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How to get a nursing license in Connecticut by endorsement

If you are already licensed in another state, endorsement is usually how you get licensed in Connecticut. Here is how it works and when the compact is the better path.

How do I get a nursing license in Connecticut by endorsement?

You apply to the Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing for a Connecticut license by endorsement, based on your existing license. Because Connecticut is a compact state, if you are moving your residence here you may instead qualify for a multistate license — often the better route. Endorsement still applies if Connecticut is not becoming your primary state of residence.

Last reviewed 2026-06-17

The law that governs this in Connecticut

Getting licensed in Connecticut happens under Connecticut’s own nurse practice act — the same act that defines what practice means here — administered by the Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing. That act is Conn. Gen. Stat. ch. 378 (Nursing).

The compact itself is separate law. Connecticut adopted it at Conn. Public Act 24-83 (House Bill 5058), which is what allows a multistate license issued elsewhere to reach Connecticut at all — the practice act still decides what you may do once it does.

How verification works in Connecticut

An endorsement application rests on Connecticut receiving verification of the license you already hold, and that step is where these applications stall. What we found reading Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing’s own material:

Connecticut is the second state, with Florida, where the state’s own licensing portal is not the nursing route. eLicense covers Connecticut’s professions generally, but DPH directs employers and the public to Nursys for RN and LPN verification specifically — the department even maintains a page for verifying professions OTHER than MD, DO, RN and LPN, which is the tell. Nurses checking their own status log into eLicense; employers checking someone else’s should start at Nursys. Written verification is a separate request again, not the online result.

Its own lookup is Connecticut eLicense verification. Confirm what the receiving board wants before you pay for anything — a printout of a public lookup is rarely the document a board means by “verification”. See the two things called verification.

What licensure by endorsement means

Endorsement is applying for Connecticut’s own license based on an existing license in good standing. You end up holding a Connecticut license. It is different from a compact license, which is one multistate license covering all compact states.

Applying through the Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing

Applications go through the Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing. Requirements and fees are set by the board and change over time, so we point you to the official source rather than listing specifics that could go stale.

Endorsement vs the compact here

Since Connecticut is a compact state, moving your residence here can make you eligible for a multistate license instead of a plain endorsement. See moving to a compact state.

Can applying by endorsement in Connecticut get you a multistate license?

Yes — if Connecticut is genuinely your primary state of residence and you meet the compact’s uniform licensure requirements. The Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing has issued multistate licenses since October 1, 2025. Say so on the application: an endorsement application and a multistate license request are not automatically the same thing, and boards issue what you asked for.

What usually comes next

Next-step checklist

  • Confirm your current license is active and unencumbered (Nursys).
  • Open the Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing endorsement application.
  • Follow the board's current requirements and fees (do not rely on third-party figures).
  • If moving to Connecticut, ask whether you qualify for a multistate license instead.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, if your license is an active multistate license from a compact state — you can practice in Connecticut under compact privilege. If Connecticut becomes your home state, you would license here. Confirm your license type on Nursys.