good standing with the licensing authority that issued such license;
2. has not been revoked or had discipline imposed by any State;
3. does not have an investigation relating to unprofessional conduct pending in any State relating to it; and
4. has not been voluntarily surrendered while under investigation for unprofessional conduct in any State.

Any covered license, certificate, or qualification allowing you to work in a profession is eligible for portability. As of December 23, 2024, this includes a license to practice law.

No. The term "license" means any license, certificate, or other evidence of qualification that an individual is required to obtain before the individual may engage in, or represent himself or herself to be a member of, a particular profession. Under the prior version of the law, licenses to practice law were explicitly excluded from portability under the SCRA. Under the updated law, all professional licenses and certificates, including law licenses, are eligible for portability.

To apply, a servicemember or spouse must submit the following to the new licensing authority:

1. Proof of military orders;
2. If the applicant is the spouse of a servicemember, a copy of the marriage certificate;
3. A notarized affidavit affirming, under the penalty of law, that -
   1. the applicant is the person described and identified in the application;
   2. all statements made in the application are true and correct and complete;
   3. the applicant has read and understands the requirements to receive a license, and the scope of practice, of the State of the licensing authority;
   4. the applicant certifies that the applicant meets and shall comply with requirements described in subparagraph (C); and
   5. the applicant is in good standing in all States in which the applicant holds or has held a license.

An affidavit is a sworn written statement of facts made under oath. Military legal assistance can help servicemembers and their spouses draft and notarize an affidavit.

Any state board, commission, department, or agency that regulates a profession and is authorized to issue licenses is considered a licensing authority.

No. The licensing authority can ask that you provide the three items that make up an application for portability under the SCRA. When a servicemember or spouse applies for SCRA license portability, anything demanded in excess of the requirements detailed in the SCRA is illegal. For example, the law does not permit requesting transcripts or test scores.

“State” is a broad term defined in the SCRA to include a commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States and the District of Columbia.

The term "military orders" means official military orders or any notification, certification, or verification from the servicemember's commanding officer, with respect to the servicemember's current or future military duty status.

Under the updated law, a letter or any written communication from the servicemember’s commanding officer indicating a change in the servicemember’s duty status satisfies the requirement for proof of military orders. Because the issuance of official military orders can be delayed, a notice from a commanding officer provides a military family with the head start needed to accomplish the myriad tasks that accompany a PCS – from moving to pursuing license portability.

The term "scope of practice" means the defined parameters of various duties or services that may be provided by an individual under a license. The scope of practice is what you are permitted to do within your profession using your license. Under the updated law, a covered servicemember or spouse’s out-of-state license must be considered valid for the scope of practice in the state of the new residence.

The scope of practice for your license may change if you move to a new state due to military orders. Check in with the state licensing authority to make sure you know how this will affect your job.

Some States are members of interstate licensure compacts, which allow licensed practitioners to work in other compact-member states without needing a new license or certificate. Under the prior version of the law, servicemembers or spouses who held a license to operate in multiple states pursuant to an interstate licensure compact were able to use SCRA license portability if they were moving to a State that was not covered by their compact.

Under the updated law, servicemembers or spouses who hold a covered license to operate in multiple States pursuant to an interstate compact are subject to the requirements of the compact or the applicable provisions of law in the new State and are no longer eligible for portability under the SCRA.

You can check with the licensing authority that granted your license or visit CareerOneStop’s license finder, which has information on state licensing requirements, interstate compacts, and contact information for licensing authorities.

Yes. A licensing authority that receives an application for portability under the SCRA may conduct a background check of the applicant before issuing a new license or recognizing a covered license as valid.

Yes. If a licensing authority is required to consider a covered license valid under the SCRA but cannot carry out such requirement during the 30 days after receiving an application from a servicemember or spouse, the licensing authority may issue a temporary license that confers the same rights, privileges, and responsibilities as a permanent license.

No. There is no longer a requirement that the license must have been actively used for any particular period of time. If the servicemember or spouse meets the requirements listed in the new law, as restated in the letter and fact sheet that we issued in 2025, then they qualify for portability under the SCRA. (Previously, the SCRA had required servicemembers or their spouses to have actively used the covered license during the two years immediately preceding the request for portability.)

Yes. We strongly encourage State licensing authorities to train their public-facing staff about the SCRA. Servicemembers and their spouses report that they are deterred from applying for license portability because they are misdirected by frontline staff. Too often these applicants are sent to a generic renewal or application portal that does not include a pathway for SCRA license portability. We have found that, even in cases where applicants ask explicitly about SCRA portability, they have been told that no such pathway exists.

Following a State-mandated process for licensure does not ensure that a licensing authority is in compliance with the SCRA. When a servicemember or spouse applies for SCRA license portability, anything demanded in excess of the requirements detailed in the SCRA is illegal. For example, the law does not permit requesting transcripts or test scores or meeting active use requirements. The goal of this provision is to recognize that an applicant servicemember or spouse is already fully licensed or certified by another licensing authority in the United States. They are not new applicants who have to meet the same requirements as first-time practitioners. The license portability provision of the SCRA provides its applicants with a unique pathway to continuing their career, different from someone who is relocating to a new State or jurisdiction voluntarily.

We also recommend that state licensing authorities issue a new license to the servicemember or spouse who has applied for portability. In the alternative, we recommend providing the servicemember or spouse with documentation showing that their existing license is valid in the new jurisdiction. This proof of valid licensure can be electronic. This can help ease concerns from insurance providers or employers as the spouses seek employment in your State.

The SCRA’s updated license portability provision, "Portability of Professional Licenses of Servicemembers and their Spouses,” went into effect on December 23, 2024. Servicemembers and their spouses who, due to military orders, are in jurisdictions outside the State of the licensing authority that issued their covered license can now apply for portability.

Congress provided the Attorney General with enforcement authority under the SCRA, including the provision regarding the portability of professional licenses and certificates. In the Department of Justice, the Civil Rights Division leads this work and can file lawsuits in federal court against people who engage in (1) a pattern or practice of violating the law; or (2) violations that raise issues of significant public importance.

Servicemembers and their spouses are likely eligible for military legal assistance and can contact their local legal assistance office for help. Office locations can be found at http://legalassistance.law.af.mil/.

If servicemembers or their spouses are not eligible for military legal assistance, they may request that the Justice Department review their claim by submitting a complaint to the Department of Justice’s civil rights violation reporting portal, at https://civilrights.justice.gov/link/4025A.

You can submit a complaint to the Department of Justice’s civil rights violation reporting portal, at https://civilrights.justice.gov/link/4025A.