Nursing License from Illinois to Kentucky: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Kentucky accept an Illinois nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from Illinois to Kentucky by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kentucky Board of Nursing, verify your Illinois license, and meet Kentucky'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 Kentucky is a member. Endorse into Kentucky, 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 Kentucky
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Kentucky. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Illinois to Kentucky (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Kentucky 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 Kentucky.
The others get: compact multistate — already covered (39).
- NLC membership
Illinois is not in the NLC; Kentucky is an NLC member state.
Because they are not both active members, the NLC does not cover this move.
A multistate license issued by Kentucky does not cover practice in Illinois.
- Application fee
Kentucky lists $165 for an out-of-state applicant and Illinois lists $50–$75 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Kentucky lists up to 3 weeks; Illinois has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Illinois and Kentucky 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 → Kentucky
| Illinois (current) | Kentucky (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) | $165 (endorsement application, non-refundable; + IdentoGO background check fee and $30 Nursys verification fee) |
| Processing time | no processing range stated in IDFPR application materials | up to 3 weeks (board states licenses may be issued within 14 business days after all documents are received; up to 3 months with disciplinary/conviction disclosures; 6-month temporary permit available) |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Board of Nursing) | Kentucky Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Kentucky sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Kentucky's current requirements on the Kentucky Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Kentucky Board of Nursing (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Fingerprint-based state and federal criminal background check through IdentoGO.
- Pass the Kentucky Jurisprudence Exam with a score of 80% or higher.
- Verification of your original state license through Nursys ($30 fee paid to Nursys).
- If licensed more than 5 years and you have not practiced 500 hours in the past 5 years, complete 120 hours of continuing education from an approved provider.
- 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 Kentucky?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- Kentucky Board of Nursing — RN Licensure by Endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Kentucky Board of Nursing — Fees for Licensure Applications and Services (PDF) ↗ (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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