The Illinois Board of Nursing sets the standards for every RN, LPN, and APRN in the state, but the licenses themselves are issued by IDFPR, the state agency it advises. Illinois is not a Nurse Licensure Compact state, so an out-of-state license will not work here. You need an Illinois license before your first shift.
Key Takeaways
- 254,485 active RN licenses in Illinois as of January 2026, about 4.29% of the national total. That makes Illinois the 5th-largest RN workforce in the country (NCSBN).
- Illinois is not a Nurse Licensure Compact state. A multistate license from another state does not let you practice in Illinois, in person or by telehealth.
- $50 to apply as an RN or LPN, $125 for an APRN, and $80 to renew for two years. Most new RNs also pay the $200 national NCLEX-RN fee plus fingerprinting.
- RN licenses expire May 31 of every even-numbered year. The 2026 deadline was extended to June 30, 2026, so the current window is still open as of mid-June.
- 20 contact hours of CE per two-year cycle for RNs, including four mandatory one-hour topics: sexual harassment prevention, implicit bias, cultural competency, and Alzheimer’s and dementia care.
- 4 to 6 weeks is the common turnaround for a complete endorsement file, and a temporary permit can cover you while the full license is pending.
The Verdict: If you already hold a license in another state, Illinois will not recognize it. There is no compact shortcut, so plan on a single-state license by endorsement and budget roughly four to six weeks once your file is complete. The two things that stall applications most often are the 60-day fingerprint window and the mandatory CE topics at renewal. Get those right and the rest is fairly routine.
Illinois Board of Nursing Contacts
The Illinois Board of Nursing works inside the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). Almost everything you actually do, applying, renewing, updating an address, runs through IDFPR. Here is where to reach them. For an application status update, call the licensing line rather than visiting in person, since mid-2024 the Springfield office has handled status questions by virtual appointment on Wednesdays.
| Official Board site | nursing.illinois.gov |
| Licensing authority | IDFPR, Division of Professional Regulation |
| Professional licensing line | 1-800-560-6420 |
| General assistance | 1-888-473-4858 |
| Complaint Intake Unit | 1-312-814-6910 |
| TTY / TDD | 1-866-325-4949 |
| Chicago office | 555 W. Monroe St., 5th Floor, Chicago, IL 60661 |
| Springfield office | 320 W. Washington St., 3rd Floor, Springfield, IL 62786 |
| [email protected] |
What the Illinois Board of Nursing Actually Does
The Board writes the practice standards and advises on rules under the Nurse Practice Act, while IDFPR handles licensing, renewals, and discipline. In practice, that split rarely matters to you as an applicant: your application, fees, and CE all go through IDFPR and its online system.
Illinois regulates a large workforce. With 254,485 active RN licenses on the books, the state sits behind only California, New York, Texas, and Florida. That scale is one reason processing can feel slow at peak renewal times. For the bigger picture on how these agencies are set up, see how state nursing boards are structured.
One more practical note: IDFPR has been moving nursing licenses onto CORE, its newer online platform, with the latest nursing license types added in May 2026. If a screen or form looks different from what a coworker described a year ago, that is why.
Is Illinois a Nurse Licensure Compact State?
No. Illinois has not joined the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), and it does not issue multistate licenses. Bills to join have been filed repeatedly in the General Assembly, including in the 2025 to 2026 session, but none has passed and been implemented. For now, every nurse practicing in Illinois needs a single-state Illinois license.
By the numbers: 43 jurisdictions have enacted the Nurse Licensure Compact. Illinois remains one of about a dozen holdouts, in company with California and New York. Even an optimistic 2026 bill would not put multistate licenses in nurses’ hands until 2027 or later.
We see out-of-state nurses assume their compact license covers Illinois. It does not. If your home state is in the compact and you take an Illinois assignment, you still apply here by endorsement. The same logic shows up in our guide to travel nurse licensing, where Illinois sits firmly in the non-compact column. Another state that runs this way is Alaska, and Alaska’s single-state process looks a lot like the one you will follow in Illinois.
