Pharmacy License from New York to Illinois: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Illinois accept a New York pharmacist license?
A pharmacist license transfers from New York 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 New York 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 New York 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 New York 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 New York 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
New York to Illinois (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Illinois to New York (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from New York matter?
Coming from New York 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 New York lists $339 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Illinois and New York 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.
- New York (the reverse move): NAPLEX is not retaken; license history transfers via the NABP eLTP. New York requires passing the New York-specific Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE) before licensure by endorsement is granted; New York had not adopted the Uniform MPJE (UMPJE) as of 2026-07-21.
What changes, New York → Illinois
| New York (current) | Illinois (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $339 (New York fee for licensure plus first registration, paid with Form 1; not charged twice if already paid with the NABP application. NABP eLTP fees ($300 application + $100 per jurisdiction) and the MPJE exam fee are separate.) | $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 | NYS Education Department does not publish a specific endorsement processing time; add NABP eLTP review, Board approval to sit for the MPJE, and MPJE scheduling | IDFPR does not publish a fixed processing-time estimate for pharmacist endorsement; NABP eLTP review is 3-5 business days |
| Licensing authority | New York State Board of Pharmacy (NYS Education Department, Office of the Professions) | 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 New York 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)
- NYS Office of the Professions — Licensure Transfer by Endorsement (step-by-step instructions; fee $339; apply via NABP eLTP; pass the MPJE) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NYS Office of the Professions — Pharmacist License Requirements (age 21, ACPE degree, NAPLEX/MPJE within 5 years, PharmD experience exemption) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NABP — General Requirements for Licensure Transfer (New York: pass the MPJE) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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