Moving between states / North Dakota

Flag of WashingtonWashingtontoFlag of North DakotaNorth Dakota, Truck driver

Moving from Washington to North Dakota as a CDL holder

What a CDL holder licensed in Washington 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.

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 Washington 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.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary North Dakota takes roughly $1,050 a year more than Washington does, because you are leaving a state with no income tax on wages.

SalaryWashington state taxNorth Dakota state taxDifference a year
$40,000$0$700-$700
$60,000$0$1,050-$1,050
$90,000$0$1,575-$1,575

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 Washington: no tax on wages; a 7% tax on large capital gains and a payroll premium for long-term care. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: Washington to North Dakota

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Washington certificate stays on the Washington State Department of Health, Nursing Assistant Certified program; 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.

RN and LPN: Washington to North Dakota

Works on day one. Both Washington and North Dakota are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Washington 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.

Electrician: Washington to North Dakota

Reciprocity likely. North Dakota licenses electricians at state level through the North Dakota State Electrical Board, and reciprocity with a group of upper-midwest and western states for journeymen. Your Washington licence comes from the Washington Department of Labor and Industries, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.

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.

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 Washington 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: Washington to North Dakota · RN or LPN: Washington to North Dakota · Electrician: Washington to North Dakota · All licences: Washington to North Dakota

From Washington 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 Washington

Oregon · Idaho

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

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