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For registered nurses moving to Wisconsin

How to Transfer Your Nursing License to Wisconsin

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

Yes
Compact state
1,951
RN jobs in Wisconsin
$45.65
Median posted RN pay

What the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services 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 credential fee table lists the initial Registered Nurse fee at $73 (the total is calculated in LicensE, and additional fees may apply); the Nursys endorsement verification is paid to Nursys (no amount stated), and the Bridge application method has no fee.
Temporary permit
A Bridge Temporary Credential lets a nurse licensed in another state and employed in Wisconsin practice while the permanent application is reviewed; it is valid 90 days from issue, has no fee, and can be extended by 30 days.
License verification
Through Nursys: log into Nursys, select Wisconsin to receive an endorsement verification, and pay the Nursys fee (no amount stated).
How long it takes
Materials are reviewed within approximately 10 days by a member of the credentialing team, and some licenses take longer.
Requirements
Age 18 or older, a registered nurse license issued by another U.S. state, graduation from a registered nursing program approved by that state, and a passed NCLEX-RN; only practice positions held within the last 5 years are considered.
Renewal
Renewal fee is $73, with the renew-by date in even years (02/29/Even) per the fee table; no continuing education is required for this license type.
Good to know
The Bridge Temporary Credential is available while the permanent application is pending, valid for 90 days with no fee.
“Applicants are eligible for Licensure by Endorsement if they have been issued a RN license in the US (or applicable countries/territories).”

From the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services's own page, read 9 Nov 2026: dsps.wi.gov (source: Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services). 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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Nurses in Wisconsin: new openings every week

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Nursing jobs in Wisconsin today

1,951 registered nurse and 369 LPN jobs are open in Wisconsin on this board, read every night from each employer's own job board.

Transferring a nursing license to Wisconsin: common questions

Is Wisconsin a nurse compact state?

Yes. Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin without another license, and a nurse who lives in Wisconsin applies for the multistate license there. A nurse from a state outside the compact needs a Wisconsin license from the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, by endorsement for a nurse licensed in another state. (NCSBN, read 9 Nov 2026.)

How do I transfer my nursing license to Wisconsin?

If your home state is another compact state and you keep living there, your multistate license already lets you work in Wisconsin. If you move to Wisconsin, apply to the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services for its multistate license. If your license is from a state outside the compact, apply to the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services for a license by endorsement ($73 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 Wisconsin?

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

Can I work in Wisconsin while my license is processed?

By the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services's own page: A Bridge Temporary Credential lets a nurse licensed in another state and employed in Wisconsin practice while the permanent application is reviewed; it is valid 90 days from issue, has no fee, and can be extended by 30 days.

How long does a Wisconsin nursing license by endorsement take?

By the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services's own page: Materials are reviewed within approximately 10 days by a member of the credentialing team, and some licenses take longer.

How much do registered nurses make in Wisconsin?

Open registered nurse jobs in Wisconsin that post an hourly rate pay $42.44–$47.75 an hour in the middle half, median $45.65 (845 jobs from 77 employers on this board today).

Do employers in Wisconsin offer relocation assistance?

171 open healthcare jobs in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin?

By open jobs on this board today: Advocate Health (305), Aspirus Health (146), Sanford Health (131), ThedaCare (121), Cross Country Healthcare (119), Ascension (97). Every RN job in Wisconsin.

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 Wisconsin.

  1. NCSBN Nurse Licensure Compact map (nursecompact.com), read 9 Nov 2026, published 9 Nov 2026
  2. Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services: 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 Wisconsin. Data as of 9 Nov 2026. https://carejobs.now/transfer-nursing-license/wisconsin

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