For registered nurses moving states
How to Transfer Your Nursing License to Another State
Two routes: a multistate license in the 40 compact states, or the new state's own license by endorsement. Below, each state's route, with the endorsement fee, temporary permit and fingerprint check its board of nursing's own page states, and the RN jobs open there today.
Alaska, California, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Oregon.
Illinois $50, Utah $60, Wisconsin $73, Georgia $75, Maine $75, Ohio $75, Oklahoma $85, Alaska $100, Kansas $100, Mississippi $100, Nevada $100, South Dakota $100, Minnesota $105, Missouri $105, Florida $110, New Hampshire $120, Pennsylvania $120, Alabama $125, Arkansas $125, West Virginia $125, Rhode Island $135, Wyoming $135, Washington $138, New York $143, Arizona $150, New Mexico $150, North Carolina $150, Texas $150, Kentucky $165, Iowa $169, Connecticut $180, Delaware $181, Hawaii $186, Virginia $190, New Jersey $200, Michigan $212.90, Maryland $230, Massachusetts $275, District of Columbia $280, Oregon $295, California $350.
The steps, in every state
What each move takes. Each state's page says what its own board asks.
- Check whether your home state and the new state are both in the Nurse Licensure Compact: if both are and you keep living in your home state, your multistate license already lets you work there.
- If you are moving your home to the new state and it is a compact state, apply for its multistate license; if it is outside the compact, apply to its board of nursing for a license by endorsement.
- Have your current license verified to the new board, through Nursys where your state takes part in it.
- Complete the background check the board asks for (most ask for fingerprints) and any state exam or course it names.
- Pay the board's fee and, where the board offers one, ask for a temporary permit so you can start work while the application is processed.
Every state's route
The compact status is NCSBN's (read 9 Nov 2026); the fee, permit and fingerprints are each board's own page (read 9 Nov 2026), shown only where it states them. A state opens its page; a job count, its RN jobs.
| State | Compact | Endorsement fee | Temporary permit | Fingerprints | Staffing law | RN jobs | Jobs with relocation help | RN pay at US prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Compact state | $125 | Not stated | Required | Not listed | 1,635 | 28 | $43.91 |
| Alaska | Not in the compact | $100 | Yes | Required | Overtime limits | 248 | 113 | $55.02 |
| Arizona | Compact state | $150 | Yes | Required | Not listed | 1,627 | 119 | $46.21 |
| Arkansas | Compact state | $125 | Yes | Required | Not listed | 652 | 37 | $46.01 |
| California | Not in the compact | $350 | Yes | Required | Ratios for every unit | 4,533 | 650 | $61.59 |
| Colorado | Compact state | on the board's page | Not stated | Required | Staffing committee | 1,578 | 199 | $45.97 |
| Connecticut | Compact state | $180 | Yes | Not stated | Staffing committee, overtime limits | 1,095 | 68 | $55.05 |
| Delaware | Compact state | $181 | Yes | Required | Not listed | 371 | 19 | $54.85 |
| District of Columbia | Bill pending | $280 | Not stated | Required | Not listed | 224 | 15 | $47.64 |
| Florida | Compact state | $110 | Not stated | Required | Not listed | 5,707 | 381 | $44.06 |
| Georgia | Compact state | $75 | Not stated | Required | Not listed | 2,975 | 130 | $49.18 |
| Hawaii | Not in the compact | $186 | Yes | Required | Not listed | 194 | 17 | $61.17 |
| Idaho | Compact state | on the board's page | Not stated | Not stated | Not listed | 320 | 17 | $49.74 |
| Illinois | Not in the compact | $50 | Yes | Required | Staffing committee | 3,219 | 178 | $45.20 |
| Indiana | Compact state | on the board's page | Not stated | Not stated | Not listed | 2,031 | 132 | $42.86 |
| Iowa | Compact state | $169 | Not stated | Required | Not listed | 1,324 | 92 | $43.58 |
| Kansas | Compact state | $100 | Yes | Required | Not listed | 1,163 | 150 | $52.12 |
| Kentucky | Compact state | $165 | Yes | Required | Not listed | 1,217 | 123 | $49.52 |
| Louisiana | Compact state | on the board's page | Not stated | Not stated | Not listed | 1,310 | 39 | $52.82 |
| Maine | Compact state | $75 | Not stated | Required | Not listed | 582 | 64 | $46.06 |
| Maryland | Compact state | $230 | Yes | Required | Staffing committee, overtime limits | 1,012 | 69 | $41.92 |
| Massachusetts | Enacted, not yet in force | $275 | No | Not stated | ICU ratio | 2,415 | 124 | $54.41 |
| Michigan | Bill pending | $212.90 | Not stated | Not stated | Not listed | 1,901 | 86 | $44.52 |
| Minnesota | Not in the compact | $105 | Yes | Required | Public reporting, overtime limits | 1,140 | 154 | $49.24 |
| Mississippi | Compact state | $100 | Not stated | Required | Not listed | 855 | 18 | $49.50 |
| Missouri | Compact state | $105 | Yes | Required | Not listed | 2,778 | 310 | $44.20 |
| Montana | Compact state | on the board's page | Not stated | Not stated | Not listed | 424 | 81 | $44.90 |
| Nebraska | Compact state | on the board's page | Yes | Required | Not listed | 694 | 54 | $48.50 |
| Nevada | Not in the compact | $100 | Yes | Required | Not listed | 402 | 53 | $49.74 |
| New Hampshire | Compact state | $120 | Yes | Required | Not listed | 879 | 64 | $46.27 |
| New Jersey | Compact state | $200 | Not stated | Required | Public reporting, overtime limits | 2,725 | 55 | $49.72 |
| New Mexico | Compact state | $150 | See the board | Required | Not listed | 782 | 118 | $49.17 |
| New York | Not in the compact | $143 | Not stated | Not stated | ICU ratio, overtime limits | 3,075 | 103 | $43.61 |
| North Carolina | Compact state | $150 | Yes | Required | Not listed | 3,288 | 495 | $50.62 |
| North Dakota | Compact state | on the board's page | Yes | Required | Not listed | 498 | 32 | $46.09 |
| Ohio | Compact state | $75 | Not stated | Not stated | Staffing committee | 3,590 | 318 | $42.90 |
