What Is AMFT Registration?
An Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT) registration is the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) credential that allows recent MFT graduates to begin earning supervised post-degree hours toward an LMFT license. Without it, hours you accrue after graduation do not count, except under the 90-day rule.
AMFT registration is not a license. Each registration lasts up to six years from the last day of the month it was issued, and your hours must be no more than six years old when the BBS receives your Application for Licensure (up to 500 practicum hours are exempt). It must be renewed annually. For exactly how that six-year limit works, and what happens if you run out of time, see our guide to the BBS six-year rule for associates.
For a fuller view of where AMFT registration sits in the licensure process, see our step-by-step guide to becoming an MFT in California.
HourJourney tracks your 3,000 hours toward licensure
Once your registration is issued, every week you log fills the total, direct, and couples, families and children rings.
Confirm Your Eligibility
Before you submit your application, you need to confirm three things:
- 1.Your degree has been conferred. Walking the stage at graduation is not enough — your degree must be officially awarded. Your transcript will show the conferral date. The 90-day window starts on that exact date.
- 2.Your program qualifies under the BBS. Your degree must be a qualifying MFT degree under BBS requirements. Out-of-state degrees are reviewed for equivalency.
- 3.Your transcripts are available. The BBS requires official transcripts. If they are delayed, ask your registrar how to send them to the BBS.
Don't wait for your diploma
Check the AMFT application instructions for what proof of degree award the BBS accepts. Order official transcripts the day your degree is conferred.
Complete the AMFT Application
The Application for AMFT Registration is the BBS form you complete to register. Check the BBS AMFT registration page for the current ways to submit and pay.
The form asks for:
- ✓Your full legal name, contact information, and Social Security Number
- ✓The institution that conferred your degree, your degree title, and the conferral date
- ✓Disclosure of any prior professional license discipline, criminal history, or pending charges
- ✓Live Scan request form (BBS-approved, with the BBS as the requesting agency)
- ✓$75 application fee (reduced from $150 through June 30, 2030), paid as the BBS application instructions direct
The BBS evaluates your criminal history as part of the application. Answer every question completely and accurately.
Complete Live Scan Fingerprinting
Live Scan is California’s electronic fingerprinting system. It runs your prints through the Department of Justice and FBI databases and forwards the results directly to the BBS. The Live Scan site completes the Request for Live Scan Service form, and you submit a copy of that form with your application.
Find a Live Scan site through the California Attorney General’s public locator. Most local police and sheriff departments offer it. Cost is a $49 fingerprint processing fee, plus the site’s rolling fee, which varies by location.
Bring your Live Scan request form (downloadable from the BBS site) and payment.
For a deeper walkthrough of the fingerprinting process — how Live Scan works, what the fees cover, and how to handle out-of-state fingerprint cards — see our guide to BBS Live Scan and the background check.
Two Live Scans, not one
If you gain hours before your registration is issued under the 90-day rule and you completed graduate study on or after January 1, 2020, your workplace must have required completed Live Scan before you gained those hours. You provide a copy of the processed Request for Live Scan Service form with your Application for Licensure. That is separate from your BBS registration Live Scan.
The 90-Day Rule
The BBS must receive your AMFT application within 90 days of your degree award date. If they do, post-degree hours you accrue between your graduation and your registration issue date count retroactively (if you completed graduate study on or after January 1, 2020, your workplace must also have required Live Scan before you began). If they don’t, those hours are not credited.
Send everything the BBS application instructions list (the signed application, official transcripts, the Live Scan form copy, and the $75 fee, reduced from $150 through June 30, 2030) together, so your application is received within the 90 days.
For the full mechanics of the 90-day rule, including what to do if you miss the deadline and how the gap period works, read our complete guide to the BBS 90-day rule.
Apply the same week your transcripts arrive. Do not wait until day 89. If the BBS receives your application after day 90, hours gained before your registration was issued do not count.
After You Submit
Processing time varies with application completeness, fingerprint clearance, and BBS workload. Track your application status through your BreEZe account.
While your application is being processed, you can already start gaining countable hours at any qualifying setting except a private practice or professional corporation, if the BBS receives your application within 90 days of your degree award date. You cannot work at a private practice or professional corporation until your AMFT number is in hand.
