Vocations · Job Skills

New state,
same license.

A nurse, teacher, counselor or electrician moving states can lose weeks of pay waiting on a license. Find the route the new board offers, start the slow steps first, and keep the old license active until the new one arrives.

Add a licenseWhat you get

Your licenses

The worked example is made up: a nurse moving between two compact states, and a teacher moving on a spouse’s military orders with 56 days to go and the application not in. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Vocations · Job SkillsFree

What you finish with
A record per license being moved: profession, the two states, the last four of the license number, its expiry, the job start date, military orders, whether a compact covers it and the route; eight steps from verification to keeping the old license active. Counts down to each start date with steps done; flags an application not in within 90 days of starting, an old license expiring first, a compact worth checking, the military relocation rule and the nurse compact residency rule.
Who it is for
Licensed professionals relocating: nurses, teachers, therapists, counselors, social workers, EMS personnel, tradespeople and military spouses.
Format
Browser checklist with a saved record per license. Prints one license’s checklist, every license in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Job Skills space in Caveat Vocations.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Read the new board’s page for out-of-state applicants.
  2. Check whether a compact covers your profession.
  3. Start fingerprints and verification first; they are slowest.
  4. Apply as soon as you have a start date.
  5. Keep the old license active until the new one is issued.

Add a license

Routes to a new license

Four ways a license movesCompactBoth states belong to an interstatecompactA multistate license or a privilege topractice; often the fastestEndorsementThe new state accepts your license andexamAn application, verification, backgroundcheck and feesTemporary permitWork while the full license is processedNot every board offers one; it ends on aset dateNew examThe states’ requirements differ too muchStudy time and a test date: the slowestrouteFour ways a license movesCompactA multistate license or a privilege topractice; often the fastestEndorsementAn application, verification, backgroundcheck and feesTemporary permitNot every board offers one; it ends on aset dateNew examStudy time and a test date: the slowestroute
Which routes exist depends on the profession and the state. The new board’s website lists them, usually under “licensure by endorsement” or “out-of-state applicants”.

Compacts

Interstate compacts let a professional licensed in one member state practice in others. They exist for nurses (the Nurse Licensure Compact), physical therapy, psychology (PSYPACT), counseling, EMS personnel and teachers, among others. Membership changes as states join.

Military families

Since 2023, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act requires states to recognize the professional license of a servicemember or spouse who relocates on military orders, if it is in good standing and the work is similar, with some exceptions.

Sources

  1. National Council of State Boards of Nursing. Nurse Licensure Compact and Nursys verification (nursecompact.com; nursys.com).
  2. The Council of State Governments, National Center for Interstate Compacts. Occupational licensure compacts (licensing.csg.org).
  3. U.S. Department of Defense. Military spouse licensure and the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, 50 U.S.C. §4025a (militaryonesource.mil).
  4. U.S. Department of Labor, CareerOneStop. License Finder (careeronestop.org).

The worked example is made up. Each board sets its own rules, fees and timelines; follow the new state’s board. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.