Nursing License from California to Tennessee: Does It Transfer? (2026)
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.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
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's different between California and Tennessee
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Tennessee. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
California to Tennessee (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Tennessee to California (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from California matter?
Coming from California matters here: only 11 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Tennessee.
The others get: compact multistate — already covered (39).
- NLC membership
California is not in the NLC; Tennessee is an NLC member state.
Because they are not both active members, the NLC does not cover this move.
A multistate license issued by Tennessee does not cover practice in California.
- Application fee
Tennessee lists $150 for an out-of-state applicant and California lists $350 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Tennessee lists about 6 weeks; California lists 10–12 weeks for the reverse move.
Tennessee's longest listed wait is 6 weeks shorter than California's.
- Exam rules on record
California and Tennessee 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 → 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 | 10–12 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)) | ~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 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 Tennessee?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- TN BON — Instructions for Licensure by Endorsement (RN and LPN, PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Rules of the Tennessee Board of Nursing, ch. 1000-01 (revised April 2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Tennessee Department of Health — Board of Nursing ↗ (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