How to get a single-state Registered Nurse (RN) license in New Mexico

New Mexico registered nurse licenses

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

What it covers

Registered nurses practice under the definition of professional registered nursing in NMSA 61-3-3(J); they may take on functions beyond basic preparation only with the knowledge and skills from a recognized nursing body of knowledge, and may delegate only to persons prepared to perform the task (not assessment, evaluation or nursing judgment).¹

Requirements

Education or training

Completion of a pre-licensure nursing degree from a Board-approved RN course of study (graduated or eligible for graduation), or a non-US program equivalent to an approved US program.¹
Who may teach it: Board-approved RN program; NM graduates may have education verified through the Affidavit of Graduation portal, others send official transcripts directly.⁵
Alternative: Education requirements cannot be met by test-out options.¹

Exam

NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses)¹
Given by: Pearson VUE (register by phone or online at pearsonvue.com/nclex); the Pearson VUE fee is paid when you file the Board exam application.⁴
When you can take it: The complete Board application, the school's certification of eligibility for graduation (or official transcript) and an approved criminal background check must reach the Board before you are allowed to test. Applicants who have compact-state addresses or declare another compact state as residence are denied. The FAQ says US graduates must have graduated within the last four years.¹
Retakes: Wait 45 days after a failed attempt; US-educated applicants may test at most five times within three years of graduation (foreign-educated: five times within three years of the first New Mexico application). File a re-exam application ($60).¹
Time limit: Exam applications are valid 1 year (the Pearson VUE registration is separate, also 1 year; the Authorization to Test is valid 6 months). Five attempts within three years of graduation.⁵
Exam waived: Graduates of non-US programs need a course-by-course credential evaluation sent directly to the Board (Josef Silny, CGFNS or ERES) and English competency (TOEFL 540 / iBT 84 with speaking 26, TOEIC 725, IELTS 6.5 with 7.0 speaking, OET C+/B speaking, or MET 59/B2), unless educated in English.⁵

Background check

Background check required²
Fingerprints required³
If the check shows a felony or Nursing Practice Act violation, the applicant must send legal documents for review by the executive director or the Board. Felony convictions or discipline elsewhere may lead to denial.¹

Also required

Applicants must supply workforce data (demographics, practice status, education, hours worked, practice plans) before a license is approved.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.

How to apply

1. Check eligibility: if you live in another Nurse Licensure Compact state, license in that home state; New Mexico residents can get a multistate license, residents of non-compact states a single-state license.¹
2. Submit the online Initial Exam Application and $150 fee in the NM BON Nurse Portal (no paper applications; fees are non-refundable). The application is valid for one year.⁵ nmbn.boardsofnursing.org⁵
3. Have your school send official transcripts (or use the Affidavit of Graduation portal for NM programs); foreign graduates send a credential evaluation and English-test results.⁵
4. Register with IdentoGO (service code 2BH2FB for RNs) and get fingerprinted ($59 in-state; $67 card processing out of state). Fingerprints stay valid for the life of the application.⁵ nm.ue.state.identogo.com³
5. Register and pay for the NCLEX-RN with Pearson VUE at the same time; once the Board approves eligibility you receive an Authorization to Test (valid 6 months).⁴
6. Pass the NCLEX-RN. Results go to you within two weeks; the first license runs to the end of your birth month after the first anniversary.¹

Apply online

nmbn.boardsofnursing.org⁵

Temporary or provisional license

Graduate permit-to-practice: the New Mexico employer submits an intent-to-hire letter naming the supervising RN; valid six months or until exam results, void if you fail or do not test within 6 months of graduation; not issued to applicants declaring residence in another compact state.⁵

Processing time

Expedited (endorsement) licenses: issued within 30 days of a complete application unless there is a disqualifying conviction. Graduate permits: allow at least three weeks from a complete file. No published processing time for exam applications.⁵

