Nursing License from Illinois to Tennessee: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Tennessee accept an Illinois nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from Illinois to Tennessee by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Tennessee Board of Nursing, verify your Illinois license, and meet Tennessee's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
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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 Tennessee is a member. Endorse into Tennessee, 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 Tennessee
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Tennessee. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Illinois to Tennessee (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Tennessee 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 Tennessee.
The others get: compact multistate — already covered (39).
- NLC membership
Illinois is not in the NLC; Tennessee is an NLC member state.
Because they are not both active members, the NLC does not cover this move.
A multistate license issued by Tennessee does not cover practice in Illinois.
- Application fee
Tennessee 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
Tennessee lists about 6 weeks; Illinois has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Illinois and Tennessee 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 → Tennessee
| Illinois (current) | Tennessee (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 ($140 endorsement + $10 biennial state regulatory fee (rules effective 2026-04-08); + fingerprint background check vendor fee) |
| Processing time | no processing range stated in IDFPR application materials | ~6 weeks (board instructions state to allow six weeks for processing) |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Board of Nursing) | Tennessee Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Tennessee sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Tennessee's current requirements on the Tennessee Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Tennessee Board of Nursing (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Fingerprint-based criminal background check through the board's vendor (OCA code 1703 for RN).
- Request license verification through Nursys from your original state of licensure.
- Have an official transcript sent directly from your nursing program to the board.
- Submit a notarized Declaration of Citizenship form and a signed passport-size photo.
- Declare Tennessee (or a non-compact state) as your primary state of residence to be eligible.
- 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 Tennessee?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- TN BON — Instructions for Licensure by Endorsement (RN and LPN, PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Rules of the Tennessee Board of Nursing, ch. 1000-01 (revised April 2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Tennessee Department of Health — Board of Nursing ↗ (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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