2023 Military Spouse Licensing Relief Act: Easing License Transfer for Military Spouses

As a real estate blogger, I wanted to share some exciting news for military spouses who have careers that require professional licensing. With nearly 40% of military spouses in the workforce having licenses, the transfer process for these licenses during a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) can be expensive and time-consuming. However, thanks to the new 2023 Military Spouse Licensing Relief Act, the process just got a lot easier and less expensive.


The Military Spouse Licensing Relief Act, sponsored by veteran Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA), was signed into law by President Joe Biden in January 2023. The act allows any military spouse or servicemember with a professional license to transfer it to their gaining state, making it possible to transfer licenses to all 50 states. This is great news for military spouses with professions such as nursing, teaching, real estate, social work, massage therapy, and cosmetology, as some of the most popular transferable licenses.

However, if your new state participates in an existing licensure compact, and you currently work within the compact, the compact precedes the new federal law. Additionally, the law doesn't cover lawyer spouses, but the Military Spouse JD Network is advocating for licensing continuity in the U.S. and has created military spouse attorney licensing accommodations in 45 states and the Virgin Islands, with four more states in the works.

To transfer your license, you'll need to send a copy of your PCS orders to your new state's licensing authority, complete the new state's requirements for standards of practice and continuing education, and maintain clear histories with each licensing authority you've had previous and future licensure. Because the law is new, states may take some time to catch up with the transfer process.

Military spouses also have access to spouse licensure reimbursement policies, which authorize each branch to reimburse spouses' licensing and certification costs, up to $1,000 for a PCS, including overseas to domestic moves. Although each branch handles the reimbursement differently, each requires various documents, such as copies of your license, receipts, marriage certificate, and PCS orders.

The Military Spouse Licensing Relief Act and Military Spouse Licensure Reimbursement were created to ease some of the stresses of having a career as a military spouse. In the best-case scenarios, these military family-based movements find a willing congressperson's office to work alongside and ultimately become law. Ultimately, these policies affect recruitment and retention numbers, and they enable servicemembers to join the military and stay longer when their spouses can maintain their careers.