Transfer Your Engineering License to Nebraska: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects (BEA) ↗
Nebraska grants PE licensure by comity — its term for endorsement — to an out-of-state Professional Engineer in good standing: the Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects (BEA) reviews the credentials in your NCEES Record instead of re-examining you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or by direct verification from the issuing jurisdiction) and are not retaken; however, every comity applicant must also pass an open-book exam on the Nebraska Engineers and Architects Regulation Act and the Board's rules and regulations before a license is issued. Application fee: $150 (Nebraska comity application fee (an initial-by-exam application is $100). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).
Moving to Nebraska from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Comity is Nebraska's normal route for an already-licensed engineer, and the word describes what the Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects (BEA) actually does: it extends professional courtesy to your existing PE license after confirming your record meets Nebraska's practice act, rather than re-examining you. The lever that makes this smooth is your NCEES Record — NCEES compiles your transcripts, experience, references, and FE/PE results and transmits them straight to Nebraska, and a Model Law Engineer designation speeds many boards further. One prerequisite is absolute: your current license must be active and unencumbered, so clear any open disciplinary matter before you file.
Read the exam line on this page closely before you assume the move is exam-free. Most boards add nothing to the FE and PE, but a few require a state-specific examination — seismic, surveying, or a statutes-and-rules review — that comity does not waive, and where Nebraska requires one it is listed above rather than folded silently into the process.
Comity licensure. Applicants lacking an EAC/ABET degree and/or without both the FE and PE exams may still qualify with at least fifteen years of licensed experience in good standing. Nebraska requires a state statutes/rules exam (open-book) that must be passed before the license issues. During research the ea.nebraska.gov / nebraska.gov hosts were reachable only through their Fastly CDN (state DNS timed out in this environment); content was read from the live official pages.
Nebraska requirements at a glance
| Exam | FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or by direct verification from the issuing jurisdiction) and are not retaken; however, every comity applicant must also pass an open-book exam on the Nebraska Engineers and Architects Regulation Act and the Board's rules and regulations before a license is issued |
|---|---|
| Additional requirements |
|
| Fees | $150 (Nebraska comity application fee (an initial-by-exam application is $100). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES) |
| Processing time | No comity turnaround published. Model Law Engineers on an NCEES Record with no disciplinary issues may receive a conditional license administratively pending formal Board approval; all other applications await full Board review |
Step by step
- Confirm Nebraska's current requirements on the Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects (BEA) website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects (BEA) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a PE license in good standing in at least one other jurisdiction recognized by the Board.
- Hold an EAC/ABET- or CEAB-accredited engineering degree (or meet the NCEES Engineering Education Standard via NCEES Credentials Evaluation), have passed both the FE and PE exams, and have four years of engineering experience after graduation.
- Submit the Engineer License Application (online or paper) with the filing fee, and have exam and license verification sent directly from the issuing jurisdiction(s); an NCEES Council Record may satisfy education, experience, and references.
- Pass the mailed exam on the Nebraska Engineers and Architects Regulation Act and Board rules before licensure.
- Pay the fees ($150 (Nebraska comity application fee (an initial-by-exam application is $100). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES)) and allow No comity turnaround published. Model Law Engineers on an NCEES Record with no disciplinary issues may receive a conditional license administratively pending formal Board approval; all other applications await full Board review.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Nebraska:
Frequently asked questions
Does my PE license transfer to Nebraska?
Nebraska grants PE licensure by comity — its term for endorsement — to an out-of-state Professional Engineer in good standing: the Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects (BEA) reviews the credentials in your NCEES Record instead of re-examining you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or by direct verification from the issuing jurisdiction) and are not retaken; however, every comity applicant must also pass an open-book exam on the Nebraska Engineers and Architects Regulation Act and the Board's rules and regulations before a license is issued. Application fee: $150 (Nebraska comity application fee (an initial-by-exam application is $100). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).
Do I retake the FE or PE exam to get licensed in Nebraska?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or by direct verification from the issuing jurisdiction) and are not retaken; however, every comity applicant must also pass an open-book exam on the Nebraska Engineers and Architects Regulation Act and the Board's rules and regulations before a license is issued.
What does PE licensure in Nebraska cost an out-of-state applicant?
$150 (Nebraska comity application fee (an initial-by-exam application is $100). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).
How long does the Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects (BEA) take to act on a comity application?
No comity turnaround published. Model Law Engineers on an NCEES Record with no disciplinary issues may receive a conditional license administratively pending formal Board approval; all other applications await full Board review.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects — Comity qualifications & application process ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects — Engineer fees ($150 comity, $100 initial) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES — Records Program (comity transmittal fees) ↗ (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]