Nursing License from California to Tennessee: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Tennessee Board of Nursing ↗
A nursing license transfers from California to Tennessee by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Tennessee Board of Nursing, verify your California license, and meet Tennessee's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This direction has a silver lining. California is outside the compact, so you have been carrying a single-state license — but Tennessee is a member. Endorse into Tennessee, 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, California → Tennessee
| California (current) | Tennessee (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| NLC status | Licensure by endorsement | NLC member — multistate license honored |
| 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) | $150 ($140 endorsement + $10 biennial state regulatory fee (rules effective 2026-04-08); + fingerprint background check vendor fee) |
| Processing time | 10–13 weeks (initial evaluation mandated within 90 days; board processing page (June 2026) was reviewing US endorsement applications received about 10-12 weeks earlier; temporary license available) | ~6 weeks (board instructions state to allow six weeks for processing) |
| Licensing authority | California Board of Registered Nursing | Tennessee Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Tennessee sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Tennessee's current requirements on the Tennessee Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Tennessee Board of Nursing (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Fingerprint-based criminal background check through the board's vendor (OCA code 1703 for RN).
- Request license verification through Nursys from your original state of licensure.
- Have an official transcript sent directly from your nursing program to the board.
- Submit a notarized Declaration of Citizenship form and a signed passport-size photo.
- Declare Tennessee (or a non-compact state) as your primary state of residence to be eligible.
- Pay the fees ($150 ($140 endorsement + $10 biennial state regulatory fee (rules effective 2026-04-08); + fingerprint background check vendor fee)) and allow ~6 weeks (board instructions state to allow six weeks for processing).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Tennessee accept a California nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from California to Tennessee by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Tennessee Board of Nursing, verify your California license, and meet Tennessee's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
Do I retake the NCLEX moving from California to Tennessee?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
What does the move cost?
$150 ($140 endorsement + $10 biennial state regulatory fee (rules effective 2026-04-08); + fingerprint background check vendor fee) ($140 endorsement + $10 biennial state regulatory fee (rules effective 2026-04-08); + fingerprint background check vendor fee).
How long will it take?
~6 weeks (board instructions state to allow six weeks for processing) — board instructions state to allow six weeks for processing.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- TN BON — Instructions for Licensure by Endorsement (RN and LPN, PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Rules of the Tennessee Board of Nursing, ch. 1000-01 (revised April 2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Tennessee Department of Health — Board of Nursing ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- California BRN — Licensure by Endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- California BRN — Endorsement Application Fees & Instructions (PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- California BRN — Processing Times ↗ (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]