How to get a single-state Registered Professional Nurse license in Kansas

Kansas registered nurse licenses

Kansas 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 Kansas registered nurse license on this page, so they are shown once here. Each license's own section lists only what differs.

What it covers

Applying substantial specialized knowledge from the biological, physical and behavioral sciences to the care, diagnosis, treatment, counsel and health teaching of persons, administration/supervision/teaching of nursing, and executing medical regimens prescribed by physicians or dentists.¹

Requirements

Education or training

Graduate of an approved school of professional nursing in the US or its territories, or a board-approved foreign school.¹
Who may teach it: Board-approved school of professional nursing (KSBN lists approved programs).¹
Alternative: Foreign graduates: credentials evaluation by a board-approved agency plus English proficiency where instruction was not in English.²

Exam

NCLEX-RN (examination prepared by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing)¹
Given by: Pearson VUE²
When you can take it: File the exam application with fee at least 30 days before the exam date, with official transcripts, fingerprints/background-check fee, and Pearson VUE registration.¹
Retakes: A failed candidate may retake the exam on paying the fee again; anyone who has not passed (or not tested) within 24 months of graduation must petition the Board, which may require a study plan (30 hours per low-performance area, finished within 6 months).¹
Time limit: No absolute limit; after 24 months from graduation a petition to test is required.¹
Exam waived: Foreign-educated applicants submit a credentials evaluation (board-approved agency) and, if instruction was not in English, English-proficiency results (TOEFL or similar).¹

Background check

Background check required²
Fingerprints required²

Social Security number

The KSBN portal account is created with last name, date of birth and Social Security number.²

Also required

Applications awaiting documentation stay active for 6 months; after that a new application and fee are needed.¹

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. Graduate from a board-approved RN program and have the school send official transcripts to KSBN.²
2. Submit fingerprints and the $57 KBI background-check fee.²
3. Register for NCLEX-RN with Pearson VUE (request accommodations first if needed; more than 2 years since graduation needs a petition to test).²
4. After 7-10 business days check status via "View Checklist" in the portal; pass NCLEX to be licensed.²
5. Licensed in another state? Use the endorsement application and send verification of original licensure.⁵

Apply online

ksbn.kansas.gov²

Temporary or provisional license

Temporary permit of up to 120 days for applicants licensed by examination in another US state/territory, to work while completing endorsement requirements or CE for reinstatement (copy of current license required). Foreign graduates may get a 120-day permit after license verification and credential approval.¹

Renewal

How often

Every 2 years¹

When it expires

Licenses expire on the last day of the licensee's birth month: odd-numbered birth years renew in odd years, even in even years. If the first renewal would fall within 6 months of licensure, expiry is the last day of the month after the third birthday from licensure. Renewal window opens 90 days before expiry; the Board sends notice at least 60 days before.¹

Renewal fee

$85³

Continuing education

30 hours each renewal period⁴

Required topics

No mandatory subject; acceptable CNE includes approved-provider and national-organization offerings, IOA-approved courses and college courses, ACLS/PALS-type renewals (max 15 hours), first-time instructor credit (max 15 hours) and board service (max 6 hours).¹

Approved courses

CNE must be completed in the licensing period before renewal and documented by certificate/transcript (or a KSBN Individual Offering Approval); CE Broker is KSBN's official tracking system (free basic account). In-service, orientation and offerings under 30 minutes do not count.⁸

Exemptions

No CNE for the first renewal of a license expiring within 30 months after the licensure exam, or within 9 months after licensure by reinstatement or endorsement.¹
Inactive and exempt licenses need no CNE.¹

If it expires

No late-renewal fee or grace period is set: a license not renewed by expiry lapses and must be reinstated ($150). Lapsed up to 5 years: 30 CNE hours in the past 2 years. Lapsed over 5 years: current license elsewhere with equivalent CE, licensure elsewhere in the past 5 years plus 30 hours, or a board-approved refresher course (120 didactic + 120 clinical hours, 96 in acute care).¹
Inactive status may be requested before expiry ($10); return requires reinstatement.¹
Revoked licenses: reinstatement application only 3 years after revocation, with clear and convincing proof of rehabilitation.⁹

Renew online

ksbn.kansas.gov¹⁰

From another state

Military service members, veterans and spouses: A license stays valid during military service and for 6 months after release, with no renewal fee, application or CE due during service; renew within 6 months of release without late fees, and CE is waived until the next full licensing period.¹¹

Who needs a single-state Registered Professional Nurse license

Other rules on who may do this work:

• Single-state license: valid only in Kansas.⁴

How much a single-state Registered Professional Nurse license costs

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

How to apply

1. Create a KSBN portal account (Register a Person) and start the exam application ("Exam – Originally Licensed in Kansas"); pay $100. File at least 30 days before your exam date.³ ksbn.kansas.gov²

Renewal and continuing education

Moving to Kansas with a license from another state

These are the routes KSBN publishes for the single-state Registered Professional Nurse license. The other registered nurse licenses have their own routes in their sections below.

Multi-state Registered Professional Nurse license

Requirements

Residency or citizenship

Multistate license only for applicants who declare Kansas as primary state of residence; proof of a Kansas driver license is required for any multistate application.¹²

Also required

Must meet the 11 NLC uniform licensure requirements, including a federal and state criminal background check.²

Fees

How to apply

1. Create a KSBN portal account (Register a Person) and start the exam application ("Exam – Originally Licensed in Kansas"); pay $125. File at least 30 days before your exam date.³ ksbn.kansas.gov²
2. Already hold an active Kansas single-state license and live in Kansas? File the Multi-State Conversion Application ($125) with new fingerprints and proof of a Kansas driver license.¹²

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 Kansas, you can confirm the license is current on the board's own search. Every board we cover in Kansas is on the Kansas license lookup page.

Look up a license

portal.egov.ksbn.ks.gov⁷

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• K.S.A. 65-1113 to 65-1120
• K.S.A. 65-1166 (Nurse Licensure Compact)
• K.S.A. 74-1112 (fingerprinting and criminal history record check)
• K.A.R. 60-3-101 to 60-3-114 (licensure, reinstatement, temporary permit, renewal, inactive/exempt licenses, refresher course)
• K.A.R. 60-4-101
• K.A.R. 60-9-105 to 60-9-107 (continuing nursing education)
• K.S.A. 48-3401 to 48-3405 (licensees in military service)

Common questions

Registered nurse (RN) licenses in other states

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