How to Get Licensed: Exam and Endorsement
Two routes lead to an Illinois RN license. New graduates apply by examination and sit the NCLEX-RN. Nurses already licensed elsewhere apply by endorsement, which carries an existing, unencumbered license into the Illinois system without retaking the exam.
Licensure by examination (new graduates)
You apply through IDFPR, have your nursing program send transcripts directly, complete fingerprinting, register for the NCLEX-RN through Pearson VUE, and pass. The exam itself is a national test run by NCSBN, so its content does not change from state to state. The Illinois-specific parts are the application, the background check, and the fee.
Licensure by endorsement (out-of-state nurses)
If you hold an active license in another U.S. state or territory, you apply by endorsement. The big variable is license verification. If your original state uses Nursys, IDFPR can pull verification electronically in a couple of days. If it does not, you request verification by mail, which adds time.
Checklist: What an endorsement file usually needs.
- An active, unencumbered RN or LPN license in another state.
- Proof you passed the NCLEX or an accepted predecessor exam.
- License verification, electronic through Nursys where available.
- A fingerprint-based criminal background check from an approved vendor.
- The $50 application fee, paid online.
Watch out: Illinois expects fingerprints within a tight 60-day window. In the endorsement files we handle, that window is the single most common reason a clean application stalls. If you are fingerprinting from outside Illinois, follow the out-of-state card-scan process and mail it early.
Pro tip: If you already have a confirmed start date, ask about a temporary permit so you can work while the full license is reviewed. When we process Illinois files, we order the Nursys verification the same day the application goes in, because that step often sits in a queue.
Real scenario: An ICU nurse moving from Indianapolis to a Chicago hospital holds a multistate Indiana license. That license is great across the 40-plus compact states, but Illinois is not one of them. She applies by endorsement, orders her Nursys verification, schedules fingerprints inside the 60-day window, and asks her employer to request a temporary permit so she can start on schedule.
Illinois Nursing License Fees in 2026
The state fees are modest. The RN or LPN application costs $50, an APRN application costs $125, and a temporary endorsement permit costs $25. Renewal runs $40 per year, billed as $80 for the two-year cycle. The cost that surprises new graduates is the national NCLEX-RN exam fee.
Add it up and a new RN usually spends somewhere around $280 to $320 all in: the $50 application, the $200 exam, and roughly $30 to $35 for the fingerprint-based background check. An endorsement applicant skips the exam, so the out-of-pocket cost is lower, mostly the $50 application plus verification and fingerprints. If the paperwork feels like more than you want to manage around a new job, our Illinois nurse licensing service can handle the file end to end.
Renewal, CE, and the May 31 Cycle
RN licenses in Illinois expire on May 31 of each even-numbered year. You renew online through IDFPR, attest to your continuing education, and pay the $80 fee. The 2026 cycle deadline was extended to June 30, 2026, which means the renewal window is still open as this guide goes out.
RNs and LPNs both need 20 contact hours of CE per cycle. APRNs need more under the Board’s rules (80 hours) and also attest to current national certification. LPNs run on a different clock, with licenses expiring January 31 of odd-numbered years. Within the RN total, four one-hour topics are mandatory rather than optional.
- Sexual harassment prevention (1 hour, every renewal since 2020).
- Implicit bias awareness (1 hour, every renewal since the 2024 cycle).
- Cultural competency (1 hour, for renewals on or after January 1, 2025).
- Alzheimer’s and dementia care (1 hour, if you treat adults age 26 and older).
These count inside the 20 hours, not on top of them. New licensees are generally exempt from CE for their first renewal period. Illinois also has a separate mandated-reporter training requirement for many licensees, due within three months of initial licensure and every six years after.
Endorsement carries your existing license into Illinois without a new exam. You still owe the fee, the fingerprints, and the verification.
How to Look Up or Verify an Illinois Nursing License
To verify an Illinois nursing license, use the free IDFPR License Lookup or the national Nursys database. Both show whether a license is active, its expiration date, and any public disciplinary action. Nurses checking their own status and employers verifying a hire use the same two tools.
