Nursing License from Illinois to Texas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Texas Board of Nursing ↗
A nursing license transfers from Illinois to Texas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Texas Board of Nursing, verify your Illinois license, and meet Texas'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 Texas is a member. Endorse into Texas, 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 → Texas
| Illinois (current) | Texas (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 ($125 endorsement + $25 nursing jurisprudence exam fee; + DPS/FBI fingerprint fee paid to vendor (amount set by DPS/CJIS)) |
| Processing time | no processing range stated in IDFPR application materials | ~3 weeks (board reviews for permanent licensure within 15 business days of receiving the last required item; one-time 120-day temporary license issued within 15 business days of application receipt) |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Board of Nursing) | Texas Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Texas sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Texas's current requirements on the Texas Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Texas Board of Nursing (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Fingerprint-based DPS and FBI criminal background check submitted through IdentoGO.
- Pass the Texas Nursing Jurisprudence Exam before the permanent license is issued.
- Request license verification through Nursys from every jurisdiction where you have ever held a nursing license.
- Have practiced nursing within the previous four years.
- Pay the fees ($150 ($125 endorsement + $25 nursing jurisprudence exam fee; + DPS/FBI fingerprint fee paid to vendor (amount set by DPS/CJIS))) and allow ~3 weeks (board reviews for permanent licensure within 15 business days of receiving the last required item; one-time 120-day temporary license issued within 15 business days of application receipt).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Texas accept a Illinois nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from Illinois to Texas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Texas Board of Nursing, verify your Illinois license, and meet Texas's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
Do I retake the NCLEX moving from Illinois to Texas?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
What does the move cost?
$150 ($125 endorsement + $25 nursing jurisprudence exam fee; + DPS/FBI fingerprint fee paid to vendor (amount set by DPS/CJIS)) ($125 endorsement + $25 nursing jurisprudence exam fee; + DPS/FBI fingerprint fee paid to vendor (amount set by DPS/CJIS)).
How long will it take?
~3 weeks (board reviews for permanent licensure within 15 business days of receiving the last required item; one-time 120-day temporary license issued within 15 business days of application receipt) — board reviews for permanent licensure within 15 business days of receiving the last required item; one-time 120-day temporary license issued within 15 business days of application receipt.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Texas BON — Licensure by Endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Texas BON — Schedule of Fees (Chapter 223) ↗ (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]