| Oklahoma | Compact state | $85 | Yes | Required | Not listed | 1,096 | 122 | $52.41 |
| Oregon | Not in the compact | $295 | Not stated | Required | Ratios for every unit | 758 | 126 | $64.75 |
| Pennsylvania | Compact state | $120 | See the board | Required | Overtime limits | 3,548 | 215 | $43.67 |
| Rhode Island | Compact state | $135 | Yes | Required | Public reporting, overtime limits | 364 | 16 | $46.71 |
| South Carolina | Compact state | on the board's page | Not stated | Not stated | Not listed | 1,820 | 71 | $46.93 |
| South Dakota | Compact state | $100 | Yes | Required | Not listed | 553 | 30 | $44.45 |
| Tennessee | Compact state | on the board's page | Not stated | Not stated | Not listed | 2,030 | 112 | $51.43 |
| Texas | Compact state | $150 | Yes | Required | Staffing committee, overtime limits | 6,110 | 331 | $47.92 |
| Utah | Compact state | $60 | Not stated | Required | Not listed | 279 | 66 | $47.06 |
| Vermont | Compact state | on the board's page | Yes | Required | Public reporting | 334 | 49 | $47.36 |
| Virginia | Compact state | $190 | See the board | Required | Formula for some units | 2,614 | 226 | $48.46 |
| Washington | Compact state | $138 | Yes | Required | Staffing committee, overtime limits | 1,572 | 236 | $63.07 |
| West Virginia | Compact state | $125 | Yes | Required | Overtime limits | 924 | 26 | $46.30 |
| Wisconsin | Compact state | $73 | Yes | Not stated | Not listed | 1,951 | 171 | $48.51 |
| Wyoming | Compact state | $135 | Yes | Required | Not listed | 161 | 24 | $40.25 |
"On the board's page" and "not stated" mean the board's page read did not state it (or could not be read), not that the state charges nothing. Fees change; the board's own page is the one that counts on the day you apply. The staffing law is the strongest one quoted from the state's own code on its page, with "overtime limits" where the state also limits mandatory overtime (every state's law); "not listed" means none was found in the state's code, not proof there is none. RN pay at US prices is the median hourly rate the state's open RN jobs post, divided by its price level (the Bureau of Economic Analysis's Regional Price Parities for 2024, the US is 100): what the rate buys where prices are average; "-" where too few jobs state pay.
Transferring a nursing license: common questions
How do I transfer my nursing license to another state?
There is no transfer as such: you either work on a multistate license through the Nurse Licensure Compact, or you apply to the new state's board of nursing for its own license by endorsement. Check whether your home state and the new state are both in the Nurse Licensure Compact: if both are and you keep living in your home state, your multistate license already lets you work there. If you are moving your home to the new state and it is a compact state, apply for its multistate license; if it is outside the compact, apply to its board of nursing for a license by endorsement. Have your current license verified to the new board, through Nursys where your state takes part in it. Complete the background check the board asks for (most ask for fingerprints) and any state exam or course it names. Pay the board's fee and, where the board offers one, ask for a temporary permit so you can start work while the application is processed. Each state's page below says what its board's own page states.
Which states do not need a new nursing license?
None for a nurse who moves there to live: a nurse applies for a license in the new home state. A nurse who keeps a compact home state can work without another license in the 40 compact states (NCSBN, read 9 Nov 2026): Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
How much does it cost to transfer a nursing license?
The board's endorsement fee, by its own page (read 9 Nov 2026): from $50 in Illinois to $350 in California, across the 41 boards whose page states one. Fingerprinting and license verification through Nursys are paid on top in most states.
What are the best states for nurses?
That depends on what you weigh, so here are the facts side by side (every state is in the table above). Highest RN pay after the cost of living (the posted median at US prices, BEA 2024): Oregon ($66.93 posted, $64.75 at US prices), Washington ($67.49 posted, $63.07 at US prices) and California ($68.19 posted, $61.59 at US prices). A multistate license works in the 40 compact states. California, Massachusetts, New York and Oregon set nurse-to-patient ratios by law, and 11 states limit mandatory overtime (each state's law). The most RN jobs are open in Texas (6,110), Florida (5,707) and California (4,533). Moving to another state as a nurse walks through the rest.
Can I work while my new nursing license is processed?
Where the board issues a temporary permit or license. By the boards' own pages, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming do; each state's page gives its terms. A nurse with a multistate license from a compact home state can also work in another compact state while applying there.
Sources and method
A state's fee, permit and fingerprint check are shown only where its board's own page states them, quoted on the state's page; a board page that could not be read leaves that state's figures blank rather than taken from another site. The job counts are the registered nurse jobs open on this board, by the state each job is in.
- NCSBN Nurse Licensure Compact map (nursecompact.com), read 9 Nov 2026, published 9 Nov 2026
- Each state's board of nursing, its licensure by endorsement page and fee schedule, read 9 Nov 2026; checked again every week for the sentence each figure rests on
- CareJobs.Now job board: open jobs read every night from each employer's own careers site
Cite this page
CareJobs.Now. (2026). How to Transfer Your Nursing License to Another State. Data as of 9 Nov 2026. https://carejobs.now/transfer-nursing-license