Guide · checked October 22, 2026
The process has a formal name — endorsement (some states say reciprocity) — and five steps. The order matters.
Every destination checks your home registry. If you're inactive there, the application stops — no exceptions worth hoping for. Reviving at home (often testing only) is cheaper than retraining in the new state. Check yourself first with the status checker.
Fees run $0 to $275. Some doors have conditions that end the plan: Michigan's named-state list, California's 160-hour standard, Kansas's one-shot equivalency test, Florida's background screening. The transfer checker computes your pair in seconds.
Most states want fingerprints or a criminal-history check — Texas runs a DPS check for all last names you have used, and screens its Employee Misconduct Registry. Name changes (marriage, divorce) slow this step; gather documents for every name.
This is where transfers stall for weeks. New York wants a verification form your home state must complete and mail. Some registries verify online in minutes; others answer mail in weeks. Start dates should be set from the destination's realistic processing time (2–8 weeks is typical; California can run ~3 months) — not from the job offer's hope.
Most states do not let you work while endorsement is pending (Alaska's 120-day window is a rare exception). Working on an unposted credential risks the job and the credential both.
We've computed the busiest corridors pair by pair — verdict, fee, conditions, trap — starting from the state pages (every destination page carries verdicts from all 50 states).
