Engineering License from Illinois to Connecticut: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Connecticut State Board of Examiners for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Department of Consumer Protection) ↗
A PE license transfers from Illinois to Connecticut by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Connecticut State Board of Examiners for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Department of Consumer Protection), verify your Illinois license, and meet Connecticut's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Connecticut requires proof of passing both the NCEES FE and PE exams and has no separate state jurisprudence exam.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Connecticut grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Illinois does not start over — but does file a full Connecticut application. Your Illinois license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Connecticut State Board of Examiners for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Department of Consumer Protection) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Connecticut's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Connecticut requires proof of passing both the NCEES FE and PE exams and has no separate state jurisprudence exam. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Illinois license active and unencumbered while the Connecticut application is pending, and clearing any Connecticut-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Illinois → Connecticut
| Illinois (current) | Connecticut (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $100 ($100 Professional Engineer license application fee (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1380.275; the same single application fee applies to endorsement); renewal is $30 per year. Request that NCEES transmit your Record to Illinois — NCEES charges $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately) | $190 (Non-refundable PE reciprocity/comity application fee paid to the Department of Consumer Protection; the official comity page lists no separate initial-license fee. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES) |
| Processing time | IDFPR does not publish a guaranteed endorsement turnaround; the board's PE FAQ states that using an NCEES Record may shorten processing time | DCP publishes no comity processing time; the State Board of Examiners for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors reviews applications once the exam proof, references, and NCEES Record are complete |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Board of Professional Engineers | Connecticut State Board of Examiners for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Department of Consumer Protection) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Connecticut sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Connecticut's current requirements on the Connecticut State Board of Examiners for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Department of Consumer Protection) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Connecticut State Board of Examiners for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Department of Consumer Protection) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active PE license in another U.S. jurisdiction.
- Show proof of passing the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering and Principles and Practice of Engineering exams (an NCEES Record may be submitted, but does not guarantee approval).
- List at least five references, at least four in the profession and not related to you, with at least three licensed U.S. Professional Engineers.
- Meet the education/experience standard: an ABET-accredited degree plus 4 years of engineering practice (7 years minimum for a non-accredited or foreign-evaluated degree).
- Pay the fees ($190 (Non-refundable PE reciprocity/comity application fee paid to the Department of Consumer Protection; the official comity page lists no separate initial-license fee. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES)) and allow DCP publishes no comity processing time; the State Board of Examiners for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors reviews applications once the exam proof, references, and NCEES Record are complete.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Connecticut accept a Illinois PE license?
A PE license transfers from Illinois to Connecticut by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Connecticut State Board of Examiners for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Department of Consumer Protection), verify your Illinois license, and meet Connecticut's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Connecticut requires proof of passing both the NCEES FE and PE exams and has no separate state jurisprudence exam.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Illinois to Connecticut?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Connecticut requires proof of passing both the NCEES FE and PE exams and has no separate state jurisprudence exam.
What does the Illinois-to-Connecticut comity application cost?
$190 (Non-refundable PE reciprocity/comity application fee paid to the Department of Consumer Protection; the official comity page lists no separate initial-license fee. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).
Can I keep my Illinois PE license after I'm licensed in Connecticut?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Illinois license active (its renewal and continuing-education/PDH clock run separately) and you hold both. Engineers working near state lines or nationally routinely carry several PE licenses at once, all sourced from a single NCEES Record.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Connecticut DCP - Professional Engineer Reciprocity or Comity ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Connecticut DCP - Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors Licensing ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES - Records Program (comity licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- IDFPR — Professional Engineering Frequently Asked Questions (endorsement pathway, FE/PE requirement, NCEES Record, PE vs SE) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Ill. Admin. Code tit. 68, § 1380.275 — Fees (Professional Engineer license $100) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- IDFPR — Professional Engineering (Practice Act, rules, application forms) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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