When your AMFT registration is approved, the BBS issues a registration number and an issue date. From day one, you should start logging hours toward the BBS hour categories: direct (A, including the A1 couples, families, and children line) and non-clinical (B). For the rules around what hours count and how to log them, see our guide to the California LMFT hours requirements and our guide to BBS supervision requirements.
HourJourney logs your hours in the BBS categories from day one
Direct and non-clinical hours each get their own line, and the weekly total adds up as you type.
Don’t lose hours to a tracking mistake.
The 3,000-hour grind is hard enough without spreadsheet errors. HourJourney auto-validates BBS supervision ratios as you log and fills Form 37A-525 from your entries. 30-day free trial, no card required.
Start counting your hours freeFrequently Asked Questions
How long does AMFT registration take in California?
Processing time varies with application completeness, fingerprint clearance, and BBS workload. You can track your application status through BreEZe. The 90-day rule only requires that your application be received within 90 days of your degree award date, and processing time beyond that does not affect your hours.
Can I work between graduation and AMFT registration?
Yes, as long as the BBS receives your AMFT application within 90 days of your degree award date. You cannot work in a private practice or professional corporation until your AMFT registration number is issued. If you completed graduate study on or after January 1, 2020, the hours only count if your workplace required completed Live Scan before you began, and you provide a copy of the processed Request for Live Scan Service form with your Application for Licensure.
What if my transcripts are delayed?
The BBS requires official transcripts showing your degree conferred. If your transcripts are delayed, ask your registrar how to send them to the BBS and check the AMFT application instructions for what proof of degree award the BBS accepts. The 90-day window is based on your degree award date (already final on your transcript), not on when transcripts arrive at the BBS.
Do I need malpractice insurance before registering as an AMFT?
California does not require AMFTs to carry malpractice insurance, but some agencies and supervisors may require it before you can begin seeing clients. Plan to secure a policy before you start your first post-degree job if your employer requires one. Some employers cover malpractice as part of W-2 employment, but always confirm in writing.
Is AMFT registration the same as the LMFT license?
No. AMFT is a registration that allows you to gain supervised post-degree hours toward licensure. The LMFT license is granted only after you complete your 3,000 supervised hours, pass the California Law and Ethics Exam and the Clinical Exam, and submit a separate licensure application. Each AMFT registration lasts up to six years and must be renewed annually.
How much does AMFT registration cost in total?
The BBS application fee is $75, reduced from $150 through June 30, 2030, and Live Scan costs a $49 processing fee plus a rolling fee that varies by site. After registration, you pay a $75 annual renewal fee (also reduced from $150 through the same window).
Can I register as an AMFT if my degree was earned out of state?
Yes, but the BBS reviews whether your out-of-state degree is equivalent to a California qualifying MFT degree. Check the AMFT application instructions for the documents the BBS requires. Out-of-state applications may take longer to process. Apply as early as possible to avoid losing the 90-day window.
What is the renewal cycle for AMFT registration?
AMFT registrations expire one year from the last day of the month in which they were issued, and you renew each year. The renewal fee is $75, reduced from $150 through June 30, 2030. A registration can be renewed five times and cannot be renewed past six years from the last day of the month it was issued. After that you can apply for a subsequent registration if you have passed the California Law and Ethics Exam. Each renewal period requires 3 hours of continuing education in California law and ethics.
Related Guides
How Long Does the BBS Take to Issue Your AMFT Number?
The three factors that drive the wait, and how to use the waiting room productively.
How Long Does the BBS Take to Issue Your APCC Number?
The same BBS fingerprint and workload factors, applied to the APCC track.
The BBS 90-Day Rule for AMFTs, APCCs, and ASWs
Exactly how the deadline works, the Live Scan requirements, and what happens if you miss the window.
How to Become an MFT in California: Step-by-Step
The complete journey from MFT degree to LMFT license — all 7 steps.
California LMFT Hours: 3,000-Hour BBS Requirements
Every hour minimum, sub-cap, and the six-year window in plain English.
BBS Supervision Requirements: California Associates
Who can supervise you, the 15-hour supervisor training, and weekly ratios.
The California Law & Ethics Exam for Associates
When you take it, the annual-renewal rule, and requesting an initial exam vs a re-exam.
AMFT & LMFT Renewal in California: CE Requirements
The 3-hour law and ethics CE you need before each renewal — and where to find the renewal fees.
This guide is for informational purposes only. Always verify requirements directly with the BBS at bbs.ca.gov. Application fees, processing times, and procedures may change.