Illinois

The pathways, as the board describes them

RN endorsement. IDFPR's checklist identifies the registered-nurse endorsement route and requires a completed online application, record of licensure, education documentation, and fingerprint information. The older full packet describes endorsement as "Original license issued in another state and that state's requirements were substantially equivalent to Illinois requirements at time license was issued." RN checklist; RN packet.

LPN endorsement. The LPN checklist identifies the practical-nurse endorsement route and requires the online application, record of licensure, education materials, the fingerprint TCN, and a Temporary Nursing Permit form when applicable. LPN checklist.

Compact route. No IDFPR statement about Nurse Licensure Compact participation or a multistate privilege appears in the five captured sources. That absence is preserved rather than filled from another publisher.

The published process

Practice while the application is pending. For RN endorsement, IDFPR says an applicant "may be eligible to receive a temporary permit." It states: "The permit is valid for six months" and gives the earlier endpoints as Illinois RN licensure or notice that the Department intends to deny licensure. The LPN checklist states that an endorsement applicant "may be eligible for a Temporary Nursing Permit that will enable you to practice temporarily while your permanent license is pending" and requires a completed endorsement application, supporting documents, fees, active-license copies, and submitted fingerprints. RN packet; LPN checklist.

Verification of the existing license. Both new-application checklists require a record of licensure and list "NURSYS identification number" or "State’s licensure verification process". The RN packet's checklist separately names a CT-NUR form completed by the original state and any state of practice in the last five years, or "Verification requested from NURSYS (if applicable)". RN checklist; LPN checklist.

Fingerprints and the background check. The checklists state: "Individuals applying for licensure for professions that require fingerprints must submit to a criminal background check and provide evidence of fingerprint processing from a fingerprint vendor licensed by the Department." They require fingerprints "within 60 days from the date that the application is submitted" and a 16-digit TCN. For out-of-state card scans, IDFPR directs the applicant to contact the vendor for the amount. LPN checklist.

The three rows above answer the questions an experienced adviser raises first, from the department's own published documents, or record that a question is not answered in them.

Fees, as stated in the sources

All quoted; none totaled.

RN. The RN packet states "Endorsement - $50.00" and "Temporary Permit - $25.00". Its permit instruction says: "Combine the $50 endorsement fee and the $25 temporary permit fee into one check or money order for $75". RN packet.

LPN. The LPN checklist states "Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) …………......…..…………………….………………… $50.00" for endorsement and "$75.00" for endorsement with the temporary permit. LPN checklist.

Fingerprint vendor. No fixed amount is published. IDFPR directs the applicant to contact the vendor to determine the card-scan fee. What any of this means for a particular application is for the department to determine.

Timelines, as stated in the sources

All quoted; none calculated.

Temporary permit. The RN permit is valid "for six months from the date of issuance" unless the Illinois RN license issues or IDFPR gives notice of intended denial first. RN packet.

Fingerprint timing. "Fingerprints must be taken within 60 days from the date that the application is submitted to the Department or the Department’s testing vendor." LPN checklist.

Application closure. The LPN checklist states: "You have three (3) years from the date your application is received" to complete the process; otherwise the application is denied and the fee forfeited. The RN checklist publishes the same three-year condition. No permanent-endorsement processing time is stated. What any of this means for a particular application is for the department to determine.

Source map

Change log

Aug 26, 2026 · Page created. Captured first-party and appended mechanically: IDFPR's Nurses and Professional Licensing HTML pages, RN endorsement packet, and RN and LPN New Application Checklist PDFs. Findings recorded rather than smoothed: (1) none of the five IDFPR sources publishes a compact or multistate statement, recorded as an absence with the pages searched; (2) IDFPR publishes a six-month RN temporary permit and an LPN temporary-permit route; (3) RN and LPN materials state $50 endorsement and $75 endorsement-with-permit figures; (4) fingerprint-vendor fees are not fixed in the sources; (5) fingerprints must be taken within 60 days of application; (6) the application checklists publish a three-year completion window; (7) old and current materials differ in presentation but both route verification through NURSYS or a state's own process; (8) PDF extraction artifacts, including joined words and ligatures, remain in the packet. Capture pending: authenticated portal screens, vendor prices, a permanent-endorsement processing time, and any IDFPR compact statement. Internet Archive captures: to be added. Reviewer: Carrie Schluter, reviewed Aug 29, 2026. Corrections on the record in this log: hello@fieldassembly.net.