Military Licensing SCRA: Professional Licensure Portability for Servicemembers & Spouses Alaska Temporary Military Licensing Military Education, Training, Service Credit and Exemptions Military Family Life Counselors Alaska Licensing Statutes and Regulations Contact Information Federal Servicemember Civil Relief Act (SCRA): Portability of Professional Licenses and Certificates for Servicemembers and Their Spouses The department is aware that Congress added a new provision to the SCRA that allows servicemembers and their spouses to easily transition their existing professional licenses and certificates to the new jurisdiction when they relocate due to military orders, in certain circumstances. The department is in the process of determining how best to implement this new federal law. It is also working to align Alaska statutes with the requirements of the SCRA. In the meantime, Alaska does have a requirement to comply with the federal law, so if you are a servicemember or servicemember’s spouse with military orders to Alaska, you can qualify for a permanent Alaska license under different requirements than those currently listed on the applications and/or the Alaska laws for your profession. If this is the case for you – whether you are just considering applying or you have already have a pending application for a temporary military license and/or a permanent Alaska license, please email militarylicense@alaska.gov and we will notify you of what is required for your permanent Alaska license to be issued under the SCRA. Please note, once a permanent license is issued under SCRA, you must comply with all Alaska laws and you will need to meet Alaska’s continuing education requirements, as applicable, for your profession before your license can be renewed. To qualify for professional license portability under the SCRA, you must: Have moved to a location outside the jurisdiction that issued the covered license or certificate because of orders for military service. Provide a copy of the military orders to the licensing authority in the new jurisdiction. Have actively used the license or certificate during the two years immediately preceding the move. Remain in good standing with: a. The licensing authority that issued the covered license or certificate; and b. Every other licensing authority that issued a license or certificate valid for a similar scope of practice and in the discipline applied for in the new jurisdiction. Submit to the authority of the licensing authority in the new jurisdiction for the purposes of standards of practice, discipline, and fulfillment of any continuing education requirements. If these five criteria are met, the servicemember or spouse shall receive an Alaska license in the discipline applied for. For more information, see the U.S. DOJ’s Portability of Professional Licenses and Certificates for Servicemembers and Their Spouses handout. Alaska Temporary Military Licensing Active duty military personnel with Alaska orders and spouses of active duty military personnel with Alaska orders may request temporary licensure in accordance with AS 08.01.063 - AS 08.01.064. Temporary licenses are available for most license types under the Alaska Division of Corporations, Business, and Professional Licensing and are valid for 180 days. You can see a list of all professional programs licensed by the division here. Barring any circumstances outside our control, temporary license applications will be issued within 30 days of receipt of a complete qualifying application. (Please note that a complete qualifying application includes all required supporting documents, including those required from a third party, so please submit requests to those third parties as far in advance as possible.) The application is only available online using the division’s application portal, MY LICENSE, which is accessed via the state’s myAlaska system. A valid credit card payment is required to apply online. Use the following link to set up your account and initiate your application: Apply Here for Military Temporary License If you will need a license more than 180 days and you do not qualify for a permanent license under the SCRA laws noted above, please be sure to begin the permanent application process quickly after applying for the military temporary license. One-time extensions of the military temporary licenses are available but not guaranteed. See below for more information on extensions. Temporary Military License Extensions Existing military temporary licenses issued under AS 08.01.063 or AS 08.01.064 may be extended for an additional 180-day period. To avoid periods of unlicensed practice, extensions must be requested in advance and approved prior to the expiration of the original temporary license. Please allow up to three weeks for processing. To request an extension, submit the Request for Extension - Military Temporary License form (#08-4832) and required $100 temporary license fee. Request for Extension - Military Temporary License #08-4832, Rev. 03/26/2024. Military Education, Training, Service Credit and Exemptions AS 08.01.064 requires the department or applicable board to accept military education, training, and service for some or all of the qualifications otherwise required of an applicant for a license or certificate within the division, notwithstanding another provision of law. Military personnel are encouraged to submit documentation of military training, skills, and experience along with an application for licensure. Upon determination of equivalency, relevant military experience will be credited for licensing requirements and educational credit will be granted for appropriate training. Military personnel may request this determination of equivalency online using the MY LICENSE portal. Alaska law also allows licensed members of the military who are deployed to combat zones, danger pay posts, or hazardous duty areas to defer licensing requirements. There is a section within the online application where military personnel who meet this requirement may request this exemption. Before submitting the application, please read the authorizing statutes of these licensing programs (see links below) and for the profession in which you plan to work to ensure familiarity with Alaska law. Request for Exemption from Professional Licensing Requirements for Military Personnel #08-4581, Rev. 04/11/2024. Military Family Life Counselors Currently, Department of Defense contracts prefer Military Family Life Counselors hold a license in the state in which services are delivered. The State of Alaska is committed to processing these licenses quickly. To request expedited review of your application as a professional counselor, social worker, or other qualifying license type, please email your request to MilitaryLicense@Alaska.Gov and copy your employment agency contact. Agencies working under the MFLC contract should email the names and license types of applicants to this address. Statutes and Regulations Alaska Statutes are passed by the legislature. Regulations (also called the Alaska Administrative Code or "AAC") are rules adopted by the department or board, as applicable, to implement, interpret, and make specific the statutes. Both statutes and regulations have the force of law. There are centralized licensing statutes and regulations that apply to all of the division’s professional licensing programs (unless otherwise specified in the program’s specific statutes and regulations). There are also statutes and regulations specific to each licensing program. Licensees are responsible for knowledge of all statutes and regulations pertaining to their profession. Centralized Licensing Statutes: AS 08.01-08.03 Military temporary licenses are authorized by AS 08.01.063 and AS 08.01.064. Active duty military service waiver is authorized by AS 08.01.100. Centralized Licensing Regulations: 12 AAC 02 Statutes and Regulations specific to licensing programs – go to the Professional Licensing Programs list, select the relevant program, and then from there, find the statutes and regulations specific to the program (either available in the menu or on the program’s homepage). Contact Information Questions related to the SCRA implementation in Alaska and/or the military temporary license, please email MilitaryLicense@Alaska.Gov. Questions about specific licensing programs, full license applications (separate from licenses issued pursuant to SCRA), and scope of practice should be directed to the relevant professional program. You can find a list of all of the division’s professional licensing programs here: www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl/ProfessionalLicensing. Return to Top