Nursing License from Illinois to North Dakota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: North Dakota Board of Nursing ↗
A nursing license transfers from Illinois to North Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the North Dakota Board of Nursing, verify your Illinois license, and meet North Dakota's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
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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 North Dakota is a member. Endorse into North Dakota, 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 changes, Illinois → North Dakota
| Illinois (current) | North Dakota (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) | $150 (nonrefundable endorsement fee set by NDAC 54-02-06-01; + $40 Criminal History Record Check fee payable to the ND Attorney General, plus local fingerprinting agency charges) |
| Processing time | no processing range stated in IDFPR application materials | 1–2 weeks (board asks 5-10 business days once all items are received; the CHRC itself takes 10-14 business days; a 90-day temporary permit is issued automatically at no extra fee while the CHRC pends) |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Board of Nursing) | North Dakota Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — North Dakota sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm North Dakota's current requirements on the North Dakota Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the North Dakota Board of Nursing (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a U.S. Social Security number (ITIN not accepted).
- Provide Nursys verification of your initial exam license and an active license.
- Have your nursing school send an official transcript directly to the board.
- Show 400 hours of licensed nursing practice in the past 4 years, or program completion or a board-approved refresher course within 4 years.
- Complete a fingerprint-based Criminal History Record Check (ND BCI and FBI).
- Pay the fees ($150 (nonrefundable endorsement fee set by NDAC 54-02-06-01; + $40 Criminal History Record Check fee payable to the ND Attorney General, plus local fingerprinting agency charges)) and allow 1–2 weeks (board asks 5-10 business days once all items are received; the CHRC itself takes 10-14 business days; a 90-day temporary permit is issued automatically at no extra fee while the CHRC pends).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does North Dakota accept a Illinois nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from Illinois to North Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the North Dakota Board of Nursing, verify your Illinois license, and meet North Dakota's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
Do I retake the NCLEX moving from Illinois to North Dakota?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
What does the move cost?
$150 (nonrefundable endorsement fee set by NDAC 54-02-06-01; + $40 Criminal History Record Check fee payable to the ND Attorney General, plus local fingerprinting agency charges) (nonrefundable endorsement fee set by NDAC 54-02-06-01; + $40 Criminal History Record Check fee payable to the ND Attorney General, plus local fingerprinting agency charges).
How long will it take?
1–2 weeks (board asks 5-10 business days once all items are received; the CHRC itself takes 10-14 business days; a 90-day temporary permit is issued automatically at no extra fee while the CHRC pends) — board asks 5-10 business days once all items are received; the CHRC itself takes 10-14 business days; a 90-day temporary permit is issued automatically at no extra fee while the CHRC pends.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- ND Board of Nursing — Endorsement, US Educated ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- ND Board of Nursing — Criminal History Record Check (CHRC) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- ND Administrative Code 54-02-06 — License by Endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- IDFPR — Registered Nurse Instruction Sheet (Examination/Endorsement/Restoration), rev. 4/24 ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- IDFPR — Nurses profession page ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]