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For registered nurses moving to Virginia

How to Transfer Your Nursing License to Virginia

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

Yes
Compact state
2,614
RN jobs in Virginia
$49
Median posted RN pay

What the Virginia 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
The fee page lists the Registered Nurse fee for exam or endorsement at $190, paid online by card or by check; the NURSYS verification is a separate $30 fee paid to Nursys, and fingerprinting through Fieldprint Va. carries a fee the page does not state.
Temporary permit
Applicants without a Social Security number may be eligible for a single-state temporary license valid for 90 days; an Authorization to Practice letter is also available, initially valid for 30 days; neither fee is stated.
Fingerprints
A fingerprint-based criminal background check is required.
License verification
Request verification from the original state of licensure through NURSYS (nursys.com) for a $30 fee paid to Nursys; a non-Nursys state verification is sent by that state directly.
How long it takes
Approximately 30 business days, counted from the date the application fee posts on the checklist until licensure.
Requirements
Graduation from a state-approved nursing program and an active unencumbered license in another U.S. jurisdiction; a clinical hours form from the employer is required only if the nursing program had fewer than 500 clinical hours (RN), and internationally educated applicants need a Board-approved credential evaluation.
Good to know
Virginia is an enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact state: if your primary state of residence is a compact state, you must apply for licensure in that state instead.
“Applications for licensure as a Registered Nurse by Endorsement are exclusively accepted online.”

From the Virginia Board of Nursing's own page, read 9 Nov 2026: dhp.virginia.gov (source: Virginia 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 Virginia law requires

  • Staffing formula for some units

    Virginia hospital regulations set numeric nursing formulas for obstetric and newborn units only, such as one nursing personnel per six to eight postpartum patients.

    “If the postpartum unit is organized as a separate nursing unit, staffing shall be based on a formula of one nursing personnel for every six to eight obstetric patients.” 12VAC5-410-441(J) (source: 12VAC5-410-441(J))

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

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Nursing jobs in Virginia today

2,614 registered nurse and 505 LPN jobs are open in Virginia on this board, read every night from each employer's own job board.

Transferring a nursing license to Virginia: common questions

Is Virginia a nurse compact state?

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

If your home state is another compact state and you keep living there, your multistate license already lets you work in Virginia. If you move to Virginia, apply to the Virginia Board of Nursing for its multistate license. If your license is from a state outside the compact, apply to the Virginia Board of Nursing for a license by endorsement ($190 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 Virginia?

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

Can I work in Virginia while my license is processed?

By the Virginia Board of Nursing's own page: Applicants without a Social Security number may be eligible for a single-state temporary license valid for 90 days; an Authorization to Practice letter is also available, initially valid for 30 days; neither fee is stated.

How long does a Virginia nursing license by endorsement take?

By the Virginia Board of Nursing's own page: Approximately 30 business days, counted from the date the application fee posts on the checklist until licensure.

How much do registered nurses make in Virginia?

Open registered nurse jobs in Virginia that post an hourly rate pay $43.36–$51.63 an hour in the middle half, median $49 (1,684 jobs from 114 employers on this board today).

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

Yes: Virginia hospital regulations set numeric nursing formulas for obstetric and newborn units only, such as one nursing personnel per six to eight postpartum patients. (12VAC5-410-441(J)) The law's own words are on this page.

Do employers in Virginia offer relocation assistance?

226 open healthcare jobs in Virginia 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 Virginia?

By open jobs on this board today: Sentara Health (412), Riverside Health (188), Inova (180), Bon Secours (163), HealthTrust Workforce Solutions (148), VHC Health (142). Every RN job in Virginia.

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 Virginia.

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

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