Nursing License from Illinois to South Carolina: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: South Carolina Board of Nursing ↗
A nursing license transfers from Illinois to South Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Carolina Board of Nursing, verify your Illinois license, and meet South Carolina'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 South Carolina is a member. Endorse into South Carolina, 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 → South Carolina
| Illinois (current) | South Carolina (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 (endorsement application; $110 if adding a 60-day temporary license; fingerprint background check fee paid separately) |
| Processing time | no processing range stated in IDFPR application materials | board does not publish a timeframe; applications processed in order received and valid for one year; 60-day single-state temporary license available while pending |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Board of Nursing) | South Carolina Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — South Carolina sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm South Carolina's current requirements on the South Carolina Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the South Carolina Board of Nursing (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Fingerprint-based criminal background check; fingerprint only after the board emails instructions.
- Request license verification through Nursys from your original state of licensure.
- Document continued competency within the past two years (30 contact hours, national certification, academic study, or employer certification of practice hours).
- Hold an active RN license in another US state, jurisdiction, or territory.
- Submit proof of legal name and a 2x2 passport-type color photo taken within 6 months.
- Pay the fees ($100 (endorsement application; $110 if adding a 60-day temporary license; fingerprint background check fee paid separately)) and allow board does not publish a timeframe; applications processed in order received and valid for one year; 60-day single-state temporary license available while pending.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does South Carolina accept a Illinois nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from Illinois to South Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Carolina Board of Nursing, verify your Illinois license, and meet South Carolina's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
Do I retake the NCLEX moving from Illinois to South Carolina?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
What does the move cost?
$100 (endorsement application; $110 if adding a 60-day temporary license; fingerprint background check fee paid separately) (endorsement application; $110 if adding a 60-day temporary license; fingerprint background check fee paid separately).
How long will it take?
board does not publish a timeframe; applications processed in order received and valid for one year; 60-day single-state temporary license available while pending — board does not publish a timeframe; applications processed in order received and valid for one year; 60-day single-state temporary license available while pending.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- SC Board of Nursing — Fee Schedule ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- SC BON — RN/LPN Licensure by Endorsement requirements and application (PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- SC BON — RN Applications and Forms ↗ (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]