Pharmacy License from Missouri to Illinois: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Illinois accept a Missouri pharmacist license?
A pharmacist license transfers from Missouri to Illinois by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — State Board of Pharmacy, verify your Missouri license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. NAPLEX is not retaken; license history transfers via the NABP eLTP. Illinois requires the Illinois-specific MPJE; alternatively, a transferring pharmacist may satisfy the Illinois jurisprudence requirement by completing the Illinois Pharmacist Readiness and Orientation Program (ILPRO) in lieu of the IL MPJE. Illinois has not adopted the Uniform MPJE.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Your Missouri license transfers into Illinois through the NABP Electronic Licensure Transfer Program — NABP forwards your license and NAPLEX history to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — State Board of Pharmacy — but Illinois gates the license behind its own pharmacy-law exam. Coming from Missouri neither speeds this up nor slows it down; the eLTP is origin-neutral, so the timeline below is Illinois's standard out-of-state queue. Open the e-Profile transfer and book the law exam as early as Illinois allows.
What's different between Missouri and Illinois
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Illinois. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Missouri to Illinois (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Illinois to Missouri (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Missouri matter?
Coming from Missouri does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Illinois.
- Application fee
Illinois lists $200 for an out-of-state applicant and Missouri lists $450 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Missouri lists 3–5 weeks for the reverse move; Illinois has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Illinois and Missouri carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Illinois (this move): NAPLEX is not retaken; license history transfers via the NABP eLTP. Illinois requires the Illinois-specific MPJE; alternatively, a transferring pharmacist may satisfy the Illinois jurisprudence requirement by completing the Illinois Pharmacist Readiness and Orientation Program (ILPRO) in lieu of the IL MPJE. Illinois has not adopted the Uniform MPJE.
- Missouri (the reverse move): NAPLEX is not retaken; license history transfers via the NABP e-LTP. Missouri requires passing the Missouri MPJE (state-specific Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination) with a minimum score of 75; Missouri has not adopted the Uniform MPJE, and MPJE scores from other states are not accepted.
What changes, Missouri → Illinois
| Missouri (current) | Illinois (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $450 (Missouri application fee payable to the Missouri Board of Pharmacy, non-refundable; separate NABP e-LTP fees apply ($300 application + $100 per jurisdiction) plus the MPJE exam fee paid to NABP; MACHS fingerprint fee is additional) | $200 (Illinois endorsement fee $200 for a pharmacist licensed in another state/territory (Ill. Admin. Code tit. 68 sec. 1330.20(b)(3), effective 6/2/2023); separate NABP eLTP fees ($300 + $100 per jurisdiction) and the MPJE exam fee apply) |
| Processing time | 3–5 weeks (board asks applicants to allow up to 3 weeks after passing the MPJE for final approval; NABP takes up to ~2 weeks to certify the exam score to the board; excludes NABP e-LTP review and exam scheduling) | IDFPR does not publish a fixed processing-time estimate for pharmacist endorsement; NABP eLTP review is 3-5 business days |
| Licensing authority | Missouri Board of Pharmacy | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — State Board of Pharmacy |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Illinois sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Illinois's current requirements on the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — State Board of Pharmacy website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — State Board of Pharmacy (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Submit the license transfer through the NABP eLTP and file the Illinois endorsement application via IDFPR Online Services.
- Provide verification of licensure from every state where you have ever held a pharmacist license.
- Pass the Illinois MPJE, or complete ILPRO in lieu of the IL MPJE.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Do I retake the NAPLEX moving from Missouri to Illinois?
No — the NAPLEX is a one-time national exam that transfers with your record.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- IDFPR — Pharmacy (application forms; ILPRO as MPJE alternative) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Illinois Administrative Code tit. 68 sec. 1330.20 — Fees (endorsement $200) (via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NABP — Electronic Licensure Transfer Program (eLTP) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Missouri Board of Pharmacy — Pharmacist Licensure Transfer/Reciprocity Application & FAQ ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Missouri Board of Pharmacy — Pharmacist Forms page ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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