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LicenseReciprocity

Transfer Your Nursing License to Texas: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Texas Board of Nursing ↗

Texas honors multistate licenses under the Nurse Licensure Compact — compact nurses need no Texas application at all. From a non-compact state such as California or New York, the path is licensure by endorsement through the Texas Board of Nursing, without retaking the NCLEX.

Moving to Texas from a specific state?

Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.

Run the Reciprocity Checker →

Verdict

NLC member — multistate license honored

Whether you need to do anything at all depends on the license in your pocket. If you hold a multistate license and your primary residence stays in another compact state — a travel contract, a border commute, telehealth — Texas requires nothing from you. If you are actually moving to Texas, you are changing your primary state of residence, and that means an endorsement application to the Texas Board of Nursing to re-home your multistate license.

NLC member — a multistate license from another compact state is honored without a Texas application unless Texas becomes the primary state of residence; one-time 120-day temporary license available.

Texas requirements at a glance

Out-of-state nursing license transfer requirements for Texas, verified 2026-07-21
ExamNCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys
Additional requirements
  • Fingerprint-based DPS and FBI criminal background check submitted through IdentoGO
  • Pass the Texas Nursing Jurisprudence Exam before the permanent license is issued
  • Request license verification through Nursys from every jurisdiction where you have ever held a nursing license
  • Have practiced nursing within the previous four years
Fees$150 ($125 endorsement + $25 nursing jurisprudence exam fee; + DPS/FBI fingerprint fee paid to vendor (amount set by DPS/CJIS))
Processing time~3 weeks (board reviews for permanent licensure within 15 business days of receiving the last required item; one-time 120-day temporary license issued within 15 business days of application receipt)

Step by step

  1. Confirm Texas's current requirements on the Texas Board of Nursing website — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Texas Board of Nursing (application linked on this page).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. Fingerprint-based DPS and FBI criminal background check submitted through IdentoGO.
  5. Pass the Texas Nursing Jurisprudence Exam before the permanent license is issued.
  6. Request license verification through Nursys from every jurisdiction where you have ever held a nursing license.
  7. Have practiced nursing within the previous four years.
  8. Pay the fees ($150 ($125 endorsement + $25 nursing jurisprudence exam fee; + DPS/FBI fingerprint fee paid to vendor (amount set by DPS/CJIS))) and allow ~3 weeks (board reviews for permanent licensure within 15 business days of receiving the last required item; one-time 120-day temporary license issued within 15 business days of application receipt).

Official links

Texas Board of Nursing ↗Texas application ↗License verification ↗Nurse Licensure Compact ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Texas:

Alabama → TexasAlaska → TexasArizona → TexasArkansas → TexasCalifornia → TexasColorado → TexasConnecticut → TexasDelaware → TexasDistrict of Columbia → TexasFlorida → TexasGeorgia → TexasHawaii → TexasIdaho → TexasIllinois → TexasIndiana → TexasIowa → TexasKansas → TexasKentucky → TexasLouisiana → TexasMaine → Texas
All 50 origin states
Maryland → TexasMassachusetts → TexasMichigan → TexasMinnesota → TexasMississippi → TexasMissouri → TexasMontana → TexasNebraska → TexasNevada → TexasNew Hampshire → TexasNew Jersey → TexasNew Mexico → TexasNew York → TexasNorth Carolina → TexasNorth Dakota → TexasOhio → TexasOklahoma → TexasOregon → TexasPennsylvania → TexasRhode Island → TexasSouth Carolina → TexasSouth Dakota → TexasTennessee → TexasUtah → TexasVermont → TexasVirginia → TexasWashington → TexasWest Virginia → TexasWisconsin → TexasWyoming → Texas

Frequently asked questions

Does my nursing license transfer to Texas?

Texas honors multistate licenses under the Nurse Licensure Compact — compact nurses need no Texas application at all. From a non-compact state such as California or New York, the path is licensure by endorsement through the Texas Board of Nursing, without retaking the NCLEX.

Do I have to retake the NCLEX to get licensed in Texas?

No. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys. No state requires a second NCLEX.

How much does it cost to transfer an RN license to Texas?

$150 ($125 endorsement + $25 nursing jurisprudence exam fee; + DPS/FBI fingerprint fee paid to vendor (amount set by DPS/CJIS)) ($125 endorsement + $25 nursing jurisprudence exam fee; + DPS/FBI fingerprint fee paid to vendor (amount set by DPS/CJIS)).

How long does Texas take to process an endorsement application?

~3 weeks (board reviews for permanent licensure within 15 business days of receiving the last required item; one-time 120-day temporary license issued within 15 business days of application receipt) — board reviews for permanent licensure within 15 business days of receiving the last required item; one-time 120-day temporary license issued within 15 business days of application receipt.

Is Texas in the Nurse Licensure Compact?

Yes — Texas is an NLC member as of 2026-07-21. A multistate license from another member state is valid in Texas without any application, as long as your primary residence stays in a member state.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 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]