Switching your license to a different state: a guide
Nursing school… NCLEX exam… obtaining your nurse’s license. These steps seem clear cut and straightforward, and are milestones in the journey of becoming a nurse. You’ve crossed your Ts and dotted your Is, and you’re officially licensed so that’s all there is to it, right? Well… if you’re going to be a nurse in the state where you got your license then, yes! If you’re going to be a nurse in a different state well, that’s another story… read on for more information and what you need to know to switch your license to a different state!
Maybe you’re going to be moving to a new state for a change of scenery, maybe you’re moving for family or with a partner or maybe you initially moved to your current state for nursing school. Either way you look at it, moving = new license! Each state has their own Board of Nursing and each board has their own individual criteria to determine whether or not an individual has the necessary requirements to practice safe and effective nursing and become licensed. The State Boards of Nursing (BON) site has a list of state fees and education requirements as well as the list of nursing compact states, which brings us to the first point…
Understanding Compact vs Non-Compact States
The good news is, switching your license to a new state is not as complicated as you might think, maybe a bit tedious but not the hardest thing to do. First you must understand what a compact vs non-compact state is. The Nurse Licensure Compact (aka NLC) was created to allow nurses to have a license that is valid in multiple states - as of right now, that number is 25!
Meaning, you are able to practice nursing in your home state as well as any state that is part of the NLC. You can practice in these states through a simple process that is not subject to additional fees or paperwork. To obtain this “multi state” license, you just need to be:
A legal resident of the states within the NLC
Have an active RN license that is in good standing
Are licensed in your home state and show your competency to practice as an RN if you are in a state that is not part of the NLC
Transferring Your License and Dealing with Non-Compact States
When dealing with non-compact states, the first step no matter what is to apply for your license via endorsement in your new state of residency. From there, there are slight differences in what happens next:
Non-Compact to Compact State: Your license issued by the non-compact state will not be canceled and will remain active as long as you maintain it. Maintenance includes: racking up your continuing education hours, practice within the laws of the state and renew your non-compact license before the deadline.
Compact to Non-Compact State: Your compact license will be changed to a single state license (ie New York State, which is non-compact) and that license will only be valid in the state you have chosen. Before you move from your compact state, you must notify your local board - the board will then deactivate your license from their state board.
Transferring Your License from Compact State to Compact State
Switching from compact to compact requires a bit more of a process, some steps can take months so be sure to start as soon as you know you’re moving - or plan ahead as much as possible!
Let’s say you’re moving from Texas to Colorado (both compact states) - you can still practice in Colorado using your former Texas license for at least 30 days - 90 days at most. However, this depends and varies by state so be sure to do your research!
You will then be required to apply for your licensure endorsement 1-2 months in advance of your move, pay any required fees and solidify your new primary state of residency. (ie Colorado)
You will be issued a new multi state license and any former license will be null and void. You must also notify your board of nursing in your previous home state that you have moved. Proof of residency may be required as well.
Understanding Endorsement
We’ve mentioned endorsement a few times - but what does that actually mean? Endorsement is the process of transferring your RN license and is a crucial part of moving to a new state. To receive endorsement, you need to pass or have passed the NCLEX-RN and hold a license in your state’s board of nursing - in good standing of course!
From there, this is what happens next:
Apply for Endorsement: once you have your new state figured out, you need to apply for endorsement with that state’s board of nursing. Be sure to read up on their rules, remember: each state is different!
Obtain Online Verification: you can go to the Nursys website to obtain your verification for endorsement to practice in another state.
Approval From Your New State’s Board of Nursing (BON): the BON in the state where you are applying for endorsement needs to approve of your application, perform brand new background checks and ensure all of your information is correct.
Payment of Fees: yep… there is definitely a cost with moving! Each state has predetermined fees, so make sure you know what those are and budget accordingly!
After you’ve completed all steps in the process, it takes about 1-2 months to find out whether or not you have been approved for your license and to practice in your new state of choice.
This feels like a good time to pause for a deeeeeep breath - or several! We are not kidding when we say this is a process! The great thing is that technology allows us to do most of this process electronically - can you imagine having to do this the old fashioned way??
While this all may seem tedious and cause some headaches, it’s all within good reason. We know being a nurse is a serious biz - a literal life saving one at that! When you move to a new state, there’s a whole new set of rules and regulations and boards and all the things - the powers that be are just doing their due diligence in making sure you are qualified to do your job!
If you’re moving to a new state, we wish you the best of luck! We hope you’ll let NurseDeck join in on the fun and share your exciting new adventures with us. We promise it’s not as bad as it seems - you’ve got this! The states (non-compact and compact - haha) are your oyster - so get out there and do your thing!