How to get a Registered Nurse license in Connecticut

Connecticut registered nurse licenses

Connecticut issues 2 registered nurse credentials. Each has its own section below; the table shows what each one covers and its headline requirements.

Applies to every license level

These rules are the same for every Connecticut registered nurse license on this page, so they are shown once here. Each license's own section lists only what differs.

What it covers

Diagnosing human responses to actual or potential health problems, supportive and restorative care, health counseling and teaching, case finding and referral, collaborating in the total health-care regimen, and executing the medical regimen under a licensed physician, dentist or APRN.¹

Requirements

Education or training

A degree, diploma or certificate from an accredited institution showing completion of a nursing program approved by the Connecticut State Board of Examiners for Nursing (with the Commissioner of Public Health), meeting the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies; Excelsior College external-degree (associate and baccalaureate) programs are approved.²
Who may teach it: Board-approved nursing program (CT list: Connecticut Registered Nurse Programs page).¹
Alternative: Foreign-trained nurses: CGFNS International Certification Program instead of a school transcript.²

Exam

NCLEX-RN (National Council of State Boards of Nursing Licensing Examination-RN)²
Given by: Pearson VUE²
When you can take it: DPH deems you eligible once it has your online application, the $180 fee and a transcript showing the nursing degree/diploma/certificate (or CGFNS verification); register with Pearson VUE before applying to DPH to avoid delay. Pearson VUE then sends the Authorization To Test.²
Exam waived: Foreign-trained applicants must first complete the CGFNS International Certification Program.²

Fees

Each line is a separate charge as the board lists it. The board does not publish a combined total, so none is shown here.

The board's pages we cite do not list the exam fee; check it with the exam provider, Pearson VUE², when you schedule.

How to apply

1. Complete a board-approved RN program (foreign-trained nurses: complete the CGFNS International Certification Program).²
2. Register for the NCLEX-RN with Pearson VUE first, then apply to DPH.²
3. Apply online on eLicense and pay $180 (paper applications are not accepted).² elicense.ct.gov²
4. Have your school send an official transcript (or CGFNS its verification) directly to DPH.²
5. Pearson VUE emails or mails your Authorization To Test once DPH deems you eligible; schedule and pass the exam. DPH mails official results.²
6. Already licensed elsewhere? Apply by endorsement online ($180) and have every state verify your RN license (Nursys where available); you can get a 120-day temporary permit meanwhile.⁵

Apply online

elicense.ct.gov²

Temporary or provisional license

Graduate nurses: up to 90 days of supervised practice after graduation (20-101). Endorsement/reinstatement applicants with a current out-of-state license: 120-day non-renewable temporary permit (no separate fee; the $180 application fee accompanies it).⁵

Processing time

Temporary permit issued in 15 business days after an approved online endorsement application; no published processing time for the full license.⁵

Renewal

How often

Every year³

When it expires

Renew every year in your birth month (first expiry in the first birth month after issue); notices are emailed about 60 days before expiry; nurses must renew online.³

Renewal fee

$110⁷

Continuing education

At least 2 hours each renewal period⁴

Required topics

2 contact hours: screening for PTSD, suicide risk, depression and grief, plus suicide prevention training (1 contact hour = at least 50 minutes).⁴

Approved courses

Courses offered or approved by the ANA, Connecticut Hospital Association, Connecticut Nurses Association, the Connecticut Center for Nursing Workforce (CCNW), a specialty nursing society or equivalent, a hospital/health-care institution, a regionally accredited academic institution or a state or local health department; attest at renewal and keep records 3 years.⁴

Exemptions

Applies only to RNs actively practicing in Connecticut.¹

If it expires

90-day grace period after expiry during which you may practice and renew; on day 91 the license is void and you must apply for reinstatement. There is no inactive status.³
Reinstatement: online application, $180, work-history summary, employer verification of recent nursing experience and license verifications; out of active clinical practice 3-5 years requires an approved refresher course, over 5 years requires a refresher course and passing NCLEX-RN.⁸
Retired status: renew at a reduced fee ($15 RN) if not practicing for pay for at least 3 years; returning to full licensure requires reinstatement.⁹

Renew online

elicense.ct.gov³

From another state

Military service members, veterans and spouses: Licensees on active duty in the US Armed Forces who are legal Connecticut residents may ask for the renewal fee to be waived (commanding officer letter plus residency proof, each renewal).³

Who needs a Registered Nurse license

Other rules on who may do this work:

• Graduates of approved nursing schools may practice under adequate supervision in hospitals or organizations for up to 90 calendar days after graduation pending exam results; the privilege ends on failing the exam.¹⁰
• Nursing students in approved programs may perform work incidental to their courses.¹
• Single-state license: valid in Connecticut only.¹

Renewal and continuing education

The rules this license shares with every other level are under Applies to every license level.

Moving to Connecticut with a license from another state

These are the routes DPH publishes for the Registered Nurse license. The other registered nurse licenses have their own routes in their sections below.

Registered Nurse multistate license (MSL)

Requirements

Background check

Background check required⁶
Fingerprints required¹
No felony conviction, finding of guilt or agreed disposition (deferred prosecution, nolo contendere, plea deal, etc.) under state or federal law, and none for a misdemeanour related to nursing practice (assessed case by case). The DPH MSL page words the felony bar as "related to the practice of nursing"; the compact statute (20-99b, Art. III(c)(G)) bars any felony.⁶

Residency or citizenship

Connecticut must be your primary state of residence, documented by a CT driver license, state photo ID, voter registration card, federal tax return, military form 2058 or federal W-2.⁶

Social Security number

Valid Social Security number required for a multistate license.⁶

Also required

Must have passed NCLEX-RN (or SBTPE); Canadian CNAT/CRNE and Puerto Rico licensing exams do not qualify.⁶

Also required

Graduated from a board-approved RN program in the US; foreign education must be evaluated by a credential service such as CGFNS (with English proficiency in the CGFNS TruMerit certification when not taught in English).⁶

Also required

No encumbrance on any state license.⁶

Also required

Not enrolled in an alternative-to-discipline program (e.g. HAVEN).⁶

Also required

A multistate licensee may ask DPH to convert back to a single-state license.¹

Fees

How to apply

1. For a multistate license: once licensed, log in to eLicense, choose "Nurse Compact" under "More Online Services", upload Connecticut residency proof (no fee), then follow the fingerprinting instructions sent after you apply.⁶ elicense.ct.gov⁶

From another state

The rules this license shares with every other level are under Applies to every license level.

Check a license or report a problem

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

Look up a license

elicense.ct.gov⁶

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• Conn. Gen. Stat. ch. 378 (Nursing), §§ 20-87a, 20-92 to 20-95, 20-101
• Conn. Gen. Stat. § 20-93, § 20-94
• Conn. Gen. Stat. § 19a-88
• Conn. Gen. Stat. § 20-94e (CE: suicide prevention / mental health screening)
• Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 20-99b to 20-99d (Nurse Licensure Compact; P.A. 24-83)

Rule changes since January 2024

• May 30, 2024: P.A. 24-83 enacted the Nurse Licensure Compact (20-99b) and the multistate fingerprint requirement (20-99c).¹

Common questions

Registered nurse (RN) licenses in other states

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