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For registered nurses moving to Illinois

How to Transfer Your Nursing License to Illinois

Is Illinois a nurse compact state? No. Illinois 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 Illinois license from the Illinois Board of Nursing, by endorsement for a nurse licensed in another state, even with a multistate license from a compact state.

No
Compact state
3,219
RN jobs in Illinois
$45.18
Median posted RN pay

What the Illinois 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
Endorsement fee of $50; a $25 temporary permit fee can be combined with it into one $75 check or money order; application fees are non-refundable and paid by check or money order payable to the Department.
Temporary permit
Yes, under Section 60-10 of the Nurse Practice Act: the permit costs $25, is valid for six months from issuance (or until an Illinois RN license issues or a notice of intended denial, whichever comes first), and requires the TP-NUR form plus current licensure in another U.S. jurisdiction.
Fingerprints
A fingerprint-based criminal background check is required.
License verification
Nursys: if the state participates in Nursys, the nurse must request license verification through Nursys (nursys.com), not through the state; the CT-NUR form is used for other states. No verification fee is stated.
Requirements
Current licensure in at least one other U.S. jurisdiction; a fingerprint background check for initial licensure (proof of fingerprint submission, or an OOS-FP form if fingerprinted out of state); a PHQ health and criminal history form; and an education certificate (ED-NUR). Applicants educated outside the U.S. need a credentials evaluation.
“Endorsement - $50.00”

From the Illinois Board of Nursing's own page, read 9 Nov 2026: idfpr.illinois.gov (source: Illinois 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.

What Illinois law requires

  • Nurse staffing committee or plan

    Illinois hospitals must run a nursing care committee and follow a written unit-by-unit staffing plan with minimum nurse-to-patient needs.

    “Every hospital shall implement a written hospital-wide staffing plan, prepared by a nursing care committee or committees, that provides for minimum direct care professional registered nurse-to-patient staffing needs for each inpatient care unit, including inpatient emergency departments.” 210 ILCS 85/10.10(c)(1) (source: 210 ILCS 85/10.10(c)(1))

  • Public reporting of staffing

    Illinois hospitals must post the written staffing plan conspicuously and give a copy to any member of the public who asks.

    “A copy of the written staffing plan shall be provided to any member of the general public upon request.” 210 ILCS 85/10.10(c)(3) (source: 210 ILCS 85/10.10(c)(3))

From Illinois's own code or health department, read 9 Nov 2026. What Illinois'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 Illinois: new openings every week

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Nursing jobs in Illinois today

3,219 registered nurse and 446 LPN jobs are open in Illinois on this board, read every night from each employer's own job board.

Transferring a nursing license to Illinois: common questions

Is Illinois a nurse compact state?

No. Illinois 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 Illinois license from the Illinois Board of 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 Illinois?

Apply to the Illinois Board of Nursing for a license by endorsement ($50 by its own page): a multistate license from a compact state does not cover Illinois. 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 Illinois?

The same way: apply for a license by endorsement to the Illinois Board of Nursing. Its own page states the LPN fee, which differs from the RN fee above. LPN jobs in Illinois.

Can I work in Illinois while my license is processed?

By the Illinois Board of Nursing's own page: Yes, under Section 60-10 of the Nurse Practice Act: the permit costs $25, is valid for six months from issuance (or until an Illinois RN license issues or a notice of intended denial, whichever comes first), and requires the TP-NUR form plus current licensure in another U.S. jurisdiction.

How much do registered nurses make in Illinois?

Open registered nurse jobs in Illinois that post an hourly rate pay $40.16–$47.75 an hour in the middle half, median $45.18 (1,938 jobs from 208 employers on this board today).

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

Not fixed ratios: Illinois hospitals must run a nursing care committee and follow a written unit-by-unit staffing plan with minimum nurse-to-patient needs. (210 ILCS 85/10.10(c)(1)) Illinois hospitals must post the written staffing plan conspicuously and give a copy to any member of the public who asks. (210 ILCS 85/10.10(c)(3)) The law's own words are on this page.

Do employers in Illinois offer relocation assistance?

178 open healthcare jobs in Illinois 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 Illinois?

By open jobs on this board today: Northwestern Medicine (311), Endeavor Health (262), Advocate Health (209), OSF HealthCare (209), Cross Country Healthcare (133), TRS Healthcare (120). Every RN job in Illinois.

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 Illinois.

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

How the board counts