Licensure Guide

Each state has different licensing requirements, select the state you are interested in learning more about below.

View Licensing Guides Per State

Search Results

Profession
Location
All Professions, Travel Nurses
Wyoming
All Professions, Travel Nurses
Wisconsin
All Professions, Travel Nurses
West Virginia
All Professions, Travel Nurses
All Professions, Travel Nurses
Washington
All Professions, Travel Nurses
Virginia
All Professions, Travel Nurses
Vermont
All Professions, Travel Nurses
Utah
All Professions, Travel Nurses
Texas
All Professions, Travel Nurses
Tennessee
All Professions, Travel Nurses
South Dakota
All Professions, Travel Nurses
South Carolina

Compact State Information

To be eligible to apply for a compact license, you must meet two important requirements: Your primary state of residence must be a participating member of the NLC (Nurse Licensure Compact). You must have a current nursing license that’s in good standing.

Visit Uniform Licensure Requirements for a Multistate License for more info.

Walkthrough States

Some states allow RNs and LPNs to obtain a license within 24-48 hours. Candidates should not have any hits on their background and will need to bring supporting documents to the Board of Nursing when applying. For more information, call the state Board of Nursing.

Nursing License Processing Time Guide

Please keep in mind that these are average time frames and each situation is different. It is best practice to wait until your RN license is in Active status prior to accepting an assignment in a particular state.
State
Compact
Walk Through
Time Frame
Alabama (AL)
2-4 Weeks
Alaska (AK)
8 Weeks
Arizona (AZ)
2-4 Weeks
Arkansas (AR)
4 Weeks
California (CA)
3-6 Months
Colorado (CO)
4-6 Weeks
Connecticut (CT)
1-4 Weeks
Delaware (DE)
4-6 Weeks
District of Columbia (DC)
4-5 Weeks
Florida (FL)
2-4 Weeks
Georgia (GA)
10-15 Days
Hawaii (HI)
2- 15 Days
Idaho (ID)
6 Weeks
Illinois (IL)
6-8 Weeks
Indiana (IN)
3-8 Weeks
Iowa (IA)
2-8 Weeks
Kansas (KS)
2-4 Weeks
Kentucky (KY)
2 Weeks
Louisiana (LA)
4-6 Weeks
Maine (ME)
8-10 Weeks
Massachusetts (MA)
4-5 Weeks
Michigan (MI)
6-8 Weeks
Minnesota (MN)
2 Weeks
Mississippi (MS)
3-4 Weeks
Missouri (MO)
2 Weeks
Montana (MT)
2 Weeks
Nebraska (NE)
2-10 Weeks
Nevada (NV)
2-4 Weeks
New Hampshire (NH)
2 Weeks
New Jersey (NJ)
6-8 Weeks
New Mexico (NM)
3-4 Weeks
New York (NY)
6-8 Weeks
North Carolina (NC)
6-8 Weeks
North Dakota (ND)
2-4 Weeks
Ohio (OH)
4-6 Months
Oklahoma (OK)
2-3 Weeks
Oregon (OR)
3-6 Weeks
Pennsylvania (PA)
2-3 Weeks
Rhode Island (RI)
4+ Weeks
South Carolina (SC)
2 weeks
South Dakota (SD)
3-5 Weeks
Tennessee (TN)
4-6 Weeks
Texas (TX)
4-6 Weeks
Utah (UT)
2-3 Weeks
Vermont (VT)
4-6 Weeks
Virginia (VA)
4-6 Weeks
Washington (WA)
3-4 Weeks
West Virginia (WV)
2 Weeks
Wisconsin (WI)
2 Weeks
Wyoming (WY)
2-3 Weeks

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