Nursing License from Alaska to Florida: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Florida Board of Nursing ↗
A nursing license transfers from Alaska to Florida by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Florida Board of Nursing, verify your Alaska license, and meet Florida's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; endorsement rests on your original NCLEX/SBTPE-based licensure (or qualifying practice history) verified with your prior boards.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This direction has a silver lining. Alaska is outside the compact, so you have been carrying a single-state license — but Florida is a member. Endorse into Florida, establish it as your primary residence, meet the uniform licensure requirements, and the license you receive is multistate: one application turns into practice privileges across the whole compact.
What changes, Alaska → Florida
| Alaska (current) | Florida (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| NLC status | Licensure by endorsement | NLC member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $300 ($100 nonrefundable application + $200 license fee; + $75 fingerprint processing ($375 total collected with the online application)) | $110 ($50 processing + $50 initial licensure + $5 unlicensed activity + $5 student loan forgiveness; Livescan fingerprint fee varies by vendor) |
| Processing time | board states no timeframe; six-month nonrenewable temporary permit available once application, fees, fingerprints, and license verification are processed | ~2 weeks (board states initial application review within 10 business days; Livescan results reach the board within 24-72 hours of processing) |
| Licensing authority | Alaska Board of Nursing | Florida Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Florida sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Florida's current requirements on the Florida Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Florida Board of Nursing (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active, unencumbered RN license issued by another US state, DC, or territory.
- Electronic fingerprint background screening through an FDLE-approved Livescan provider (board ORI EDOH4420Z; hard cards not accepted).
- License verification from your original state of licensure and your current active state (board staff attempt online verification first).
- Applicants qualifying by 2 of the preceding 3 years of active practice instead of NCLEX equivalence receive a single-state license and must complete a board-approved Florida laws and rules course within 6 months.
- Pay the fees ($110 ($50 processing + $50 initial licensure + $5 unlicensed activity + $5 student loan forgiveness; Livescan fingerprint fee varies by vendor)) and allow ~2 weeks (board states initial application review within 10 business days; Livescan results reach the board within 24-72 hours of processing).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Florida accept a Alaska nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from Alaska to Florida by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Florida Board of Nursing, verify your Alaska license, and meet Florida's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; endorsement rests on your original NCLEX/SBTPE-based licensure (or qualifying practice history) verified with your prior boards.
Do I retake the NCLEX moving from Alaska to Florida?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere. NCLEX is not retaken; endorsement rests on your original NCLEX/SBTPE-based licensure (or qualifying practice history) verified with your prior boards.
What does the move cost?
$110 ($50 processing + $50 initial licensure + $5 unlicensed activity + $5 student loan forgiveness; Livescan fingerprint fee varies by vendor) ($50 processing + $50 initial licensure + $5 unlicensed activity + $5 student loan forgiveness; Livescan fingerprint fee varies by vendor).
How long will it take?
~2 weeks (board states initial application review within 10 business days; Livescan results reach the board within 24-72 hours of processing) — board states initial application review within 10 business days; Livescan results reach the board within 24-72 hours of processing.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Florida Board of Nursing — Nursing (RN & LPN) licensure by endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Florida BON — Nursing Licensure by Endorsement Application DH-MQA 1095 (PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Nursys — participating boards (Florida) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Alaska BON — Initial Application for RN License by Endorsement, Online Instructions (PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Nurse Licensure Compact — official site ↗ (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]