Engineering License from Virginia to Illinois: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Board of Professional Engineers ↗
A PE license transfers from Virginia to Illinois by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Board of Professional Engineers, verify your Virginia license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer via your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Illinois requires passage of both the FE and PE exams for licensure, but an endorsement applicant whose FE was waived in another jurisdiction may submit a waiver request to the Board (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1380.280); Illinois has no separate state law exam. Note: Professional Engineer (PE) and Structural Engineer (SE) are separate Illinois licenses.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Illinois grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Virginia does not start over — but does file a full Illinois application. Your Virginia license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Board of Professional Engineers through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Illinois's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer via your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Illinois requires passage of both the FE and PE exams for licensure, but an endorsement applicant whose FE was waived in another jurisdiction may submit a waiver request to the Board (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1380.280); Illinois has no separate state law exam. Note: Professional Engineer (PE) and Structural Engineer (SE) are separate Illinois licenses. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Virginia license active and unencumbered while the Illinois application is pending, and clearing any Illinois-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Virginia → Illinois
| Virginia (current) | Illinois (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | 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. | $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) |
| 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. | IDFPR does not publish a guaranteed endorsement turnaround; the board's PE FAQ states that using an NCEES Record may shorten processing time |
| Licensing authority | Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA), Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Board of Professional Engineers |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Illinois sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Illinois's current requirements on the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Board of Professional Engineers website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Board of Professional Engineers.
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current, active PE license issued by another U.S. jurisdiction under substantially equivalent standards.
- Satisfy the NCEES Engineering Education Standard (EAC/ABET degree or approved equivalent; evaluations showing deficiencies are not accepted).
- Submit an NCEES Record in lieu of transcripts, experience forms, and exam certifications (encouraged; may shorten processing).
- Note that PE and SE are licensed separately in Illinois and neither can offer the other's services.
- Pay the fees ($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)) and allow IDFPR does not publish a guaranteed endorsement turnaround; the board's PE FAQ states that using an NCEES Record may shorten processing time.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Illinois accept a Virginia PE license?
A PE license transfers from Virginia to Illinois by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Board of Professional Engineers, verify your Virginia license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer via your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Illinois requires passage of both the FE and PE exams for licensure, but an endorsement applicant whose FE was waived in another jurisdiction may submit a waiver request to the Board (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1380.280); Illinois has no separate state law exam. Note: Professional Engineer (PE) and Structural Engineer (SE) are separate Illinois licenses.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Virginia to Illinois?
FE and PE exam results transfer via your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Illinois requires passage of both the FE and PE exams for licensure, but an endorsement applicant whose FE was waived in another jurisdiction may submit a waiver request to the Board (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1380.280); Illinois has no separate state law exam. Note: Professional Engineer (PE) and Structural Engineer (SE) are separate Illinois licenses.
What does the Virginia-to-Illinois comity application cost?
$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).
Can I keep my Virginia PE license after I'm licensed in Illinois?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Virginia 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.
- 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)
- 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)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]