Nursing License from Pennsylvania to Minnesota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Minnesota accept a Pennsylvania nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from Pennsylvania to Minnesota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Minnesota Board of Nursing, verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Minnesota'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
Moving from Pennsylvania into Minnesota means leaving the compact's coverage: Minnesota does not participate, so the multistate privilege that made Pennsylvania easy stops at the border. File Minnesota's endorsement application as early as the board allows — this direction of the move is paperwork-first, and starting after you arrive is the classic way to lose weeks of income. Note that while your primary residence remains in Pennsylvania, your multistate license keeps working in the compact states; you only lose it when you establish residence in Minnesota.
What's different between Pennsylvania and Minnesota
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Minnesota. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Pennsylvania to Minnesota (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Minnesota to Pennsylvania (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Pennsylvania matter?
Coming from Pennsylvania does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Minnesota.
- NLC membership
Pennsylvania is an NLC member state; Minnesota is not in the NLC.
Because they are not both active members, the NLC does not cover this move.
A multistate license issued by Pennsylvania does not cover practice in Minnesota.
- Application fee
Minnesota lists $105 for an out-of-state applicant and Pennsylvania lists $120–$180 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Pennsylvania and Minnesota 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, Pennsylvania → Minnesota
| Pennsylvania (current) | Minnesota (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| NLC status | NLC member — multistate license honored | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $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) | $105 (endorsement application (Minn. Stat. 148.243, subd. 3); + criminal background check fee set by the BCA and FBI, paid to the Board) |
| Processing time | board's licensure guide states no fixed timeframe; delays are reduced by having schools and boards send documents directly to the Board | board does not publish a timeline; optional temporary permit valid up to 60 days (non-renewable) while the application is under review |
| Licensing authority | Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing | Minnesota Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Minnesota sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Minnesota's current requirements on the Minnesota Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Minnesota Board of Nursing (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Fingerprint-based state and federal criminal background check, completed after you submit the application.
- Submit verification of licensure from your state of original licensure and, if different, the state where you most recently practiced.
- Have your nursing employer complete the Board's form verifying your nursing practice dates.
- If you have neither practiced nor graduated from a nursing program in the past 2 years, complete continuing education (1 contact hour per month out of practice, up to 60 for RNs); after more than 5 years, complete a Board-approved refresher course.
- 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 Pennsylvania to Minnesota?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- Minnesota Board of Nursing — Licensure by Endorsement process ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Minnesota Board of Nursing — Licensure Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Minnesota Statutes 148.211 — Licensing (endorsement; border-state license recognition) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Minnesota Statutes 148.212 — Temporary permit ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Minnesota Statutes 148.243 — Fee amounts (licensure by endorsement) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Minnesota Statutes 214.075 — Health-related licensing boards; criminal background checks ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Minnesota Rules 6305.0500 — Requirements for professional and practical nurse licensure by endorsement ↗ (accessed 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)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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