Nursing License from New Jersey to Pennsylvania: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Pennsylvania accept a New Jersey nursing license?
Yes — both New Jersey and Pennsylvania are members of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC). If New Jersey is your primary state of residence and you hold a multistate license, you can practice in Pennsylvania now; if you are moving your residence to Pennsylvania, apply for licensure by endorsement there and declare Pennsylvania 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 New Jersey and Pennsylvania are NLC members, so the real question is not "does my license transfer" but "is this a relocation or just work". Working in Pennsylvania while living in New Jersey — travel contract, remote monitoring, per-diem across the border — needs nothing: your multistate license already covers it. Relocating to Pennsylvania means your primary state of residence changes, and the compact requires you to endorse into Pennsylvania and declare it your new home state. You keep practicing on the old privilege the entire time.
What's different between New Jersey and Pennsylvania
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Pennsylvania. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
New Jersey to Pennsylvania (this page): Compact multistate — already covered.
Pennsylvania to New Jersey (the reverse move): Compact multistate — already covered.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from New Jersey matter?
New Jersey gets Pennsylvania'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
New Jersey and Pennsylvania are both NLC member states.
A multistate license issued by New Jersey covers practice in Pennsylvania, and one issued by Pennsylvania covers practice in New Jersey.
- Application fee
Pennsylvania lists $120–$180 for an out-of-state applicant and New Jersey lists $200 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Pennsylvania and New Jersey carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Pennsylvania (this move): NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys
- New Jersey (the reverse move): NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys or directly by your previous state boards
What changes, New Jersey → Pennsylvania
| New Jersey (current) | Pennsylvania (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| NLC status | NLC member — multistate license honored | NLC member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $200 (total due at application — $120 license fee + $75 nonrefundable application fee + $5 mandatory Alternative to Discipline fee; + $58.69 Morpho Trust fingerprint-card fee for applicants outside the metropolitan NJ area) | $120–$180 ($120 single-state endorsement / $180 multistate endorsement (multistate requires PA primary residence); + fingerprinting costs; $105 to convert an existing PA license to multistate) |
| Processing time | board does not publish an endorsement processing timeline | board's licensure guide states no fixed timeframe; delays are reduced by having schools and boards send documents directly to the Board |
| Licensing authority | New Jersey Board of Nursing | Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania: apply for licensure by endorsement with the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing when you move.
- Declare Pennsylvania as your new primary state of residence on that application.
- Complete Pennsylvania'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 New Jersey to Pennsylvania?
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 Pennsylvania: $120–$180 ($120 single-state endorsement / $180 multistate endorsement (multistate requires PA primary residence); + fingerprinting costs; $105 to convert an existing PA license to multistate).
How long will it take?
Practice can continue immediately on the multistate privilege; the residence-change endorsement processes in the background (board's licensure guide states no fixed timeframe; delays are reduced by having schools and boards send documents directly to the Board).
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- PA Department of State — Nurse Licensure Compact (implementation and fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- PA Department of State — Nursing Licensure Guide (background check, Act 31 CE, verifications) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- 49 Pa. Code § 21.5 — Fees (licensure by endorsement $120) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- NJ Board of Nursing — Instructions for Licensure by Endorsement (PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- NJ Board of Nursing — Applications ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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