Nursing License from Illinois to Washington: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Washington accept an Illinois nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from Illinois to Washington by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Washington State Board of Nursing, verify your Illinois license, and meet Washington'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 Washington is a member. Endorse into Washington, 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 Washington
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Washington. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Illinois to Washington (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Washington 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 Washington.
The others get: compact multistate — already covered (39).
- NLC membership
Illinois is not in the NLC; Washington is an NLC member state.
Because they are not both active members, the NLC does not cover this move.
A multistate license issued by Washington does not cover practice in Illinois.
- Application fee
Washington lists $138–$203 for an out-of-state applicant and Illinois lists $50–$75 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Washington lists 1–3 weeks; Illinois has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Illinois and Washington 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 → Washington
| Illinois (current) | Washington (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) | $138–$203 ($138 single-state / $203 multistate initial application; FBI fingerprint fee paid separately) |
| Processing time | no processing range stated in IDFPR application materials | 1–3 weeks (multistate-license review may take 2-3 weeks; a temporary practice permit is issued once all requirements except the FBI fingerprint check are met (WAC 246-840-095), and WABON reported an average of about six days to issue one in January 2026) |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Board of Nursing) | Washington State Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Washington sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Washington's current requirements on the Washington State Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Washington State Board of Nursing (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active RN license in another U.S. state (or an expired U.S. license plus an active Canadian license).
- Request Nursys verification of your initial U.S. license from the original state of licensure.
- FBI fingerprint-based background check for applicants who have recently lived out of state and all multistate-license applicants.
- Declare Washington as your primary state of residence if applying for a multistate license.
- 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 Washington?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- WABON — RN License requirements (licensed in another US state) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- WABON — Nurse license fees ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- WABON — RN and LPN Multistate License information ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- WAC 246-840-095 — Temporary practice permits (effective 2026-01-30) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- RCW 18.130.064 — Background checks (national fingerprint check when an applicant has recently lived out of state) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- WABON business meeting agenda, 2026-03-13 — Nurse Licensure Processing Timelines (February 2026 update) ↗ (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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