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For registered nurses moving to California

How to Transfer Your Nursing License to California

Is California a nurse compact state? No. California is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) and has no pending bill to join (NCSBN, read 9 Nov 2026), so a nurse needs a California license from the California Board of Registered Nursing, by endorsement for a nurse licensed in another state, even with a multistate license from a compact state.

No
Compact state
4,533
RN jobs in California
$68.19
Median posted RN pay

What the California Board of Registered Nursing asks

Licensure by endorsement for a registered nurse licensed in another state, as the board's own page states it (read 9 Nov 2026).

Fee
$350 application fee for US-educated applicants (international graduates pay $750); optional temporary license $100; $49 fingerprint card fee if fingerprinting out of state, or the Live Scan operator's fee; all fees non-refundable.
Temporary permit
An optional Temporary License for $100 lets you practice for six months, but it cannot be issued until the fingerprints and the verification of licensure are processed.
Fingerprints
A fingerprint-based criminal background check is required.
License verification
A Verification of License form from the state that issued the license, with that state's processing fee, or a Nursys verification request, which the page gives as $30 per RN license.
How long it takes
No overall time is stated; the Board says Live Scan fingerprint results take 1-2 weeks and manual cards 1-2 months, and applications with prior discipline may take longer.
Requirements
A current and active license in another state or Canada, an educational program meeting California requirements, and passage of the national licensure examination, plus fingerprints and a Social Security Number or ITIN.
Good to know
Fees are non-refundable even if the applicant is found ineligible.
“APPLICATION: $350.00”

From the California Board of Registered Nursing's own page, read 9 Nov 2026: rn.ca.gov (source: California Board of Registered Nursing). Fees change: the board's page on the day you apply is the one that counts.

The steps

What every move takes; the board's page above says what it asks in each.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Have your current license verified to the new board, through Nursys where your state takes part in it.
  4. Complete the background check the board asks for (most ask for fingerprints) and any state exam or course it names.
  5. 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.

What California law requires

  • Minimum nurse-to-patient ratios (in effect from 2004)

    General acute care hospitals must keep licensed nurse-to-patient ratios by unit, for example 1:2 in critical care and 1:5 in medical-surgical units.

    “Commencing January 1, 2005, the licensed nurse-to-patient ratio in medical/surgical care units shall be 1:5 or fewer at all times.” Cal. Code Regs. tit. 22, § 70217(a) (source: Cal. Code Regs. tit. 22, § 70217(a))

  • ICU nurse-to-patient ratio (in effect from 2004)

    California critical care units must keep a licensed nurse for every two patients or fewer, at all times.

    “The licensed nurse-to-patient ratio in a critical care unit shall be 1:2 or fewer at all times.” Cal. Code Regs. tit. 22, § 70217(a)(1) (source: Cal. Code Regs. tit. 22, § 70217(a)(1))

From California's own code or health department, read 9 Nov 2026. What California's hospitals state for their units is on its nurse-to-patient ratio page, and every state's law is on the ratio hub.

Nurses alerts

Nurses in California: new openings every week

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Nursing jobs in California today

4,533 registered nurse and 886 LPN jobs are open in California on this board, read every night from each employer's own job board.

Transferring a nursing license to California: common questions

Is California a nurse compact state?

No. California is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) and has no pending bill to join (NCSBN, read 9 Nov 2026), so a nurse needs a California license from the California Board of Registered Nursing, by endorsement for a nurse licensed in another state, even with a multistate license from a compact state.

How do I transfer my nursing license to California?

Apply to the California Board of Registered Nursing for a license by endorsement ($350 by its own page): a multistate license from a compact state does not cover California. Have your current license verified through Nursys, complete the background check it asks for and any state exam or course it names, and pay the fee.

How do I transfer an LPN or LVN license to California?

The same way: apply for a license by endorsement to the California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians, which licenses practical and vocational nurses there (not the RN board). Its own page states the LPN fee, which differs from the RN fee above. LPN jobs in California.

Can I work in California while my license is processed?

By the California Board of Registered Nursing's own page: An optional Temporary License for $100 lets you practice for six months, but it cannot be issued until the fingerprints and the verification of licensure are processed.

How long does a California nursing license by endorsement take?

By the California Board of Registered Nursing's own page: No overall time is stated; the Board says Live Scan fingerprint results take 1-2 weeks and manual cards 1-2 months, and applications with prior discipline may take longer.

How much do registered nurses make in California?

Open registered nurse jobs in California that post an hourly rate pay $60.38–$76.88 an hour in the middle half, median $68.19 (2,514 jobs from 218 employers on this board today).

Does California have a nurse-to-patient ratio law?

Yes: General acute care hospitals must keep licensed nurse-to-patient ratios by unit, for example 1:2 in critical care and 1:5 in medical-surgical units. (Cal. Code Regs. tit. 22, § 70217(a)) California critical care units must keep a licensed nurse for every two patients or fewer, at all times. (Cal. Code Regs. tit. 22, § 70217(a)(1)) The law's own words are on this page.

Do employers in California offer relocation assistance?

650 open healthcare jobs in California offer relocation help in their own posting today, each quoting the offer (a set amount, reimbursement or a package); ask for the terms in writing before you accept.

Who is hiring registered nurses in California?

By open jobs on this board today: Cross Country Healthcare (459), Advantis Medical (449), TRS Healthcare (247), Kaiser Permanente (242), Adventist Health (199), Sutter Health (160). Every RN job in California.

Sources and method

The compact status is NCSBN's map on the day read. The board's rules are its own page's words, shown only where the page states them; a sentence of it is checked against the page every week, and a change is read again. The jobs and pay are the registered nurse jobs open on this board in California.

  1. NCSBN Nurse Licensure Compact map (nursecompact.com), read 9 Nov 2026, published 9 Nov 2026
  2. California Board of Registered Nursing: licensure by endorsement, read 9 Nov 2026; checked again every week for the sentence quoted, published 9 Nov 2026
  3. 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 California. Data as of 9 Nov 2026. https://carejobs.now/transfer-nursing-license/california

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