Wisconsin

The pathways, as the board describes them

Licensure by endorsement. Form 3087 defines this path as "LICENSURE BY ENDORSEMENT: (applicant who holds an active license in another state and has already taken and passed NCLEX)". The current administrative code publishes separate sections for endorsement of a multistate license and endorsement of a single-state license. Form 3087; Chapter N 2.

The Wisconsin multistate license. The profession pages state: "To be eligible for a WI multi-state license, your primary state of residency must be Wisconsin or you must indicate on the application that you plan on moving to Wisconsin." The current rule requires an active, unencumbered license and a declaration or evidence that Wisconsin is the primary state of residence. Registered Nurse; Chapter N 2.

The single-state license. Chapter N 2.21 is titled "Endorsement of an applicant for a single state license." It requires verification from the original license-by-examination jurisdiction and the current active-license jurisdiction. Chapter N 2.

The Act 10 Bridge credential. The RN and LPN pages state: "A health care provider credentialed in good standing in another state may apply for a temporary credential to provide services in Wisconsin while a Wisconsin application for a permanent credential is pending." The Act 10 list expressly includes "Nurse, Licensed Practical (31)" and "Nurse, Registered (30)". Registered Nurse; Act 10 information.

The narrower nursing temporary permit. The current RN page says endorsement applicants can apply for a temporary permit only when the initial-exam or current jurisdiction does not participate in Nursys verification. Form 3087 adds that a file needing review cannot receive this permit. The current profession-page forms table, however, labels Form 2434 "Temporary Permit Request For Registered Nurse or Licensed Practical Nurse Exam candidates only." These statements are reproduced together and reconciled nowhere. Registered Nurse; Form 3087.

The refresher-course limited license. For an endorsement applicant without current nursing education or employment requiring a nursing license within the last five years, the board states that the applicant "may apply to the Board for a limited license to enable the applicant to complete a nursing refresher course(s) approved by the Board." Form 3087.

The published process

Practice while the application is pending. Wisconsin publishes two nursing-relevant routes. The Act 10 FAQ calls the Bridge credential "A temporary license that allows health care providers with a valid, unrestricted license in another state to immediately begin practicing in Wisconsin while they apply for a permanent Wisconsin license." Its duration differs across two DSPS sources: the FAQ says it "is only valid for 90 days from the date issued" and permits repeated 30-day extensions when the permanent file is complete and awaiting review; the April 2023 information sheet instead says it "expires on the date that DSPS, or a board attached to DSPS, grants or denies an application for a permanent credential submitted by the health care provider." Separately, the nursing-specific $10 permit is limited by the profession page and form 3087 to endorsement applicants whose needed verification cannot be processed through Nursys, while the current forms table labels Form 2434 for exam candidates only. Act 10 FAQ; Act 10 information; Registered Nurse; Form 3087.

Verification of the existing license. "The Department requires verification of licensure of the initial exam state license and a current state." If the initial license remains active, only that verification is required. For a Nursys jurisdiction, the applicant must complete the Nursys Licensure Verification process and designate Wisconsin as recipient; "The Licensure Quick Confirm Report will not be accepted by the Board as proof of verification." For a jurisdiction outside Nursys, verification must come directly from the other board to DSPS; submissions from the applicant are rejected. Form 3087.

Fingerprints and the background check. Form 3087 makes its instruction specific to multistate applicants: "If you are applying for a multistate license you will receive information on how to obtain digital fingerprints after the Department has received a signed Authorization for Release of FBI Information (Form #2687)." Chapter N 2 likewise requires a multistate-endorsement applicant to submit fingerprints or other biometric data for FBI and Wisconsin Department of Justice criminal-history information. No fingerprint requirement for a single-state endorsement applicant appears in the RN page, LPN page, form 3087, or Chapter N 2 sections captured here. The vendor instructions and amount remain capture-pending. Form 3087; Chapter N 2.

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

Fees, as stated in the sources

All quoted; none totaled.

Initial RN and LPN credential. Under the column "FEE ON OR AFTER July 01, 2021", the public schedule states $57.00 for "Nurse Licensed Practical (31)" and $57.00 for "Nurse Registered (30)". No newer public initial-fee schedule was located in the captured DSPS pages; the authenticated LicensE amount remains capture-pending. Initial Application Fee Changes.

The nursing temporary permit. Form 3087 states "an additional $10.00 fee" for the endorsement temporary permit. The current code calls for the applicable fee but does not state an amount. Form 3087; Chapter N 2.

