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For registered nurses moving to Maine

How to Transfer Your Nursing License to Maine

Is Maine a nurse compact state? Yes. Maine 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 Maine without another license, and a nurse who lives in Maine applies for the multistate license there. A nurse from a state outside the compact needs a Maine license from the Maine State Board of Nursing, by endorsement for a nurse licensed in another state. (NCSBN, read 9 Nov 2026.)

Yes
Compact state
582
RN jobs in Maine
$44.70
Median posted RN pay

What the Maine State 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
Non-refundable $75.00 application fee; a separate $52 fee for the fingerprint criminal background check and a $30 Nursys verification fee are also stated.
Fingerprints
A fingerprint-based criminal background check is required.
License verification
Through Nursys if the original license was issued in a Nursys-participating state ($30 fee, paid by Visa or Mastercard); otherwise request verification directly from that board.
Requirements
A recent headshot photo, full disclosure of criminal history and discipline, a fingerprint background check through IdentoGo (results valid 90 days), and a U.S. Social Security number; transcripts may be requested case by case.
Good to know
If your primary state of residence is a compact state other than Maine you are not eligible for Maine licensure; if it is a non-compact state you may get a single-state Maine license.
“The non-refundable application fee is $75.00.”

From the Maine State Board of Nursing's own page, read 9 Nov 2026: maine.gov (source: Maine State 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.

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Nursing jobs in Maine today

582 registered nurse and 48 LPN jobs are open in Maine on this board, read every night from each employer's own job board.

Transferring a nursing license to Maine: common questions

Is Maine a nurse compact state?

Yes. Maine 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 Maine without another license, and a nurse who lives in Maine applies for the multistate license there. A nurse from a state outside the compact needs a Maine license from the Maine State 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 Maine?

If your home state is another compact state and you keep living there, your multistate license already lets you work in Maine. If you move to Maine, apply to the Maine State Board of Nursing for its multistate license. If your license is from a state outside the compact, apply to the Maine State Board of Nursing for a license by endorsement ($75 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 Maine?

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

How much do registered nurses make in Maine?

Open registered nurse jobs in Maine that post an hourly rate pay $41.03–$49.16 an hour in the middle half, median $44.70 (131 jobs from 23 employers on this board today).

Do employers in Maine offer relocation assistance?

64 open healthcare jobs in Maine 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 Maine?

By open jobs on this board today: Northern Light Health (66), TRS Healthcare (57), Advantis Medical (54), Cross Country Healthcare (53), Prime Healthcare (51), Covenant Health (New England) (48). Every RN job in Maine.

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 Maine.

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

How the board counts