Engineering License from Illinois to Virginia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) ↗
A PE license transfers from Illinois to Virginia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), verify your Illinois license, and meet Virginia's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or NCEES verification) and are not retaken; Virginia requires no state-specific exam — comity relies on the examination you passed for your original license.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Virginia grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Illinois does not start over — but does file a full Virginia application. Your Illinois license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Virginia's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or NCEES verification) and are not retaken; Virginia requires no state-specific exam — comity relies on the examination you passed for your original license. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Illinois license active and unencumbered while the Virginia application is pending, and clearing any Virginia-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Illinois → Virginia
| Illinois (current) | Virginia (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) | The pre-8/1/2025 PE license-by-comity application fee under 18VAC10-20-170 was $60 (initial and comity both $60; renewal $80). An APELSCIDLA fee-schedule amendment took effect 8/1/2025 that raised fees, so the current comity fee is higher; the exact current amount could not be confirmed on an official page because the Virginia Administrative Code portal (law.lis.virginia.gov), DPOR site, and Virginia Register were all unreachable from the research environment. Secondary reporting of the official DPOR APELSCIDLA fee-adjustment table indicates the post-8/1/2025 PE application fee is $120 (renewal $160), but this is unverified against an official page and is deliberately left out of the range pending confirmation. NCEES Record transmittal is $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid 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 | APELSCIDLA/DPOR publishes no comity turnaround on reachable pages; comity applications are reviewed by board staff once the education, experience, examination, and license verifications are received. |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Board of Professional Engineers | Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Virginia sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Virginia's current requirements on the Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active PE license in another U.S. state or jurisdiction, in good standing.
- Show that your original licensure requirements (education, experience, and examination) were substantially equivalent to Virginia's at the time; otherwise meet Virginia's current entry requirements (18VAC10-20-270).
- Meet Virginia's education standard (18VAC10-20-230) and qualifying engineering experience standard (18VAC10-20-240).
- Provide three professional references.
- Pay the fees (The pre-8/1/2025 PE license-by-comity application fee under 18VAC10-20-170 was $60 (initial and comity both $60; renewal $80). An APELSCIDLA fee-schedule amendment took effect 8/1/2025 that raised fees, so the current comity fee is higher; the exact current amount could not be confirmed on an official page because the Virginia Administrative Code portal (law.lis.virginia.gov), DPOR site, and Virginia Register were all unreachable from the research environment. Secondary reporting of the official DPOR APELSCIDLA fee-adjustment table indicates the post-8/1/2025 PE application fee is $120 (renewal $160), but this is unverified against an official page and is deliberately left out of the range pending confirmation. NCEES Record transmittal is $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid to NCEES.) and allow APELSCIDLA/DPOR publishes no comity turnaround on reachable pages; comity applications are reviewed by board staff once the education, experience, examination, and license verifications are received..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Virginia accept a Illinois PE license?
A PE license transfers from Illinois to Virginia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), verify your Illinois license, and meet Virginia's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or NCEES verification) and are not retaken; Virginia requires no state-specific exam — comity relies on the examination you passed for your original license.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Illinois to Virginia?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or NCEES verification) and are not retaken; Virginia requires no state-specific exam — comity relies on the examination you passed for your original license.
What does the Illinois-to-Virginia comity application cost?
The pre-8/1/2025 PE license-by-comity application fee under 18VAC10-20-170 was $60 (initial and comity both $60; renewal $80). An APELSCIDLA fee-schedule amendment took effect 8/1/2025 that raised fees, so the current comity fee is higher; the exact current amount could not be confirmed on an official page because the Virginia Administrative Code portal (law.lis.virginia.gov), DPOR site, and Virginia Register were all unreachable from the research environment. Secondary reporting of the official DPOR APELSCIDLA fee-adjustment table indicates the post-8/1/2025 PE application fee is $120 (renewal $160), but this is unverified against an official page and is deliberately left out of the range pending confirmation. NCEES Record transmittal is $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid to NCEES..
Can I keep my Illinois PE license after I'm licensed in Virginia?
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.
- Virginia Administrative Code 18VAC10-20-270 — Licensure by comity (Cornell LII reproduction of the official Virginia code) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Virginia Administrative Code 18VAC10-20-170 — Fee schedule, pre-8/1/2025 (Cornell LII reproduction) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Virginia Administrative Code 18VAC10-20-270 (official portal — unreachable at research time, cited as authority) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Virginia DPOR — APELSCIDLA Board / PE License Application (A416-0402LIC) ↗ (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)
- NCEES — Records Program (comity licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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