Some states let a licensed SLP or audiologist from elsewhere practice while a full application is pending. California issues a six-month temporary license, Pennsylvania a 90-day provisional license, and New Jersey a one-year license for new residents. Georgia offers none. Many credentials called temporary, like Illinois's, are for clinical fellows instead.
The hardest weeks of a move are often the ones between the job offer and the license. A temporary license, where a state offers one, closes that gap: you practice legally under a short-lived credential while the board finishes your full application. The trouble is that the phrase "temporary license" means three different things depending on the state, and only one of them is for an experienced clinician who is already licensed elsewhere.
What kinds of temporary credentials are there?
- Temporary licenses for out-of-state licensees. For an SLP or audiologist already licensed in another state who has applied for a full license. California, Pennsylvania and New Jersey have versions.
- Temporary or provisional licenses for clinical fellows. For new graduates completing supervised postgraduate experience. Illinois calls it a temporary license, California an RPE temporary license, Washington an interim permit, New York a limited license, Ohio a conditional license and Georgia a PCE temporary permit. These are not for experienced clinicians.
- Telehealth registrations. Not a license at all, but a way some states let an out-of-state clinician treat patients located there remotely.
Mixing them up is common. An SLP with ten years of experience who applies for Illinois's temporary license will find it is a clinical fellowship credential. Our posts on licensing during your clinical fellowship and moving from a CF license to a full license cover the second group.
Which states offer a temporary license to licensed clinicians?
California: six months
Under Business and Professions Code section 2532.3, the board may issue a six-month temporary license to an SLP or audiologist who holds an unrestricted license from another state, or equivalent qualifications, and has applied for a California license. The board's fee schedule lists the temporary license fee as $30. If you are "excusably delayed" in completing the application, the board may reissue the temporary license, but not more than twice. California lists it under Option 3 on its SLP applicant page, for applicants licensed in another state. See getting a California SLP license from another state.
Pennsylvania: 90 days, or six months
49 Pa. Code § 45.23 gives Pennsylvania two relevant provisional licenses. An individual with a valid license in another state who applies for a Pennsylvania license may also apply for a provisional license valid for 90 days. An applicant who has already completed all licensure requirements can get a provisional license valid for six months from the date the application is submitted. Either way, you file the full license application and fee along with the provisional one. See Pennsylvania SLP licensing.
New Jersey: one year, for new residents
New Jersey's rule, N.J.A.C. 13:44C-5.2, offers a temporary license to a "recent resident": you submit a notarized statement that you became a New Jersey resident within the preceding six months and proof of a current license in another state, and you complete the jurisdiction's jurisprudence online orientation. Under 13:44C-5.3, it is valid for one year and cannot be renewed. It does not help someone who lives elsewhere and commutes or treats New Jersey clients remotely. See New Jersey SLP licensing.
Louisiana: practice while reciprocity is pending
Louisiana's statute, R.S. 37:2660(1)(b), lets the board, at its discretion, allow a reciprocity applicant to practice until a license is issued or the application is denied, if the applicant has documented a current, unsuspended, unrevoked license. The board's application information page has described a 60-day grace period to work that begins only once the board acknowledges receipt of every application document, including the criminal background check. See Louisiana SLP licensing and the compact.
Which states say no?
Georgia's board answers the question "Can I get a temporary license?" with one word: "No." Its only temporary credential is the Paid Clinical Experience permit for new graduates. Tennessee's application instructions say you must have a Tennessee license in your possession before you may lawfully practice. Where a state offers nothing, the realistic options are to apply early, send a complete file the first time, or, in an issuing compact state, look at a privilege.
Can a telehealth registration stand in for a license?
For teletherapy only, in a few states:
- Florida offers an out-of-state telehealth provider registration under section 456.47, Florida Statutes, to practitioners with an active, unencumbered license elsewhere who designate a Florida registered agent, carry the required liability coverage and do not open a Florida office or treat Florida patients in person.
- Louisiana requires telehealth registration for out-of-state practitioners under R.S. 37:2660.1, with a state criminal background check. The board's page lists a $50 application fee and annual renewal, and registrants are queried through the National Practitioner Data Bank.
- West Virginia registers interstate telepractice practitioners under 29 CSR 1. You pass the board's jurisprudence exam, hold a license in good standing everywhere you practice, and complete 20 hours of telepractice continuing education to renew.
None of these lets you see patients in person. Our sister site on telehealth law tracks registrations across professions in telehealth registration states.
How does the ASLP Compact compare?
A compact privilege is not temporary: it lasts as long as your home-state license. But it only works if your home state and the state you want both issue privileges. As of October 2026 that means Louisiana, West Virginia, Ohio and Tennessee. California, Texas, New York, Illinois and Massachusetts are not members. You apply for, attest to and pay for a privilege yourself in CompactConnect; clinical fellows and SLPAs are not eligible. See compact privilege or a state license.
When should you apply for a temporary license?
At the same time as the full application. Every state above ties the temporary credential to a pending full application; California and Pennsylvania require it outright. Filing both together, with verifications, transcripts and fingerprints ordered the same week, is the fastest route to working. Our sister site for occupational therapists covers the same choices for OTs in temporary OT licenses.
Can we handle the temporary and full applications together?
Yes. When a state offers a temporary or provisional license, we prepare it alongside your License by Endorsement application ($599 per state) and tell you up front when a state has nothing to offer. Board, fingerprint and verification fees are separate, and you review and sign every application. Compare states on the state license index.
Common questions
- Does California have a temporary SLP license?
- Yes. California can issue a six-month temporary license to an SLP or audiologist with an unrestricted license in another state who has applied for a California license. The fee schedule lists $30, and it can be reissued no more than twice.
- Is Illinois's temporary SLP license for out-of-state clinicians?
- No. Illinois's temporary license is for people completing their supervised professional experience, the clinical fellowship. It lasts 18 months and can be renewed once for good cause.
- Can I practice in Georgia while my application is pending?
- Georgia's board says it does not offer a temporary license. You need the full license before practicing.
- Can I use a telehealth registration instead of a license?
- In some states, for remote services only. Florida, Louisiana and West Virginia each have one, with their own conditions. None allows in-person treatment.
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