Transfer Your Electrician License to Delaware: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Delaware Board of Electrical Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation) ↗

Delaware has no NERA-style partner list, but the Delaware Board of Electrical Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation) licenses qualified out-of-state electricians by endorsement, judging your license and experience case by case. Delaware waives its journeyperson exam when the jurisdiction where you hold a current license has requirements the Board finds substantially similar (that state must require at least 4 years of full-time experience under a licensed master electrician plus a licensing test); applicants from non-substantially-similar jurisdictions must either show 5 years of full-time licensed practice or pass the Delaware journeyperson exam. Fee: $105 (Journeyperson application fee is $105 (Master $203). The biennial renewal fee is set at renewal time and not published as a fixed figure).

Moving to Delaware from a specific state?

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Delaware works case by case rather than from a fixed partner list, so the Delaware Board of Electrical Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation)'s read of your specific license and experience decides the outcome. This is also the usual route for master electricians, who typically move by endorsement rather than through journeyman reciprocity. Get any exam waiver or experience credit confirmed by the board in writing before you count on it.

Delaware licenses Master, Master Special, Limited, Limited Special, Journeyperson, Residential and Apprentice electricians. Reciprocity is case-by-case under a 'substantially similar' comparison of the other jurisdiction's law to Delaware's - there is no fixed partner-state list, so reciprocity_partners is empty. No exam is required when the home jurisdiction is deemed substantially similar; Delaware frames the underlying experience requirement in years (4 years full-time), not a fixed hour count, so education_hours_required is null.

Delaware requirements at a glance

Out-of-state electrical license transfer requirements for Delaware, verified 2026-07-21
Exam	Delaware waives its journeyperson exam when the jurisdiction where you hold a current license has requirements the Board finds substantially similar (that state must require at least 4 years of full-time experience under a licensed master electrician plus a licensing test); applicants from non-substantially-similar jurisdictions must either show 5 years of full-time licensed practice or pass the Delaware journeyperson exam
Additional requirements	Hold a current license in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction; the Board compares that jurisdiction's law and regulations to Delaware's to decide 'substantially similar' A jurisdiction is substantially similar for journeyperson if it requires at least 4 years full-time experience under a licensed master electrician and passing a licensing test If no jurisdiction you are licensed in is substantially similar, provide proof of at least 5 years of full-time licensed practice, or pass the Delaware journeyperson exam Apply through the DELPROS online portal; reciprocity applications are reviewed at the next scheduled Board meeting
Fees	$105 (Journeyperson application fee is $105 (Master $203). The biennial renewal fee is set at renewal time and not published as a fixed figure)
Processing time	No published timeframe; a reciprocity application requiring Board review is decided at the next scheduled Board meeting

Step by step

Confirm Delaware's current requirements on the Delaware Board of Electrical Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation) website — rules change.
Submit the endorsement application to the Delaware Board of Electrical Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation) (application linked on this page).
Arrange license verification from your current state.
Hold a current license in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction; the Board compares that jurisdiction's law and regulations to Delaware's to decide 'substantially similar'.
A jurisdiction is substantially similar for journeyperson if it requires at least 4 years full-time experience under a licensed master electrician and passing a licensing test.
If no jurisdiction you are licensed in is substantially similar, provide proof of at least 5 years of full-time licensed practice, or pass the Delaware journeyperson exam.
Apply through the DELPROS online portal; reciprocity applications are reviewed at the next scheduled Board meeting.
Pay the fees ($105 (Journeyperson application fee is $105 (Master $203). The biennial renewal fee is set at renewal time and not published as a fixed figure)) and allow No published timeframe; a reciprocity application requiring Board review is decided at the next scheduled Board meeting.

Official links

Delaware Board of Electrical Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation) ↗Delaware application ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Delaware:

California → Delaware Florida → Delaware Georgia → Delaware Illinois → Delaware Michigan → Delaware New York → Delaware North Carolina → Delaware Ohio → Delaware Pennsylvania → Delaware Texas → Delaware

Frequently asked questions

Does my electrician license transfer to Delaware?

Will I have to retake the journeyman exam in Delaware?

Delaware waives its journeyperson exam when the jurisdiction where you hold a current license has requirements the Board finds substantially similar (that state must require at least 4 years of full-time experience under a licensed master electrician plus a licensing test); applicants from non-substantially-similar jurisdictions must either show 5 years of full-time licensed practice or pass the Delaware journeyperson exam.

What does licensing in Delaware cost an out-of-state electrician?

$105 (Journeyperson application fee is $105 (Master $203). The biennial renewal fee is set at renewal time and not published as a fixed figure) (Journeyperson application fee is $105 (Master $203). The biennial renewal fee is set at renewal time and not published as a fixed figure).

How long does Delaware take to process the application?

No published timeframe; a reciprocity application requiring Board review is decided at the next scheduled Board meeting — No published timeframe; a reciprocity application requiring Board review is decided at the next scheduled Board meeting.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.

Delaware Code Title 24 Ch. 14, Subchapter II (licensure and reciprocity, incl. substantially-similar and 5-year provisions) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Delaware DPR — Journeyperson Electrician (reciprocity pathway, exam waiver) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Delaware DPR — Board of Electrical Examiners FAQs (substantially-similar criteria: 4 years + licensing test) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Delaware DPR — Electrician Fee Schedule (journeyperson $105) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]