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Board of Social Work Examiners


​Now Accepting Applications for the Provisional License

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  • If you have an open LBSW or LMSW by Exam application, you do not need to apply again. ​​​

    1. ​Email [email protected] to request that your application be changed to the Provisional license.
    2. Please include your application ID and the last four digits of your Social Security number.
    3. Complete your criminal history record check: Criminal Justice Information System and Criminal History Records Check.
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  • ​​​If this is your first time applying, please read this: Apply for Provisional LBSW & LMSW Licenses

  • If you are a pre-grad (you have not yet graduated), you can apply to sit for the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Bachelors or Masters exam. YOU CANNOT APPLY FOR THE PROVISIONAL LICENSE UNTIL YOU GRADUATE.

  • Supervised hours while holding a Provisional License will count toward independent practice approval (§19-302 (f)) and Certified Social Worker-Clinical (LCSW-C) requirements (§ 19-302(e)).

  • A Provisional License holder does NOT qualify the holder for a multistate license under the Social Work Licensure Compact (§ 19-309.2.​). Practice is strictly limited to Maryland.​ 

Please send any questions to [email protected]​. Please contact only ONE staff member.  Multiple emails and phone calls delay applications processing.  Please allow 5 business days for a response. ​






​​​Social Work Compact

There is no definite date for issuing licenses but likely within 9 to 12 months. ​Please refer to this Social Work Compact page for answers to frequently asked questions. 

​Social Work C​ompact FAQs

The Board will continue to update licensed social workers via email, the newsletter and on our website. 

MD Responds

The Maryland Board of Social Work encourages you to become a member of MD Responds. Administered by the Maryland Department of Health (MDH), Office of Preparedness and Response (OPR), MD Responds is the primary resource for emergency public health and medical volunteers for the State of Maryland.

For more information, please visit the: MD Responds

To volunteer for the Maryland Responds Medical Reserve Corps, please register using this link Register

Veterans Auto & Education Improvement Act of 2022 (PL 117-333)​

If an applicant does not have a Social Security Number

​Other Agencies

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​Co​ntact US​

Board of Social Work Examiners
4201 Patterson Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21215
Phone: 410-764-4788
Fax: 410-358-2469
Toll Free: 1-877-526-2541
TDD: 1-800-542-4964
[email protected]

For Technical Assistance: ​[email protected]​​

Technical Support FAQs​