Renewal

How often

Every 2 years²

When it expires

First license runs to the last day of the birth month after the first anniversary; then renew every two years by the end of the renewal month, no earlier than 60 days before expiry (portal link opens 60 days ahead; reminders at 60 and 30 days).¹

Continuing education

At least 30 hours each renewal period¹

Approved courses

CE must be approved by a national or state nursing organization, another state board of nursing or a Board-approved local monitoring system (academic credit: 1 credit = 15 contact hours); a current national specialty certification can replace the 30 hours. Upload CE to CE Broker before renewing.⁶

Exemptions

Nurses mobilised for active military duty need not renew or meet CE while on active duty (submit mobilisation orders); CE is not required for the first license by endorsement until first renewal.¹

Late renewal

Late renewal fee: $200¹ (late renewal, lapsed license, reactivation or reinstatement (includes renewal fee))

If it expires

No grace period: if not renewed by the end of the renewal month the license lapses and you may not practice until reactivated ($200 fee). A new background check is required if lapsed over 90 days; after four or more years a refresher course with clinical component is required (Central New Mexico Community College is the only approved clinical provider), with a temporary license of up to six months to finish it.¹

Renew online

nmbn.boardsofnursing.org⁵

From another state

Who needs a single-state Registered Nurse (RN) license

Work that does not need this license:

• During a medical emergency, RNs licensed in another US jurisdiction may practice in New Mexico for up to 30 days without a New Mexico license.¹

Requirements for a single-state Registered Nurse (RN) license

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

Residency or citizenship

A New Mexico license is issued only to applicants declaring New Mexico as primary residence if they live in a compact state; residents of non-compact states may hold a New Mexico (single-state) license on the same requirements as residents.¹

Social Security number

Endorsement applicants without a social security number who took the NCLEX must send two license verifications (state where they passed and state that first licensed them). No SSN rule for single-state licensure is stated.⁵

Renewal and continuing education

Renewal fee

$110¹

Moving to New Mexico with a license from another state

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

Multistate Registered Nurse license

Requirements

Residency or citizenship

Multistate license only for applicants who declare New Mexico as primary state of residence (upload NM driver's license and social security card).¹

Social Security number

A valid US Social Security number is required for a multistate license.²

Also required

Multistate (NLC) uniform requirements also apply: no felony conviction or agreed disposition, misdemeanours related to nursing reviewed case by case, not enrolled in an alternative program.²

Fees

How to apply

1. Ask for multistate status: New Mexico residents with a single-state license send a request through the Nurse Portal message center with an NM driver's license, social security card and fingerprints. The $50 multistate fee applies from June 1, 2026.⁴

Renewal

Renewal fee

$160¹

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

Look up a license

nmbn.boardsofnursing.org⁷

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• NMSA 1978, § 61-3-13 (qualifications for licensure as a registered nurse)
• NMSA 1978, § 61-3-14 (licensure by examination; expedited licensure)
• NMSA 1978, § 61-3-16
• NMSA 1978, § 61-3-24
• NMSA 1978, § 61-3-24.1 (Nurse Licensure Compact)
• NMSA 1978, § 61-3-5.1 (temporary licensure)
• 16.12.16 NMAC (Registered Nurse (RN) Licensure), effective January 1, 2026
• 16.12.16.8 NMAC
• 16.12.1 NMAC (General Provisions; definitions)

Rule changes since January 2024

• June 1, 2026: $50 fee for multistate (compact) licenses; existing multistate holders see it at renewal ($160 RN multistate renewal).⁸
• January 1, 2026: RN licensure rules moved into new 16.12.16 NMAC (effective January 1, 2026), with fee schedule, licensure, expedited licensure and CE provisions.¹
• June 20, 2025: Laws 2025, ch. 101 raised statutory fee caps (licensure without exam up to $200; renewal up to $150) and authorized a multistate fee of up to $50.²

Common questions

Registered nurse (RN) licenses in other states

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