Illinois RN licensure 2026: $143 fee, 6–14 weeks
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
Illinois licensure at a glance
| Board of nursing | Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation |
| Endorsement fee | $143 |
| Processing time quoted | 6–14 weeks |
| Renewal cycle | 2 years, expiring May 31 of even-numbered years |
| Continuing education | 20 contact hours per 2-year cycle, incl. 1 hr implicit bias and 1 hr sexual harassment prevention |
| Fingerprinting | Required for initial licensure, including endorsement |
Apply and check current fees at idfpr.illinois.gov.
Illinois renewal and licensing rows checked 2026-09-26 against nursing.illinois.gov, idfpr.illinois.gov.
Illinois RN license renewal: 2 years, expiring May 31 of even-numbered years. Continuing education for Illinois renewal: 20 contact hours per 2-year cycle, incl. 1 hr implicit bias and 1 hr sexual harassment prevention.
Same in all 51: licensing · renewal · discipline · international · CEUs · defence.
Illinois required CE topics, and free courses for them
Can Illinois nurses finish CE for free? Partly: 3 of the 5 required topics Illinois names for RN or LPN renewal have a free course; Sexual harassment prevention training; Cultural competency did not.
Illinois renewal CE: 20 contact hours every 2 years (RN and LPN); APRNs 80 hours per 2-year cycle, which also satisfies the RN requirement. Not required at the first renewal.. Topics the Illinois board names, checked Sep 2026:
- Implicit bias awareness training: 1 contact hour · every renewal · RN/LPN/APRN. Source
Any approved Illinois CE sponsor (1300.130(c), which includes ANCC-accredited and other-state-BON-approved providers)
Courses for Illinois nurses: Advocate Health Implicit Bias: Maternal Health, Training for Licensed Healthcare Professionals 2026 (1 h, free, account needed) - Sexual harassment prevention training: 1 contact hour · every renewal · RN/LPN/APRN. Source
Any approved Illinois CE sponsor
No free course found for Illinois's version of this yet. - Cultural competency: 1 contact hour · every 6 years · RN/LPN/APRN. Source
No free course found for Illinois's version of this yet. - Alzheimer's disease and other dementias (for nurses caring for adults 26+): 1 contact hour · condition of renewal (IDFPR FAQ does not state how often) · RN/LPN/APRN. Source
Courses for Illinois nurses: Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease: Tools for Early Identification, Assessment, and Treatment (1 h, completely free) - Mandated reporter training (nurses who work with children): at least every 6 years · RN/LPN/APRN. Source
Courses for Illinois nurses: Illinois Mandated Reporter Training (DCFS online mandated reporter course) (free, account needed) - APRN pharmacotherapeutics: 20 contact hours · every renewal · APRN. Source
Approved Illinois CE sponsor, within the 50 hours of formal CE
No free course found for Illinois's version of this yet. - APRN opioid prescribing or substance abuse education: 10 contact hours · every renewal · APRN. Source
Approved Illinois CE sponsor; counts within the 20 pharmacotherapeutics hours
No free course found for Illinois's version of this yet.
Every free course, with filters: free CEUs for Illinois nurses.
Compact status: Not a compact state
Illinois issues no multistate license. Whatever your compact license covers, Illinois needs its own — apply before you agree a start date. Compact map.
Getting licensed in Illinois
Endorsing into Illinois runs through the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation at $143, quoted at 6–14 weeks, with no second NCLEX. Because Illinois is outside the compact, travel assignments here need a Illinois license in hand before you start — build the processing time into any contract start date you agree to.
Advanced practice in Illinois
Whether an NP may prescribe independently in Illinois is set by the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation and moves by legislative session. Check it before accepting an APRN role there.
Practice environment
Staffing ratios: Illinois has no statutory nurse-to-patient ratio law. Staffing is governed by hospital policy and, where one exists, the collective bargaining agreement — so safe-staffing concerns are raised through the facility's chain of command and its staffing committee rather than through a state standard.
Mandated public monthly staffing-ratio disclosure; strong INA union presence in Chicago.
Common questions
Does Illinois accept a compact nursing license?
No — Illinois is not a Nurse Licensure Compact state, so a multistate license does not reach it. You need a Illinois license of its own.
Endorsing a license into Illinois: cost and wait?
$143 to the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation, which quotes 6–14 weeks. Nursys verifies electronically.
Who regulates Illinois nursing?
The Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation, at idfpr.illinois.gov/profs/nursing.html.
Licensure in states bordering Illinois
Related Illinois guides
Illinois RN salary data · travel nursing in Illinois · compact license map · national licensing guide.