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For registered nurses moving to North Carolina

How to Transfer Your Nursing License to North Carolina

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

Yes
Compact state
3,288
RN jobs in North Carolina
$47.75
Median posted RN pay

What the North Carolina 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
$150.00 endorsement fee, non-refundable, paid by MasterCard or Visa.
Temporary permit
A non-renewable temporary license may be issued only within the first six months after the endorsement application, valid up to six months or until the permanent license issues; fingerprint results or a fingerprint card must be received first, and the page states no fee.
Fingerprints
A fingerprint-based criminal background check is required.
License verification
Nursys for most states (request via nursys.com).
Requirements
Completed RN education approved by the original jurisdiction, NCLEX passed, an active license in another jurisdiction within the past 5 years (or a Board-approved refresher course if lapsed five or more years), an unencumbered license everywhere held, and a fingerprint-based SBI and FBI criminal history check.
Good to know
The application and background check are held active for one year, and a nurse must apply in the new residency state immediately upon moving.
“Fee Information: $150.00”

From the North Carolina Board of Nursing's own page, read 9 Nov 2026: ncbon.com (source: North Carolina 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 North Carolina: new openings every week

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Nursing jobs in North Carolina today

3,288 registered nurse and 615 LPN jobs are open in North Carolina on this board, read every night from each employer's own job board.

Transferring a nursing license to North Carolina: common questions

Is North Carolina a nurse compact state?

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

If your home state is another compact state and you keep living there, your multistate license already lets you work in North Carolina. If you move to North Carolina, apply to the North Carolina Board of Nursing for its multistate license. If your license is from a state outside the compact, apply to the North Carolina Board of Nursing for a license by endorsement ($150 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 North Carolina?

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

Can I work in North Carolina while my license is processed?

By the North Carolina Board of Nursing's own page: A non-renewable temporary license may be issued only within the first six months after the endorsement application, valid up to six months or until the permanent license issues; fingerprint results or a fingerprint card must be received first, and the page states no fee.

How much do registered nurses make in North Carolina?

Open registered nurse jobs in North Carolina that post an hourly rate pay $41–$47.75 an hour in the middle half, median $47.75 (946 jobs from 89 employers on this board today).

Do employers in North Carolina offer relocation assistance?

495 open healthcare jobs in North Carolina 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 North Carolina?

By open jobs on this board today: Advocate Health (475), Cone Health (255), Novant Health (237), Duke Health (183), ARMStaffing (172), Advantis Medical (160). Every RN job in North Carolina.

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 North Carolina.

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

How the board counts