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

Montana registered nurse licenses

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

What it covers

Services requiring substantial specialized knowledge of the biological, physical, behavioral, psychological and sociological sciences and nursing theory: assessment, nursing analysis, planning, intervention and evaluation; administration, teaching, counseling, supervision, delegation; and giving medications and treatments prescribed by authorized prescribers.⁸

Requirements

High school diploma or GED

Required⁴

Education or training

Completion of the basic professional curriculum in an approved school of nursing, holding that school's diploma.⁴
Who may teach it: Board-approved nursing education program (for professional nursing: a department, school, division or unit of a junior college, college or university).⁸
Alternative: Foreign-educated graduates (multistate license): program approved by the country's accrediting body and verified comparable by an independent credentials review agency; plus English proficiency where applicable.⁹
Alternative: Relevant military education, training or service must be accepted toward license qualifications.¹⁰

Exam

NCLEX-RN (national standardized examination; the multistate license requires an NCLEX-RN pass)²
Passing score: Set by board rule.²
Retakes: Retake requirements are set by board rule.²
Exam waived: Internationally educated applicants not educated in English (or whose native language is not English) must pass a board-specified English proficiency exam (ARM 24.159.422(4)); the board was to name accepted exams at its November 18, 2026 meeting.⁶

Also required

Applicants must give the department a current mailing address and report changes within 30 days; applications include service-of-process attestations (2025 HB 276).⁶

Fees

The board's pages we cite do not list the exam fee.

How to apply

1. Finish high school (or equivalent) and an approved RN program, and earn the program diploma.⁴
2. Apply through the department's Professional and Occupational Licenses portal ("Apply for a License").⁶ ebiz.mt.gov⁶
3. Submit a full set of fingerprints for the state and FBI background check and pay the check fees.³
4. Pass the licensing examination (NCLEX-RN).²
5. Give the department a current mailing address (and optionally consent to e-mail service of legal notices); report changes within 30 days.⁶

Apply online

ebiz.mt.gov⁶

Temporary or provisional license

21-Day Temporary Registration: nurses actively licensed in good standing elsewhere may register and practice up to 21 days per calendar year for education, continuity of treatment, underserved populations or highly specialized care (apply in the licensing portal). A provisional license may also be issued while the exam or license verification is pending; practice under it requires on-site supervision.⁶

Renewal

When it expires

RN licenses expire 31 December; the renewal window opens 2 November of the expiry year (even- or odd-year group). Renewal is online.⁶

Approved courses

CE proof is not required to renew; up to 50% of renewing licensees may be randomly audited after the lapse date, and anyone reactivating an expired license is audited.¹¹

If it expires

Lapsed (within 45 days after the renewal date): reactivate with renewal form, late penalty and current renewal fee; practicing on a lapsed license is not unlicensed practice.¹²
Expired (45 days to 2 years): reactivate with accrued CE and fees; practicing on an expired license is unlicensed practice. Not renewed within 2 years: license terminates and a new original license is required.¹²

Renew online

ebiz.mt.gov⁶

From another state

Who needs a single-state Registered Professional Nurse license

Other rules on who may do this work:

• Single-state license: valid only in Montana.⁹

Requirements for a single-state Registered Professional Nurse license

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

Background check

Background check required³
Fingerprints required³
A conviction is not an automatic bar; the board may deny if the offense relates to public health, welfare and safety in nursing and the applicant is not sufficiently rehabilitated.¹³

Residency or citizenship

No residency requirement for a single-state license; residents of non-compact states may apply for one.⁹

Moving to Montana with a license from another state

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

Multistate Registered Professional Nurse license

Requirements

Background check

Background check required³
Fingerprints required³
A conviction is not an automatic bar; the board may deny if the offense relates to public health, welfare and safety in nursing and the applicant is not sufficiently rehabilitated. Multistate: any felony is disqualifying under the compact.¹³

Residency or citizenship

Multistate license only for nurses whose primary state of residence (home state) is Montana.⁹

Social Security number

Valid US Social Security number required for a multistate license.⁹

Also required

Multistate license: must meet the compact uniform licensure requirements, including no felony conviction or agreed disposition, no nursing-related misdemeanour (case by case), not currently in an alternative program, and a valid US Social Security number.⁶

How to apply

1. To hold the multistate license, declare Montana as your primary state of residence and meet every uniform licensure requirement; check status on Montana Licensee Lookup or Nursys QuickConfirm.⁶

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

Look up a license

ebizws.mt.gov⁶

File a complaint

bsd.dli.mt.gov⁶

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• MCA 37-8-102, 37-8-401, 37-8-405, 37-8-406, 37-8-408, 37-8-421, 37-8-434 (Montana nurse practice act: definitions, RN qualifications, exam, title, provisional practice, background check)
• MCA 37-8-501 (Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact)
• MCA 37-1-141, 37-1-144, 37-1-145, 37-1-147, 37-1-203, 37-1-304, 37-1-306 (renewal/lapse, provisional and 21-day practice, military, convictions, endorsement, CE audit)

Rule changes since January 2024

• September 26, 2026: English proficiency exam required for internationally educated applicants not educated in English (ARM 24.159.422(4)); accepted exams to be set November 18, 2026.⁶
• January 2, 2024: NLC rule 402(2): a multistate licensee moving to another compact state must apply there within 60 days.⁶

Common questions

Registered nurse (RN) licenses in other states

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming