Nursing License from Illinois to Wisconsin: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Wisconsin Board of Nursing ↗
A nursing license transfers from Illinois to Wisconsin by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Wisconsin Board of Nursing, verify your Illinois license, and meet Wisconsin'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 Wisconsin is a member. Endorse into Wisconsin, 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 → Wisconsin
| Illinois (current) | Wisconsin (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) | initial endorsement fee is charged in the LicensE portal at application; no current public DSPS schedule lists it; optional temporary permit + $10 |
| Processing time | no processing range stated in IDFPR application materials | DSPS does not publish a processing timeframe for endorsement applications |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Board of Nursing) | Wisconsin Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Wisconsin sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Wisconsin's current requirements on the Wisconsin Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Wisconsin Board of Nursing (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active license in another state and have passed the NCLEX.
- Nursys verification of your initial (NCLEX) state license and current state license (Quick Confirm report not accepted).
- FBI fingerprint background check with Form #2687 if applying for a multistate license.
- Board-approved nurse refresher course if not employed in nursing within the last 5 years.
- Pay the fees (initial endorsement fee is charged in the LicensE portal at application; no current public DSPS schedule lists it; optional temporary permit + $10) and allow DSPS does not publish a processing timeframe for endorsement applications.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Wisconsin accept a Illinois nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from Illinois to Wisconsin by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Wisconsin Board of Nursing, verify your Illinois license, and meet Wisconsin's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
Do I retake the NCLEX moving from Illinois to Wisconsin?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
What does the move cost?
initial endorsement fee is charged in the LicensE portal at application; no current public DSPS schedule lists it; optional temporary permit + $10 (initial endorsement fee is charged in the LicensE portal at application; no current public DSPS schedule lists it; optional temporary permit + $10).
How long will it take?
DSPS does not publish a processing timeframe for endorsement applications — DSPS does not publish a processing timeframe for endorsement applications.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Wisconsin DSPS — Registered Nurse (endorsement section) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Wisconsin DSPS — #3087 Credentialing Information for RN/LPN Licensure (PDF) ↗ (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]