Nursing License from Illinois to Indiana: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Indiana accept an Illinois nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from Illinois to Indiana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Indiana State Board of Nursing, verify your Illinois license, and meet Indiana'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. Illinois is outside the compact, so you have been carrying a single-state license — but Indiana is a member. Endorse into Indiana, 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 Illinois and Indiana
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Indiana. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Illinois to Indiana (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Indiana to Illinois (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Illinois matter?
Coming from Illinois matters here: only 11 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Indiana.
The others get: compact multistate — already covered (39).
- NLC membership
Illinois is not in the NLC; Indiana is an NLC member state.
Because they are not both active members, the NLC does not cover this move.
A multistate license issued by Indiana does not cover practice in Illinois.
- Application fee
Indiana lists $50 for an out-of-state applicant and Illinois lists $50–$75 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Illinois and Indiana 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, Illinois → Indiana
| Illinois (current) | Indiana (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| NLC status | Licensure by endorsement | NLC member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $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) | $50 (non-refundable application fee paid through the PLA online portal; optional 90-day temporary permit +$10; Nurse Licensure Compact (multistate) license +$25; fingerprint background check $38.20) |
| Processing time | no processing range stated in IDFPR application materials | no processing range published; background-check results take about 7-10 days for out-of-state applicants, and PLA warns high-volume boards like nursing may see added delays; 90-day temporary permit available while the endorsement application is pending |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Board of Nursing) | Indiana State Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Indiana sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Indiana's current requirements on the Indiana State Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Indiana State Board of Nursing (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active RN license in at least one U.S. state or territory (renew it first if lapsed).
- Have license verification sent from every state or territory where you hold or have held a nursing license (through Nursys where the state participates), plus any other health-related licenses such as CNA or EMT.
- If your state of original licensure does not verify your education to other boards, provide an official nursing-program transcript (upload it with the application, or mail or email it to the board).
- Fingerprint-based national criminal background check through IdentoGO, done on or after the date the board receives your application.
- 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 Illinois to Indiana?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- Indiana PLA — Nursing Licensing Information, endorsement requirements and fee schedule (Internet Archive capture of 2026-10-13; www.in.gov refused connections on 2026-10-29) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Indiana PLA — Criminal Background Checks (Internet Archive capture of 2026-10-16) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Nurse Licensure Compact — official site ↗ (accessed 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)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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