Nursing License from Illinois to North Dakota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does North Dakota accept an 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.
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 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's different between Illinois and North Dakota
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into North Dakota. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Illinois to North Dakota (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
North Dakota 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 North Dakota.
The others get: compact multistate — already covered (39).
- NLC membership
Illinois is not in the NLC; North Dakota is an NLC member state.
Because they are not both active members, the NLC does not cover this move.
A multistate license issued by North Dakota does not cover practice in Illinois.
- Application fee
North Dakota lists $150 for an out-of-state applicant and Illinois lists $50–$75 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
North Dakota lists 1–2 weeks; Illinois has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Illinois and North Dakota 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 → 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; + $43 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; 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 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 North Dakota?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- ND Board of Nursing — Endorsement, US Educated ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- ND Board of Nursing — Criminal History Record Check (CHRC) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- ND Administrative Code 54-02-06 — License by Endorsement ↗ (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