Moving between states / North Dakota

Flag of IndianaIndianatoFlag of North DakotaNorth Dakota, RN or LPN

Moving from Indiana to North Dakota as a registered or practical nurse

What a registered or practical nurse licensed in Indiana has to do to work in North Dakota, what the move does to your pay, and who in North Dakota is hiring from out of state.

Works on day one. Both Indiana and North Dakota are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Indiana is valid in North Dakota the day you arrive. Once North Dakota is your primary residence, apply there for a North Dakota multistate licence; most boards allow 30 to 60 days.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary North Dakota leaves you roughly $750 a year more than Indiana does, because North Dakota's rate is lower.

SalaryIndiana state taxNorth Dakota state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,200$700+$500
$60,000$1,800$1,050+$750
$90,000$2,700$1,575+$1,125

Rough figures for a single filer: exact in the flat-rate and no-tax states, approximated at 70% of the top bracket in the progressive ones. In Indiana: counties add a local income tax, roughly 1 to 3%. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: Indiana to North Dakota

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Indiana certificate stays on the Indiana Department of Health, Nurse Aide Registry; to work in North Dakota you apply to the North Dakota Board of Nursing, Nurse Aide Registry for reciprocity. It accepts an active certificate in good standing from another state; there is no retest if your record is clean. Most registries list you within two to six weeks.

Electrician: Indiana to North Dakota

Exam likely. North Dakota licenses at state level through the North Dakota State Electrical Board and reciprocates with other state boards, but Indiana licenses locally through the City and county building departments, which is not a party to those agreements. Expect to document your hours and sit the North Dakota journeyman exam.

CDL: Indiana to North Dakota

Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a North Dakota resident you surrender the Indiana CDL at a North Dakota driver licence office, pass the vision test, pay the fee, and your endorsements carry over. A hazmat endorsement needs a fresh TSA threat assessment in North Dakota. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.

No statewide program in North Dakota pays people to move in. Towns sometimes list an offer through MakeMyMove, and employers in short-staffed trades pay relocation themselves; ask for it in writing before you accept.

Going the other way? Indiana has MakeMyMove town offers. See moving from North Dakota to Indiana.

Openings filed in North Dakota

67 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by North Dakota employers who could not fill them locally.

Your own route from Indiana to North Dakota

Tell us your trade and your licence. We write the steps for your case, check the job offer for scams, and keep your resume ready for North Dakota employers.

Plan my move to North Dakota

Same move, by trade

CNA: Indiana to North Dakota · Electrician: Indiana to North Dakota · Truck driver: Indiana to North Dakota · All licences: Indiana to North Dakota

From Indiana to the states next to North Dakota

Minnesota (progressive, top rate 9.85%) · South Dakota (no state income tax) · Montana (progressive, top rate 5.9%)

To North Dakota from the states next to Indiana

Michigan · Ohio · Kentucky · Illinois

Everything about working in North Dakota · All moves between states · All 50 states

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