Nursing License from California to Illinois: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Illinois accept a California nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from California 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 (Board of Nursing), verify your California license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither California nor Illinois participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so this is a classic endorsement move: Illinois's board verifies the license you already hold and issues its own. Nothing about California speeds it up or slows it down — the timeline below is Illinois's standard out-of-state queue.
What's different between California and Illinois
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Illinois. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
California to Illinois (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Illinois to California (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from California matter?
Coming from California does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Illinois.
- NLC membership
Neither California nor Illinois is in the NLC.
- Application fee
Illinois lists $50–$75 for an out-of-state applicant and California lists $350 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
California lists 10–12 weeks for the reverse move; Illinois has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
California and Illinois carry the same exam note for a licensee arriving from another state; any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
What changes, California → Illinois
| California (current) | Illinois (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| NLC status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $350 (US-educated endorsement application ($750 if internationally educated); + $49 fingerprint hard card if out of state (Live Scan vendor fees vary); optional $100 temporary license) | $50–$75 ($50 non-refundable endorsement fee, or $75 with the optional 6-month temporary permit (+$25); fingerprint fee paid separately to a licensed livescan vendor) |
| Processing time | 10–12 weeks (board processing-times page (updated 10/22/2026) lists a 10-12 week timeframe for US endorsement applications, processed in date order received; temporary license available (2-3 weeks)) | no processing range stated in IDFPR application materials |
| Licensing authority | California Board of Registered Nursing | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Board of Nursing) |
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 (Board of Nursing) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Board of Nursing) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Fingerprint-based criminal background check through the Illinois State Police or its designated agent.
- Hold a current license in at least one other U.S. jurisdiction.
- Request license verification through Nursys (or the CT-NUR form if your state does not participate).
- Submit proof of nursing education (ED form signed by your program director or official sealed transcripts).
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Do I retake the NCLEX moving from California to Illinois?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- IDFPR — Registered Nurse Instruction Sheet (Examination/Endorsement/Restoration), rev. 4/24 ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- IDFPR — Nurses profession page ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- California BRN — Licensure by Endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- California BRN — Endorsement Application Fees & Instructions (PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- California BRN — Processing Times ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com