Moving between states / Louisiana
Virginiato
Louisiana, Truck driverMoving from Virginia to Louisiana as a CDL holder
What a CDL holder licensed in Virginia has to do to work in Louisiana, what the move does to your pay, and who in Louisiana is hiring from out of state.
Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Louisiana resident you surrender the Virginia CDL at a Louisiana 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 Louisiana. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
What the move does to your paycheck
On a $60,000 salary Louisiana leaves you roughly $615 a year more than Virginia does, because Louisiana's rate is lower.
| Salary | Virginia state tax | Louisiana state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,610 | $1,200 | +$410 |
| $60,000 | $2,415 | $1,800 | +$615 |
| $90,000 | $3,622 | $2,700 | +$922 |
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. Property and sales tax are not in it.
CNA: Virginia to Louisiana
Transfers by reciprocity. Your Virginia certificate stays on the Virginia Board of Nursing, Certified Nurse Aide registry; to work in Louisiana you apply to the Louisiana Department of Health, 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.
RN and LPN: Virginia to Louisiana
Works on day one. Both Virginia and Louisiana are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Virginia is valid in Louisiana the day you arrive. Once Louisiana is your primary residence, apply there for a Louisiana multistate licence; most boards allow 30 to 60 days.
Electrician: Virginia to Louisiana
Reciprocity likely. Louisiana licenses electricians at state level through the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, and The state licenses electrical contractors; journeyman cards come from parishes and cities. Reciprocity exists at contractor level with a few states. Your Virginia licence comes from the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Board for Contractors, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.
Does Louisiana pay you to come?
No statewide program in Louisiana 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.
Openings filed in Louisiana
371 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Louisiana employers who could not fill them locally.
- Business Banking Relationship Manager - New Orleans MarketBank of America · New Orleans
- General farmworkerFruge' Aquafarms, Inc. · Branch · $15.81/hr
- FarmworkerBuster's Crawfish · Roanoke · $10.42/hr
- General Farm WorkerKade Fontenot · Iowa · $10.42/hr
- FarmworkerLIVE OAK AVOCADOS LLC · Belle Chasse · $10.42/hr
- General FarmworkersFontenot & Buller Farms Gen Ptr · Ville Platte · $10.42/hr
Your own route from Virginia to Louisiana
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 Louisiana employers.
Plan my move to LouisianaSame move, by trade
CNA: Virginia to Louisiana · RN or LPN: Virginia to Louisiana · Electrician: Virginia to Louisiana · All licences: Virginia to Louisiana
From Virginia to the states next to Louisiana
Texas (no state income tax) · Arkansas (progressive, top rate 3.9%) · Mississippi (flat 4.4% state income tax)
To Louisiana from the states next to Virginia
Maryland · West Virginia · Kentucky · Tennessee · North Carolina
Everything about working in Louisiana · All moves between states · All 50 states