How to get a Registered Nurse (RN) license in District of Columbia

Who needs a Registered Nurse (RN) license

Full scope of registered nursing: comprehensive nursing assessment, developing and implementing patient-centred care plans (nursing diagnoses, goals, interventions), carrying out ordered regimens, evaluation, patient teaching, delegation and assignment, supervision and management of nursing practice, and teaching nursing.⁷

Other rules on who may do this work:

• Nurses holding a multistate license from an NLC state cannot practice in DC on that license: DC is not listed among NLC jurisdictions. Such nurses are eligible for a DC license by endorsement.⁶

Requirements for a Registered Nurse (RN) license

Minimum age

18 years old⁸

Education or training

Completion of a registered nursing education program approved by the DC Board (17 DCMR ch. 56), or by a U.S. state/territory nursing board with substantially equivalent standards, or a Canadian provincial board-approved basic RN program.⁹
Who may teach it: Program approved by the DC Board of Nursing under 17 DCMR ch. 56, or by another U.S. board of nursing with substantially equivalent standards.⁹
Alternative: Foreign-educated applicants: substantially equivalent education, a Board-recognized credentials evaluation, and proof of English competency (English-only nursing program in an English-speaking country, an approved English proficiency exam, or 12 months full-time U.S. employment in the past 2 years).¹⁰
Alternative: Applicants previously licensed who have not practiced for 5 or more years must complete a Board-approved refresher course.⁹

Exam

National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN)²
Given by: Pearson VUE³
Passing score: Passing score established by NCSBN²
When you can take it: Board must approve the application before the applicant may sit for the NCLEX-RN; approval lasts not more than 90 days unless extended for a public emergency or good cause.²
Retakes: Application closes if the exam is not taken or passed within 90 days; a new application is then required. A missed scheduled exam date requires re-registering with Pearson VUE only.³
Time limit: Not passed 12 months to 3 years after graduation: Board-approved review course before re-approval. 3 to 5 years: review course plus a refresher course after passing. More than 5 years after graduation: the Board will not approve the applicant to sit for the NCLEX-RN.²
Exam waived: Not re-taken for licensure by endorsement: the original license must have been based on a passing NCLEX-RN or State Board Test Pool Examination score.⁶

Background check

Background check required³
Fingerprints required³
Applicant must not have been convicted of an offense related to the occupation, must not have a license revoked/suspended elsewhere on grounds that would apply in DC, and must not be subject to pending discipline in another state.⁸

Social Security number

Applicants without a Social Security number upload the Board's Social Security affidavit form.³

Also required

Online application uploads: government photo ID, 2x2 photo, proof of any name change; official transcripts sent by the school to [email protected] (accelerated/second-degree graduates: transcripts from all institutions).³

Also required

An application left incomplete for 90 days or more is abandoned and closed; the applicant must reapply and pay the fees again.¹

How much a Registered Nurse (RN) license costs

You pay the Board of Nursing (9 fees), Pearson VUE (exam fee) and Nursys (NCSBN) (license verification to another state).

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

How to apply

1. Check eligibility in the RN examination checklist (approved RN program; fees are non-refundable). Foreign-educated nurses use the separate foreign-educated instructions.³
2. Apply online through the DC Health licensing portal; upload photo ID, a 2x2 photo, any name-change proof and (if needed) the Social Security affidavit, and pay $237.00 (application, license and criminal background check fees).³ dohenterprise.my.site.com¹²
3. Have your school send official transcripts to [email protected] (or by mail to the Board, ATTN: NCLEX EXAM).³
4. Schedule fingerprinting with Fieldprint using the code e-mailed after payment.³
5. Register and pay $200.00 for the NCLEX-RN with Pearson VUE.³
6. After Board approval, use the Authorization to Test (ATT) from Pearson VUE to schedule and take the exam within the 90-day approval window.³
7. Check application status online after 30 business days.³

Apply online

dohenterprise.my.site.com¹²

Application form

Form (PDF, dchealth.dc.gov)¹²

Temporary or provisional license

Supervised practice letter: a graduate of an approved program with a pending application who has never taken the NCLEX-RN may practice under RN supervision in approved settings; the letter is not renewable and expires after 90 days or on notice of exam failure.¹³

Processing time

Allow 30 business days after applying before checking application status.³

Renewal and continuing education

How often

Every 2 years⁵

When it expires

Licenses issued on or after June 16, 2024 expire on the last day of the holder's birth month (odd/even renewal year follows birth year); the rule text still also states the older June 30 of even-numbered years expiry, which applies unless the Director changes the system (which DC Health says it has).¹²

Renewal fee

$145¹²

Continuing education

At least 24 hours each renewal period⁵

Required topics

2 hours LGBTQ cultural competency or specialized clinical training⁵
The statutory 3-credit HIV/AIDS requirement is waived for RNs by rule⁵

Approved courses

Board-approved programs only: administered/approved by an RN, nursing or health services organization recognized by the Board, or approved by a state board of nursing, ANCC, ACCME or another Board-recognized national accreditor; 50 minutes = 1 credit; 1 semester hour = 15 credits.¹⁴

Exemptions

First renewal after the initial license: no CE required (does not apply to reinstatement or reactivation).⁵
Birth-month transition: licensees whose term was under 2 years complete 50% of standard CE hours, including all mandatory topics.¹²

Late renewal

Late renewal fee: $85¹¹

If it expires

Reinstatement is possible only if the license has been expired no more than 5 years, with 24 CE hours (meeting 5406.1) completed in the prior 2 years.¹⁵
Inactive licenses may be reactivated within 5 years of last expiration (24 CE hours in the prior 24 months if actively licensed elsewhere; otherwise a current-competency review, possibly a re-entry program).¹⁶
2026 renewal: those who applied before June 30, 2026 show "Renewal Pending/ Authorized to Work"; nobody may work past September 1, 2026 without an active license.¹²

Renew online

dohlicenseinfo.secure.force.com¹²

Moving to District of Columbia with a license from another state

These are the routes the Board of Nursing publishes for the Registered Nurse (RN) license.

Check a license or report a problem

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

Look up a license

dohenterprise.my.site.com¹²

File a complaint

dchealth.dc.gov¹²

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• D.C. Code § 3-1205.03 (general qualifications)
• D.C. Code § 3-1205.04(n) (registered nursing education)
• D.C. Code § 3-1205.10 (term, renewal, CE)
• D.C. Code § 3-1201.02(17) (practice of registered nursing)
• D.C. Code § 3-1202.04 (Board of Nursing)
• 17 DCMR ch. 54 (Registered Nurses), §§ 5400-5416, 5499
• 17 DCMR § 3500.1

Rule changes since January 2024

• December 26, 2025: 17 DCMR 5405 amended: NLC multistate license holders (NCLEX-RN based, good standing) are deemed educationally qualified for DC licensure by endorsement (5405.5).⁶
• June 16, 2024: DC Health moved all health licenses to birth-month expiry for credentials issued on or after June 16, 2024.¹²

Common questions

Registered nurse (RN) licenses in other states

• Alabama
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