Nursing License from Louisiana to Colorado: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Colorado accept a Louisiana nursing license?
Yes — both Louisiana and Colorado are members of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC). If Louisiana is your primary state of residence and you hold a multistate license, you can practice in Colorado now; if you are moving your residence to Colorado, apply for licensure by endorsement there and declare Colorado your new primary state of residence — your multistate privilege continues.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Compact multistate — already covered
This is the move the compact was built for. Both Louisiana and Colorado are NLC members, so the real question is not "does my license transfer" but "is this a relocation or just work". Working in Colorado while living in Louisiana — travel contract, remote monitoring, per-diem across the border — needs nothing: your multistate license already covers it. Relocating to Colorado means your primary state of residence changes, and the compact requires you to endorse into Colorado and declare it your new home state. You keep practicing on the old privilege the entire time.
What's different between Louisiana and Colorado
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Colorado. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Louisiana to Colorado (this page): Compact multistate — already covered.
Colorado to Louisiana (the reverse move): Compact multistate — already covered.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Louisiana matter?
Louisiana gets Colorado's most common result: 39 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get the same one, so for most movers the origin does not change the answer.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (11).
- NLC membership
Louisiana and Colorado are both NLC member states.
A multistate license issued by Louisiana covers practice in Colorado, and one issued by Colorado covers practice in Louisiana.
- Application fee
Louisiana lists $100–$200 for the reverse move; Colorado has no verified fee figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Colorado and Louisiana carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Colorado (this move): NCLEX is not retaken; all current and previously held licenses are verified through Nursys
- Louisiana (the reverse move): NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys
What changes, Louisiana → Colorado
| Louisiana (current) | Colorado (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| NLC status | NLC member — multistate license honored | NLC member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $100–$200 ($100 endorsement application; $200 if adding the optional 90-day temporary permit; + fingerprint background check fees) | endorsement fee not published on a public board page — shown inside the DPO Online Services portal at application; + fingerprint vendor fee (IdentoGO/Colorado Fingerprinting) |
| Processing time | no processing timeframe published; optional 90-day temporary endorsement permit allows practice while the application is pending | board publishes no overall processing time; applications referred for Board program review typically take a minimum of three weeks (the Board meets monthly); fingerprint results stay available to the Division for only 90 days |
| Licensing authority | Louisiana State Board of Nursing | Colorado Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Colorado sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm your current license is an active multistate license in good standing (check it in the verification system).
- If you are moving your primary residence to Colorado: apply for licensure by endorsement with the Colorado Board of Nursing when you move.
- Declare Colorado as your new primary state of residence on that application.
- Complete Colorado's fingerprint/background check requirement if requested.
- Keep practicing — your multistate privilege remains valid during the transition (do not let the old license lapse before the new one issues).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Do I retake the NCLEX moving from Louisiana to Colorado?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere.
What does the move cost?
If you are only working across the border, nothing. If you are relocating your residence to Colorado: endorsement fee not published on a public board page — shown inside the DPO Online Services portal at application; + fingerprint vendor fee (IdentoGO/Colorado Fingerprinting).
How long will it take?
Practice can continue immediately on the multistate privilege; the residence-change endorsement processes in the background (board publishes no overall processing time; applications referred for Board program review typically take a minimum of three weeks (the Board meets monthly); fingerprint results stay available to the Division for only 90 days).
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified Louisiana 2026-07-21, Colorado 2026-10-29.
- Colorado DPO — Nursing Applications and Forms ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Nursys — participating boards (Colorado) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Colorado DPO — Registered Nurse Initial Application Preview (endorsement requirements) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Colorado DPO — Fingerprinting and Background Check ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Colorado DPO — Nursing FAQs ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Colorado DPO — Nurse Licensure Compact ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- LSBN — Instructions and Forms for Initial RN License by Endorsement (PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Louisiana Administrative Code 46:XLVII.3341 — Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Louisiana Administrative Code 46:XLVII.3330 — Criminal history check for endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources Louisiana 2026-07-21, Colorado 2026-10-29
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