Engineering License from Illinois to Massachusetts: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Massachusetts Board of Registration of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Division of Occupational Licensure) ↗
A PE license transfers from Illinois to Massachusetts by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Division of Occupational Licensure), verify your Illinois license, and meet Massachusetts's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (required of all comity applicants since August 2006) and are not retaken; a comity applicant may only be registered in the branch of engineering matching the NCEES exam discipline of their original license. Massachusetts has no separate state jurisprudence exam.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Massachusetts grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Illinois does not start over — but does file a full Massachusetts application. Your Illinois license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Division of Occupational Licensure) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Massachusetts's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (required of all comity applicants since August 2006) and are not retaken; a comity applicant may only be registered in the branch of engineering matching the NCEES exam discipline of their original license. Massachusetts has no separate state jurisprudence exam. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Illinois license active and unencumbered while the Massachusetts application is pending, and clearing any Massachusetts-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Illinois → Massachusetts
| Illinois (current) | Massachusetts (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $100 ($100 Professional Engineer license application fee (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1380.275; the same single application fee applies to endorsement); renewal is $30 per year. Request that NCEES transmit your Record to Illinois — NCEES charges $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately) | $164–$314 (Comity application fee is $164, paid to Professional Credential Services (PCS), the Board's designated application administrator; the $150 registration fee is assessed after Board approval (= $314 total). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES) |
| Processing time | IDFPR does not publish a guaranteed endorsement turnaround; the board's PE FAQ states that using an NCEES Record may shorten processing time | 8–26 weeks (PCS/Board guidance: a decision usually takes no more than 2-3 months, but applicants are advised to allow up to 6 months. A temporary permit (30 days per calendar year, extendable up to 12 months while a comity application is pending) is available to an out-of-state licensed engineer) |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Board of Professional Engineers | Massachusetts Board of Registration of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Division of Occupational Licensure) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Massachusetts sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Massachusetts's current requirements on the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Division of Occupational Licensure) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Division of Occupational Licensure) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active PE registration in another U.S. jurisdiction.
- Obtain and submit an NCEES Record (required for all comity applicants).
- Apply only in the engineering discipline corresponding to your NCEES exam discipline.
- Submit the comity application, documents, and fees to Professional Credential Services (PCS), the Board's designated administrator, for processing before Board approval.
- Pay the fees ($164–$314 (Comity application fee is $164, paid to Professional Credential Services (PCS), the Board's designated application administrator; the $150 registration fee is assessed after Board approval (= $314 total). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES)) and allow 8–26 weeks (PCS/Board guidance: a decision usually takes no more than 2-3 months, but applicants are advised to allow up to 6 months. A temporary permit (30 days per calendar year, extendable up to 12 months while a comity application is pending) is available to an out-of-state licensed engineer).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Massachusetts accept a Illinois PE license?
A PE license transfers from Illinois to Massachusetts by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Division of Occupational Licensure), verify your Illinois license, and meet Massachusetts's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (required of all comity applicants since August 2006) and are not retaken; a comity applicant may only be registered in the branch of engineering matching the NCEES exam discipline of their original license. Massachusetts has no separate state jurisprudence exam.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Illinois to Massachusetts?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (required of all comity applicants since August 2006) and are not retaken; a comity applicant may only be registered in the branch of engineering matching the NCEES exam discipline of their original license. Massachusetts has no separate state jurisprudence exam.
What does the Illinois-to-Massachusetts comity application cost?
$164–$314 (Comity application fee is $164, paid to Professional Credential Services (PCS), the Board's designated application administrator; the $150 registration fee is assessed after Board approval (= $314 total). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).
Can I keep my Illinois PE license after I'm licensed in Massachusetts?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Illinois license active (its renewal and continuing-education/PDH clock run separately) and you hold both. Engineers working near state lines or nationally routinely carry several PE licenses at once, all sourced from a single NCEES Record.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Mass.gov — Board of Registration of PE & Land Surveyors FAQ (comity; $164 fee payable to PCS) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Professional Credential Services (PCS) — Massachusetts PE by Comity (Board's designated administrator) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Mass.gov / Division of Occupational Licensure — PE & Land Surveyor fees and renewal schedule ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES — Records Program (comity licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- IDFPR — Professional Engineering Frequently Asked Questions (endorsement pathway, FE/PE requirement, NCEES Record, PE vs SE) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Ill. Admin. Code tit. 68, § 1380.275 — Fees (Professional Engineer license $100) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- IDFPR — Professional Engineering (Practice Act, rules, application forms) ↗ (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]