Nursing License from District of Columbia to Ohio: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Ohio accept a District of Columbia nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from District of Columbia to Ohio by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Ohio Board of Nursing, verify your District of Columbia license, and meet Ohio'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. District of Columbia is outside the compact, so you have been carrying a single-state license — but Ohio is a member. Endorse into Ohio, 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 District of Columbia and Ohio
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Ohio. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
District of Columbia to Ohio (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Ohio to District of Columbia (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from District of Columbia matter?
Coming from District of Columbia matters here: only 11 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Ohio.
The others get: compact multistate — already covered (39).
- NLC membership
District of Columbia is not in the NLC; Ohio is an NLC member state.
Because they are not both active members, the NLC does not cover this move.
A multistate license issued by Ohio does not cover practice in District of Columbia.
- Application fee
Ohio lists $75 for an out-of-state applicant and District of Columbia lists $280 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
District of Columbia lists 6+ weeks for the reverse move; Ohio has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Ohio and District of Columbia carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Ohio (this move): NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys
- District of Columbia (the reverse move): NCLEX is not retaken; official verification of your original NCLEX-based licensure is submitted through Nursys
What changes, District of Columbia → Ohio
| District of Columbia (current) | Ohio (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| NLC status | Licensure by endorsement | NLC member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $280 (combined application + criminal background check fee, Visa/MasterCard only; + $30 Nursys verification fee) | $75 (non-refundable endorsement (reciprocity) application; + eLicense system transaction fee and BCI/FBI fingerprinting costs paid to vendors) |
| Processing time | 6+ weeks (board asks applicants to allow 30 business days after applying before checking application status) | board does not publish a stated range; application is void and fee forfeited if incomplete for one year |
| Licensing authority | District of Columbia Board of Nursing | Ohio Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Ohio sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Ohio's current requirements on the Ohio Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Ohio Board of Nursing (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Complete a BCI (state) and FBI (federal) fingerprint-based criminal records check.
- Provide verification of your original licensure by examination and of a current, valid, unrestricted license via Nursys or directly from that NCSBN jurisdiction.
- Submit documentation of 2 contact hours of Category A continuing education on the Ohio Nurse Practice Act and Board rules.
- Provide evidence of completing an RN pre-licensure education program approved by the Board or another NCSBN jurisdiction.
- 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 District of Columbia to Ohio?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- Ohio BON — RN Licensure by Endorsement application instructions (official sample application, eLicense) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Nursys — participating boards of nursing (Ohio listed) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- DC Health — RN Endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- DC Board of Nursing — Registered Nurse Endorsement Requirements (PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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