- IDFPR License Lookup is the state’s own record and the most current source. It usually reflects a status change within 24 to 48 hours.
- Nursys QuickConfirm, run by NCSBN, pulls from the state board. It is useful for employers verifying nurses across several states, though it can trail the state record by a day or two.
A search by name returns the license number, license type, status, and expiration date, plus any public discipline on file. If you have lost track of your own license number, the IDFPR lookup will surface it, and you can print a copy of your license from the IDFPR online portal once you log in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Illinois a compact state for nursing?
No. Illinois has not implemented the Nurse Licensure Compact, so it does not issue or accept multistate licenses. A nurse with a compact license from another state still has to apply for a separate Illinois license before practicing here.
How much does an Illinois nursing license cost?
The IDFPR application fee is $50 for an RN or LPN and $125 for an APRN. Renewal is $80 every two years. A new RN also pays the $200 NCLEX-RN fee and about $30 to $35 for fingerprinting, so the all-in cost for a first license is roughly $280 to $320.
How long does it take to get an Illinois nursing license?
Most complete endorsement files clear in about four to six weeks. Delays usually trace back to license verification from a non-Nursys state, transcripts that were not sent directly, or fingerprints that missed the 60-day window.
When does my Illinois RN license expire?
RN licenses expire May 31 of each even-numbered year. The 2026 renewal deadline was extended to June 30, 2026. After that, the next cycle ends May 31, 2028. LPN licenses expire January 31 of odd-numbered years.
How many CE hours do Illinois nurses need?
RNs and LPNs need 20 contact hours every two years, including four mandatory one-hour topics: sexual harassment prevention, implicit bias, cultural competency, and Alzheimer’s and dementia care. APRNs complete more under the Board’s rules and attest to national certification.
Can I work in Illinois on a multistate license?
No. Because Illinois is outside the compact, a multistate license does not authorize practice in the state, including telehealth visits with Illinois patients. You need an Illinois license by endorsement, or a temporary permit while it is pending.
How do I reactivate a lapsed Illinois nursing license?
If your license expired, you restore it with a reinstatement application through IDFPR. Restoration costs $50 plus the lapsed renewal fees, capped at $250 total, and you still complete the required CE hours. If the portal will not let you renew after the window closes, request the reinstatement form from IDFPR directly.
Our team handles Illinois RN, LPN, and APRN files end-to-end: endorsement paperwork, Nursys verification, fingerprint coordination, and the 60-day timing, before your file reaches IDFPR. We work with nurses across all 50 states.
This article provides general guidance only. Nursing licensing requirements change frequently and vary by state. Always verify current requirements with the Illinois Board of Nursing and IDFPR at idfpr.illinois.gov before submitting your application. Last fact-checked: June 15, 2026.
Written by Medicallicensing Team · Reviewed by David Ivaniuk, CEO Medicallicensing · Last updated: June 15, 2026 · Last fact-checked: June 15, 2026
About the reviewer
David Ivaniuk is the CEO of Medicallicensing, a licensing services firm that has helped physicians, PAs, nurses, and other healthcare professionals navigate state licensing, DEA registration, and payer enrollment across all 50 U.S. states.
References
- Illinois Board of Nursing. Official site. Retrieved June 15, 2026. nursing.illinois.gov.
- IDFPR. “Nurses.” Retrieved June 15, 2026. idfpr.illinois.gov.
- NCSBN. “Active RN Licenses.” National Nursing Database, January 2026. ncsbn.org.
- Illinois General Assembly. “Nurse Practice Act rules, 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1300.30 and 1300.40 (fees and renewals).” Retrieved June 15, 2026. ilga.gov.
- NCSBN. “Nurse Licensure Compact.” Retrieved June 15, 2026. nursecompact.com.
- Nursys (NCSBN). “QuickConfirm License Verification.” Retrieved June 15, 2026. nursys.com.
