A method and apparatus for status transition are provided in the disclosure, which enable a wireless side network element to judge that a service request message is a paging response message after receiving the service request message, transmit an initial user equipment message to a mobility management entity, and indicate that the service request message is valid in the initial user equipment message. The method and apparatus of the disclosure solve the problem that the mobility management entity is unable to make a correct judgment and corresponding logical processing, and improve processing efficiency of the mobile communication system effectively.