Nursing License from California to Colorado: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Colorado Board of Nursing ↗
A nursing license transfers from California to Colorado by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Colorado Board of Nursing, verify your California license, and meet Colorado's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; all current and previously held licenses are verified through Nursys.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This direction has a silver lining. California is outside the compact, so you have been carrying a single-state license — but Colorado is a member. Endorse into Colorado, establish it as your primary residence, meet the uniform licensure requirements, and the license you receive is multistate: one application turns into practice privileges across the whole compact.
What changes, California → Colorado
| California (current) | Colorado (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| NLC status | Licensure by endorsement | NLC member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $350 (US-educated endorsement application ($750 if internationally educated); + $49 fingerprint hard card if out of state (Live Scan vendor fees vary); optional $100 temporary license) | endorsement fee not published on a public board page — shown inside the DPO Online Services portal at application; + fingerprint vendor fee (IdentoGO/Colorado Fingerprinting) |
| Processing time | 10–13 weeks (initial evaluation mandated within 90 days; board processing page (June 2026) was reviewing US endorsement applications received about 10-12 weeks earlier; temporary license available) | board publishes no processing time; background check results only reach the board within 90 days of printing |
| Licensing authority | California Board of Registered Nursing | Colorado Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Colorado sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Colorado's current requirements on the Colorado Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Colorado Board of Nursing (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Fingerprint-based FBI and CBI criminal background check (results are available to the board for only 90 days, so print close to applying).
- Request verification of ALL current and previously held nursing licenses through Nursys.
- Hold or have held an active RN license in another US state or jurisdiction.
- Apply online through DPO Online Services and declare your primary state of residence for a multistate license.
- Pay the fees (endorsement fee not published on a public board page — shown inside the DPO Online Services portal at application; + fingerprint vendor fee (IdentoGO/Colorado Fingerprinting)) and allow board publishes no processing time; background check results only reach the board within 90 days of printing.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Colorado accept a California nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from California to Colorado by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Colorado Board of Nursing, verify your California license, and meet Colorado's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; all current and previously held licenses are verified through Nursys.
Do I retake the NCLEX moving from California to Colorado?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere. NCLEX is not retaken; all current and previously held licenses are verified through Nursys.
What does the move cost?
endorsement fee not published on a public board page — shown inside the DPO Online Services portal at application; + fingerprint vendor fee (IdentoGO/Colorado Fingerprinting) (endorsement fee not published on a public board page — shown inside the DPO Online Services portal at application; + fingerprint vendor fee (IdentoGO/Colorado Fingerprinting)).
How long will it take?
board publishes no processing time; background check results only reach the board within 90 days of printing — board publishes no processing time; background check results only reach the board within 90 days of printing.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Colorado DPO — Nursing Applications and Forms ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Nursys — participating boards (Colorado) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- California BRN — Licensure by Endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- California BRN — Endorsement Application Fees & Instructions (PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- California BRN — Processing Times ↗ (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]