How to get a Certified Nursing Assistant license in Florida

Who needs a Certified Nursing Assistant license

Provides care and helps people with activities of daily living: personal care, mobility, nutrition and hydration, toileting, safety, data gathering and reporting abnormal signs, end-of-life and postmortem care, CPR/emergency care, residents' rights and documentation; authorized duties are listed in rule 64B9-15.002. CNAs may administer medication to home health patients only under the separate validation in s. 464.2035.⁷

Work that does not need this license:

• Licensed RNs and LPNs (or nursing license applicants permitted to practice) do not need CNA certification to serve as nursing assistants in a nursing home.⁶

Other rules on who may do this work:

• Nursing homes may employ uncertified nursing assistants for one 4-month period (students in or graduates of an approved program, CNAs active on another state's registry, people who preliminarily passed the exam, trained personal care attendants); certification must be met within 4 months of hire.⁶

Requirements for a Certified Nursing Assistant license

High school diploma or GED

Not required³

Education or training

Optional route: complete a Board-approved CNA training program (then pass the exam). Training is required only after three failed exam attempts; otherwise a diploma/GED or age 18 plus a passing exam score also qualifies.¹
Who may teach it: Program must be Board-approved before it operates, coordinated by a Florida RN, taught by Florida-licensed LPN/RN instructors, clinical ratio no more than 1:15, at least 20 clinical hours in a licensed nursing home, 16 hours of core classroom topics before resident contact, and keep a pass rate no more than 10% below the state average.⁸
Alternative: High school diploma or equivalent plus a passing exam score (no training program).¹
Alternative: Age 18 or older plus a passing exam score (no training program).¹
Alternative: Completion of the curriculum developed under the Enterprise Florida Jobs and Education Partnership Grant plus a passing exam score.¹

Exam

Florida CNA (nursing assistant competency) examination: Written Exam and Clinical Skills Test²
Given by: Prometric³
Passing score: Written: 76% on the base form (equated for later forms); skills: a minimum passing score on each of the five tasks, set by the testing service per form.²
When you can take it: After the Board reviews the application filed through Prometric and sends Prometric an eligibility statement; per the Board page, applicants who finished an approved program within 6 months of applying take only the written portion.³
Written test: 60 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes (oral or Spanish version on request)³
Clinical skills test: hand washing, indirect care and three other tasks (five randomly selected skills in total)³
Retakes: Three attempts; after three failures an approved training program must be completed before retesting. Failed parts are retaken by reapplying with Prometric.²
Time limit: Both parts must be passed within a two-year period; results older than two years are invalid.²
Exam waived: No exam for licensure by MOBILE endorsement (s. 456.0145).¹

Background check

Background check required³
Fingerprints required³
Level II (FDLE + national) Livescan screening through the AHCA Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse; must also pass AHCA employment screening (ss. 435.04, 435.07, 408.809) or obtain an exemption; disclose all offenses other than minor traffic with court records and 3-5 letters of recommendation; s. 456.0635 bars certain health-care-fraud and drug felonies.³
No pre-application review of a criminal record is offered³

Social Security number

Give your SSN on the application if you have one; name, date of birth and SSN must match the Livescan record.⁹

Also required

Must show minimum competency to read and write.¹

How much a Certified Nursing Assistant license costs

The board's pages we cite do not list the exam fee; check it with the exam provider, Prometric³, when you schedule.

How to apply

1. Qualify by one route: finish a Board-approved CNA training program (120 hours), or hold a high school diploma/GED, or be 18 or older.³
2. Get Livescan fingerprints (Level II) using the Board ORI EDOH0380Z and the Board's Electronic Fingerprint Form, unless you already have a shareable screening in the AHCA Clearinghouse.¹⁰ Form (PDF, floridasnursing.gov)¹⁰
3. Submit the CNA application and fees to Prometric, the state test administrator.³ prometric.com³
4. The Board reviews the application (within 30 days) and sends your eligibility to Prometric; Prometric emails your exam date and admission ticket.³
5. Pass the written (or oral) test and the clinical skills test within two years and within three attempts; you are then certified and listed on the CNA registry.²

Apply online

prometric.com³

Temporary or provisional license

No temporary CNA certificate; nursing homes may employ certain uncertified aides (enrolled/completed students, CNAs from another state's registry, those who preliminarily passed the exam) for one 4-month period.⁶

Renewal and continuing education

How often

Every 2 years⁴

When it expires

Two renewal groups, each expiring May 31: Group 1 expires May 31, 2027; Group 2 expires May 31, 2028.⁴

Renewal fee

$55¹¹ ($50 renewal fee (rule) + $5 unlicensed activity fee)

Continuing education

At least 24 hours each renewal period⁵

Required topics

Bloodborne pathogens, infection control⁵
Domestic violence⁵
Medical record documentation and legal aspects⁵
Resident rights⁵
Communication with cognitively impaired clients⁵
CPR skills⁵
Medical error prevention and safety⁵
Work requirement: must have performed nursing-related services for pay within the last 24 consecutive months to stay on the registry.⁴

Approved courses

AHCA-licensed facility, Board-approved CE provider, or Board-recognized CNA association; after the required topics, college/university or approved nursing program health-career courses may count toward the hours.¹²

Exemptions

Active military duty for 6+ months in the calendar year (in good standing when duty began).⁵
Spouse of an Armed Forces member absent from Florida because of the spouse's duties.⁵

Late renewal

Late renewal fee: $105⁴ (after expiration)
Late renewal fee: $160⁴ (120-day notified delinquent)

If it expires

An unrenewed license becomes delinquent, then null and void 2 years after expiration and cannot be reactivated (must reapply).⁴
A CNA with no paid nursing-related work for 24 consecutive months must complete a new training and competency evaluation program or a new competency evaluation.¹
Keep in-service records for 4 years for audit; do not send certificates to the Board.⁵

Renew online

flhealthsource.gov⁴

Moving to Florida with a license from another state

These are the routes the Board of Nursing publishes for the Certified Nursing Assistant license.

Military service members, veterans and spouses: In-service hours waived for CNAs on active duty 6+ months in the calendar year and for military spouses absent from Florida because of the spouse's duties.⁵

City and county rules

No local license: the Florida Board of Nursing certifies CNAs statewide and keeps the CNA registry.¹⁴

Check a license or report a problem

Before you hire a nursing assistant in Florida, you can confirm the license is current on the board's own search. Every board we cover in Florida is on the Florida license lookup page.

Look up a license

mqa-internet.doh.state.fl.us¹⁵

File a complaint

floridahealth.gov¹⁶

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• Fla. Stat. ch. 464, part II (§§ 464.201-464.208) Certified Nursing Assistants
• Fla. Stat. § 464.203
• Fla. Stat. § 456.0145 (MOBILE Act licensure by endorsement)
• Fla. Stat. § 400.211 (nursing home nursing assistants; certification within 4 months)
• Fla. Stat. § 456.065(3)
• Fla. Admin. Code ch. 64B9-15 Certified Nursing Assistants
• Fla. Admin. Code R. 64B9-15.0045 Certified Nursing Assistant Renewal Fee
• 42 CFR 483.152 (nurse aide training program minimums)

Rule changes since January 2024

• January 12, 2026: Rule 64B9-15.0035 (certification by endorsement) amended; adopts MOBILE application form DH-MQA-5102 (Revised 8/2025).¹⁷

Common questions

Certified nursing assistant (CNA) licenses in other states

• Alabama
• Alaska
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• District of Columbia
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