Engineering License from Illinois to Kansas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Kansas State Board of Technical Professions (KSBTP) ↗
A PE license transfers from Illinois to Kansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kansas State Board of Technical Professions (KSBTP), verify your Illinois license, and meet Kansas's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Kansas requires no state-specific engineering exam, but it does NOT recognize the NCEES Model Law Engineer (MLE) designation, so every comity applicant must file the full long-form reciprocity application.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Kansas grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Illinois does not start over — but does file a full Kansas application. Your Illinois license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Kansas State Board of Technical Professions (KSBTP) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Kansas's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Kansas requires no state-specific engineering exam, but it does NOT recognize the NCEES Model Law Engineer (MLE) designation, so every comity applicant must file the full long-form reciprocity application. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Illinois license active and unencumbered while the Kansas application is pending, and clearing any Kansas-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Illinois → Kansas
| Illinois (current) | Kansas (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) | $250 (Kansas application fee for a license by reciprocity per K.A.R. 66-15-1; biennial active-license renewal is $70; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid 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 | KSBTP publishes no comity turnaround; the long-form reciprocity review requires full board evaluation of education, experience, and references |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Board of Professional Engineers | Kansas State Board of Technical Professions (KSBTP) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Kansas sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Kansas's current requirements on the Kansas State Board of Technical Professions (KSBTP) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Kansas State Board of Technical Professions (KSBTP) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active PE license issued by another U.S. jurisdiction.
- File the long-form application for licensure by reciprocity (the MLE short-form path is not accepted in Kansas).
- Educational qualifications when the original license was issued must have met the Kansas requirements in effect on that date (K.A.R. 66-9-7).
- Submit references and documentation of engineering experience; maintain a clean disciplinary record.
- Pay the fees ($250 (Kansas application fee for a license by reciprocity per K.A.R. 66-15-1; biennial active-license renewal is $70; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES)) and allow KSBTP publishes no comity turnaround; the long-form reciprocity review requires full board evaluation of education, experience, and references.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Kansas accept a Illinois PE license?
A PE license transfers from Illinois to Kansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kansas State Board of Technical Professions (KSBTP), verify your Illinois license, and meet Kansas's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Kansas requires no state-specific engineering exam, but it does NOT recognize the NCEES Model Law Engineer (MLE) designation, so every comity applicant must file the full long-form reciprocity application.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Illinois to Kansas?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Kansas requires no state-specific engineering exam, but it does NOT recognize the NCEES Model Law Engineer (MLE) designation, so every comity applicant must file the full long-form reciprocity application.
What does the Illinois-to-Kansas comity application cost?
$250 (Kansas application fee for a license by reciprocity per K.A.R. 66-15-1; biennial active-license renewal is $70; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES).
Can I keep my Illinois PE license after I'm licensed in Kansas?
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.
- KSBTP — Engineers (licensing) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- KSBTP News — PE Reciprocity Requires Long Form (MLE no longer recognized) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- K.A.R. 66-15-1 — Fees (reciprocity $250; original $60; biennial renewal $70) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- K.A.R. 66-9-7 — Education standard for reciprocity applicants ↗ (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
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]