The Act 10 Bridge credential. Neither the Act 10 FAQ nor form 2021-A101 states an amount. The authenticated LicensE screen remains capture-pending. Act 10 FAQ; Act 10 information.

Verification and fingerprints. Form 3087 says a Nursys applicant must "pay their fee" but states no amount. No fingerprint-vendor amount appears in the captured sources. Form 3087.

Renewal. The schedule states "Nurse, Licensed Practical 04/30/odd year $73 $98" and "Nurse, Registered 02/28/even year $73 $98", with $73 under renewal fee and $98 under with-late-fee. Renewal Dates and Fees.

What any of this means for a particular application is for the board to determine.

Timelines, as stated in the sources

All quoted; none calculated.

Act 10 Bridge credential. The FAQ says "The Bridge/Act 10 license is only valid for 90 days from the date issued." and publishes 30-day extensions, more than once. Form 2021-A101 instead states that the temporary credential expires when DSPS or the board grants or denies the permanent application. Both are held unreconciled. Act 10 FAQ; Act 10 information.

Act 10 filing clocks. Form 2021-A101 states that the provider must apply "within 30 days of beginning to provide services in Wisconsin for a health care employer." Except for telehealth-only practice, the employer notification is due within 10 days of the start of services. Act 10 information.

Nursing temporary permit. Form 3087 states: "A temporary permit is valid for a period of three months or until the holder receives notification of failing the NCLEX examination." Chapter N 2 adds that practice under temporary permits, including renewals, may not exceed six months total; one renewal is generally available, with later renewals reserved for hardship cases. Form 3087; Chapter N 2.

Application inactivity. Form 3087 states: "If an application file does not have any activity for one year or more, it may be abandoned/withdrawn on our system without notification to the applicant." Form 3087.

Renewal cycles. Registered nurse: "02/28 or 2/29/even years." Licensed practical nurse: "04/30/ each odd-numbered year." Registered Nurse; Licensed Practical Nurse.

Permanent endorsement. No overall processing clock appears in the RN page, LPN page, form 3087, Act 10 materials, fee schedules, or Chapter N 2. What any of this means for a particular application is for the board to determine.

Source map

Change log

Aug 27, 2026 · Page created. Captured first-party through direct HTTPS: RN and LPN profession pages; form 3087; the Act 10 FAQ and form 2021-A101; the Board of Nursing and its rules index; current Chapters N 2 and N 9 from the Legislative Reference Bureau; initial and renewal fee schedules; the DSPS contact page; and the current responses for Forms 2434 and 2021-A102. HTML rich-text fields and link targets were extracted mechanically with lxml; PDF text layers were extracted with `pdftotext -layout`. Findings recorded rather than smoothed: (1) Wisconsin publishes both an Act 10 Bridge credential for out-of-state health professionals and a narrower $10 nursing temporary permit tied to non-Nursys verification; (2) the Act 10 FAQ states a 90-day duration with repeatable 30-day extensions, while the April 2023 information sheet says the credential expires when the permanent application is granted or denied; (3) the current RN page and form 3087 still describe the nursing endorsement permit, but the profession-page forms table labels Form 2434 for exam candidates only and the linked address now redirects to a JavaScript-only AccessGov form; (4) form 3087 requires original and current license verification, allowing one verification when the original remains active, rejects Quick Confirm, and rejects verification supplied by the applicant; (5) the fingerprint instruction and current multistate-endorsement rule are specific to multistate applicants, and no single-state fingerprint requirement appears in the named sources; (6) the fee schedule effective July 1, 2021 states $57 for initial RN and LPN credentials, the narrower permit is $10, and no Act 10, Nursys, or fingerprint amount appears in the captured public pages; (7) the board contact block uses PO Box 8366 and dsps@wi.gov, while the general DSPS contact page uses PO Box 8935 and dsps@wisconsin.gov; both are reproduced; (8) the RN page's temporary-permit description says it allows practical nursing under RN supervision, an editing artifact on the RN page preserved in the packet but not converted into a rule for endorsement here. Capture pending: rendered AccessGov Forms 2434 and 2021-A102, authenticated LicensE screens, Nursys and fingerprint amounts, and Internet Archive captures. Reviewer: Carrie Schluter, reviewed Aug 27, 2026. Corrections on the record in this log: hello@fieldassembly.net.