Aims This study aimed to examine the relationship between Emotional intelligence (EI) and intent to stay and to identify their correlates among nurses. Background EI plays a significant role in nurses’ practice, relationships, behaviours and decisions. Methods A descriptive, cross‐sectional study was conducted with a sample of 280 registered nurses working in a public, a private and a university hospital in Jordan. A self‐administered questionnaire was used to collect data from the participants. Results EI was significantly correlated with nurses’ intent to stay (r = .427, p < .01). Some of the nurses’ socio‐demographic and work‐related characteristics were found to predict EI and intent to stay. Conclusion The findings of the study came with a supportive knowledge about the positive impacts of EI on nurses’ intent to stay. Improving both EI and intent to stay among nurses is important because it could have positive effects on organisations’ decisions, policymaking process, quality of care, employee commitment and satisfaction. Implications for Nursing Management Nurse managers should pay attention to the EI of nurses during recruitment considering various determinants of EI identified in the current study. Additionally, nurse managers might want to strengthen factors associated with more stay intent among their staff.