Engineering License from Illinois to New Jersey: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: New Jersey State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Division of Consumer Affairs) ↗
A PE license transfers from Illinois to New Jersey by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New Jersey State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Division of Consumer Affairs), verify your Illinois license, and meet New Jersey's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or direct board-to-board verification) and are not retaken; New Jersey requires that your original license was earned by the full written examination (8-hour Fundamentals plus 8-hour Principles and Practice) and imposes no separate state jurisprudence exam.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
New Jersey grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Illinois does not start over — but does file a full New Jersey application. Your Illinois license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the New Jersey State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Division of Consumer Affairs) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet New Jersey's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or direct board-to-board verification) and are not retaken; New Jersey requires that your original license was earned by the full written examination (8-hour Fundamentals plus 8-hour Principles and Practice) and imposes no separate state jurisprudence exam. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Illinois license active and unencumbered while the New Jersey application is pending, and clearing any New Jersey-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Illinois → New Jersey
| Illinois (current) | New Jersey (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) | $75 (NJ professional engineer application fee is $75 (nonrefundable) plus an initial license fee of $80 in year one or $40 in year two of the biennial period; transmitting an NCEES Record to the board 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 | Board publishes no comity turnaround; comity applications are reviewed by the Board against N.J.S.A. 45:8-35, which meets periodically |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Board of Professional Engineers | New Jersey State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Division of Consumer Affairs) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — New Jersey sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm New Jersey's current requirements on the New Jersey State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Division of Consumer Affairs) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the New Jersey State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Division of Consumer Affairs) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active out-of-state PE license granted upon the written 8-hour FE plus 8-hour PE examination.
- Graduate from a Board-approved four-year engineering curriculum plus four years of acceptable experience (or a four-year engineering technology curriculum plus six years).
- Submit five references, at least three from U.S.-licensed professional engineers with personal knowledge of your experience.
- Provide written verification of licensure in good standing from every state in which you are licensed.
- Pay the fees ($75 (NJ professional engineer application fee is $75 (nonrefundable) plus an initial license fee of $80 in year one or $40 in year two of the biennial period; transmitting an NCEES Record to the board costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES)) and allow Board publishes no comity turnaround; comity applications are reviewed by the Board against N.J.S.A. 45:8-35, which meets periodically.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does New Jersey accept a Illinois PE license?
A PE license transfers from Illinois to New Jersey by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New Jersey State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Division of Consumer Affairs), verify your Illinois license, and meet New Jersey's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or direct board-to-board verification) and are not retaken; New Jersey requires that your original license was earned by the full written examination (8-hour Fundamentals plus 8-hour Principles and Practice) and imposes no separate state jurisprudence exam.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Illinois to New Jersey?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or direct board-to-board verification) and are not retaken; New Jersey requires that your original license was earned by the full written examination (8-hour Fundamentals plus 8-hour Principles and Practice) and imposes no separate state jurisprudence exam.
What does the Illinois-to-New Jersey comity application cost?
$75 (NJ professional engineer application fee is $75 (nonrefundable) plus an initial license fee of $80 in year one or $40 in year two of the biennial period; transmitting an NCEES Record to the board 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 New Jersey?
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.
- NJ Board of PE&LS — Comity Review for Professional Engineers License ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NJ Board of PE&LS — Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors Fee Schedule (N.J.A.C. 13:40-6.1) ↗ (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
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