Nursing License from Illinois to Louisiana: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Louisiana State Board of Nursing ↗
A nursing license transfers from Illinois to Louisiana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Louisiana State Board of Nursing, verify your Illinois license, and meet Louisiana's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This direction has a silver lining. Illinois is outside the compact, so you have been carrying a single-state license — but Louisiana is a member. Endorse into Louisiana, 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, Illinois → Louisiana
| Illinois (current) | Louisiana (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| NLC status | Licensure by endorsement | NLC member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $50–$75 ($50 non-refundable endorsement fee, or $75 with the optional 6-month temporary permit (+$25); fingerprint fee paid separately to a licensed livescan vendor) | $100–$200 ($100 endorsement application; $200 if adding the optional 90-day temporary permit; + fingerprint background check fees) |
| Processing time | no processing range stated in IDFPR application materials | no processing timeframe published; optional 90-day temporary endorsement permit allows practice while the application is pending |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Board of Nursing) | Louisiana State Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Louisiana sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Louisiana's current requirements on the Louisiana State Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Louisiana State Board of Nursing (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current, valid, unrestricted RN license in another US state or territory.
- Have actively practiced as a registered nurse within the most recent four years.
- Fingerprint-based state and federal criminal background check.
- Apply online through the Louisiana Nurse Portal (lsbn.boardsofnursing.org).
- Pay the fees ($100–$200 ($100 endorsement application; $200 if adding the optional 90-day temporary permit; + fingerprint background check fees)) and allow no processing timeframe published; optional 90-day temporary endorsement permit allows practice while the application is pending.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Louisiana accept a Illinois nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from Illinois to Louisiana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Louisiana State Board of Nursing, verify your Illinois license, and meet Louisiana's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
Do I retake the NCLEX moving from Illinois to Louisiana?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
What does the move cost?
$100–$200 ($100 endorsement application; $200 if adding the optional 90-day temporary permit; + fingerprint background check fees) ($100 endorsement application; $200 if adding the optional 90-day temporary permit; + fingerprint background check fees).
How long will it take?
no processing timeframe published; optional 90-day temporary endorsement permit allows practice while the application is pending — no processing timeframe published; optional 90-day temporary endorsement permit allows practice while the application is pending.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- LSBN — Instructions and Forms for Initial RN License by Endorsement (PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Louisiana Administrative Code 46:XLVII.3341 — Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Louisiana Administrative Code 46:XLVII.3330 — Criminal history check for endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- IDFPR — Registered Nurse Instruction Sheet (Examination/Endorsement/Restoration), rev. 4/24 ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- IDFPR — Nurses profession page ↗ (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]