Nursing License from Illinois to Mississippi: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Mississippi accept an Illinois nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from Illinois to Mississippi by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Mississippi Board of Nursing, verify your Illinois license, and meet Mississippi'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 Mississippi is a member. Endorse into Mississippi, 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 Mississippi
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Mississippi. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Illinois to Mississippi (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Mississippi 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 Mississippi.
The others get: compact multistate — already covered (39).
- NLC membership
Illinois is not in the NLC; Mississippi is an NLC member state.
Because they are not both active members, the NLC does not cover this move.
A multistate license issued by Mississippi does not cover practice in Illinois.
- Application fee
Mississippi lists $100 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 Mississippi 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 → Mississippi
| Illinois (current) | Mississippi (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 (endorsement application; + $75 criminal background check fee paid to the Board) |
| Processing time | no processing range stated in IDFPR application materials | board states there is no timetable for issuing licenses; applications are processed first-in, first-out |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Board of Nursing) | Mississippi Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Mississippi sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Mississippi's current requirements on the Mississippi Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Mississippi Board of Nursing (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Fingerprint-based criminal background check performed only by/through the Mississippi Board of Nursing.
- Hold an active RN license in another state, or a lapsed but unencumbered compact-state license that you cannot reinstate because of your primary state of residence.
- Declare your primary state of residence (a multistate license is issued only if it is Mississippi).
- Complete the endorsement process within one year or resubmit the application.
- Have a valid Social Security number (the application cannot be completed without one).
- If you have not practiced nursing in the 5 years before applying, submit evidence of continuing competency.
- 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 Mississippi?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- Mississippi Board of Nursing — Licensure By Endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Nurse Licensure Compact — official commission 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
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com