Nursing License from Illinois to Kansas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Kansas accept an Illinois nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from Illinois to Kansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kansas State Board of Nursing, verify your Illinois license, and meet Kansas'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 Kansas is a member. Endorse into Kansas, 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 Kansas
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Kansas. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Illinois to Kansas (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Kansas 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 Kansas.
The others get: compact multistate — already covered (39).
- NLC membership
Illinois is not in the NLC; Kansas is an NLC member state.
Because they are not both active members, the NLC does not cover this move.
A multistate license issued by Kansas does not cover practice in Illinois.
- Application fee
Kansas lists $100–$125 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 Kansas 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 → Kansas
| Illinois (current) | Kansas (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) | $100–$125 ($100 single-state / $125 multistate application; + $57 KBI background check) |
| Processing time | no processing range stated in IDFPR application materials | no published timeframe; board says allow 7-10 business days before checking status online; application stays active 6 months awaiting documents; board notes applications needing a Board member's review may see slight delays during its HB 2528 transition to an interim Board |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Board of Nursing) | Kansas State Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Kansas sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Kansas's current requirements on the Kansas State Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Kansas State Board of Nursing (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Official nursing transcripts sent directly to KSBN.
- Verification of your original state of licensure sent to KSBN (available through Nursys).
- Submit fingerprints and the background check fee for a criminal background check.
- Provide proof of a Kansas driver's license and meet the 11 NLC uniform licensure requirements if applying for a multistate license.
- 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 Kansas?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- Kansas State Board of Nursing — Endorsement Application ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Kansas State Board of Nursing — Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Kansas State Board of Nursing — home page (HB 2528 implementation update) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Nursys — Verification for Endorsement participating jurisdictions ↗ (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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