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For registered nurses moving to Delaware

How to Transfer Your Nursing License to Delaware

Is Delaware a nurse compact state? Yes. Delaware is in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC): a nurse whose home state is a compact state and who holds its multistate license can work in Delaware without another license, and a nurse who lives in Delaware applies for the multistate license there. A nurse from a state outside the compact needs a Delaware license from the Delaware Board of Nursing, by endorsement for a nurse licensed in another state. (NCSBN, read 9 Nov 2026.)

Yes
Compact state
371
RN jobs in Delaware
$54.74
Median posted RN pay

What the Delaware Board of 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
Application fee for Registered Nurse per the board's fee schedule, paid in DELPROS; the state and FBI fingerprint background check (IdentoGO) and the temporary permit ($40) are separate, and Nursys or the other state may charge for verification.
Temporary permit
A temporary permit exists (fee $40 on the fee schedule); do not begin employment until a temporary permit number is assigned.
Fingerprints
A fingerprint-based criminal background check is required.
License verification
Verification of original licensure by examination through Nursys (www.nursys.com), ordered from the state that made you eligible to sit for the NCLEX.
Requirements
Hold an active license of the same type in another jurisdiction and meet one practice requirement before applying (graduation within 2 years, 1,000 hours in the past 5 years, 400 hours in the past 2 years, or a board-approved refresher); RNs with that practice must also show 30 hours of continuing education within the past two years.
Good to know
If your home state is a compact state and you hold a multistate license, you may apply only if you are moving to Delaware or to a non-compact state; the Delaware fingerprint check must be done for Delaware (checks done for other purposes are not accepted).
“At least 1,000 hours of nursing practice during the five years (60 months) before submitting an application”

From the Delaware Board of Nursing's own page, read 9 Nov 2026: dpr.delaware.gov (source: Delaware Board of 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.

Nurses alerts

Nurses in Delaware: new openings every week

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Nursing jobs in Delaware today

371 registered nurse and 70 LPN jobs are open in Delaware on this board, read every night from each employer's own job board.

Transferring a nursing license to Delaware: common questions

Is Delaware a nurse compact state?

Yes. Delaware is in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC): a nurse whose home state is a compact state and who holds its multistate license can work in Delaware without another license, and a nurse who lives in Delaware applies for the multistate license there. A nurse from a state outside the compact needs a Delaware license from the Delaware Board of Nursing, by endorsement for a nurse licensed in another state. (NCSBN, read 9 Nov 2026.)

How do I transfer my nursing license to Delaware?

If your home state is another compact state and you keep living there, your multistate license already lets you work in Delaware. If you move to Delaware, apply to the Delaware Board of Nursing for its multistate license. If your license is from a state outside the compact, apply to the Delaware Board of Nursing for a license by endorsement ($181 by its own page): have your license verified through Nursys, complete the background check, and pay the fee.

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

The same way: the compact covers LPN/VNs too, so a multistate LPN license from a compact home state works in Delaware; otherwise apply for a license by endorsement to the Delaware Board of Nursing. Its own page states the LPN fee, which differs from the RN fee above. LPN jobs in Delaware.

Can I work in Delaware while my license is processed?

By the Delaware Board of Nursing's own page: A temporary permit exists (fee $40 on the fee schedule); do not begin employment until a temporary permit number is assigned.

How much do registered nurses make in Delaware?

Open registered nurse jobs in Delaware that post an hourly rate pay $44.88–$54.74 an hour in the middle half, median $54.74 (145 jobs from 26 employers on this board today).

Do employers in Delaware offer relocation assistance?

19 open healthcare jobs in Delaware 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 Delaware?

By open jobs on this board today: ChristianaCare (86), Bayhealth (72), Nemours Children's Health (29), Trinity Health (22), BAYADA Home Health Care (19), TidalHealth (16). Every RN job in Delaware.

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 Delaware.

  1. NCSBN Nurse Licensure Compact map (nursecompact.com), read 9 Nov 2026, published 9 Nov 2026
  2. Delaware Board of 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 Delaware. Data as of 9 Nov 2026. https://carejobs.now/transfer-nursing-license/delaware

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