How to get a single-state Registered Nurse license in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania registered nurse licenses

Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 and treating human responses to actual or potential health problems (casefinding, health teaching and counseling, supportive and restorative care) and executing medical regimens prescribed by authorized practitioners; not medical diagnosis or prescription.¹

Requirements

High school diploma or GED

Required¹

Education or training

Completion of a Board-approved professional nursing program (baccalaureate, associate degree or diploma).¹
Who may teach it: Program approved by the PA State Board of Nursing, or an out-of-state/foreign program the Board considers equivalent (foreign education evaluated by a Board-approved credentials evaluator).⁴
Alternative: Graduates of out-of-state programs considered equivalent may sit the exam (they file an official transcript and pay the higher out-of-state exam fee).⁴

Exam

NCLEX-RN (registered with Pearson VUE)²
Given by: Pearson VUE (NCLEX registration); exam fee paid to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing⁴
When you can take it: Exam application may be filed up to 90 days before completing the nursing program; authorization to test requires confirmation of program completion.⁴
Retakes: Unlimited retakes with a re-examination application and fee; candidates re-applying 2 or more years after the first exam must meet the requirements then in force.⁴
Time limit: First attempt must be within 1 year of completing the nursing program unless prevented by emergency, illness, military service or other good cause, or the candidate is licensed elsewhere.⁴
Exam waived: Endorsement applicants already licensed by passing an equivalent exam are not re-examined.⁴

Background check

Background check required³
Fingerprints required³
You can ask the board to review your record before you apply⁷

Also required

3 hours of DHS-approved child abuse recognition and reporting training before licensure; the provider reports completion directly to the Board.³

Also required

English proficiency: education conducted in English or a passing score on a Board-approved English proficiency exam.⁴

Also required

Report address changes to the Board within 14 days.⁴

Fees

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

How to apply

Apply online

pals.pa.gov²

Temporary or provisional license

Temporary practice permit (up to 1 year, under on-site RN supervision for graduates) for new graduates and for RNs currently licensed in another US state/territory or Canada while their PA application is pending; expires immediately on failing the NCLEX. Not needed by holders of another state's multistate license.⁴

Renewal

How often

Every 2 years⁴

When it expires

Biennial; the Board assigns each RN one of four expiry dates: 30 April or 31 October of even or odd years. Converting to multistate does not change the expiry date.⁴

Renewal fee

$122⁴

Continuing education

At least 30 hours each renewal period⁴

Required topics

At least 2 of the 30 hours in Board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting.⁴
2 of the 30 hours in organ and tissue donation and recovery, once within 5 years (licensed before May 1, 2026: once within 5 years of renewal from May 1, 2026; licensed on/after May 1, 2026: within 5 years of initial licensure).⁴

Approved courses

Board-approved CE; each hour at least 50 minutes; academic courses count (semester course = 15 hours); no carry-over; keep records 5 years (audits).⁴

Exemptions

First renewal after initial PA licensure: general CE not required (child abuse CE still required).⁴
Waiver for serious illness, military service or other hardship, requested at least 90 days before expiry.⁴

If it expires

Not renewed by the deadline: file a reactivation application online in PALS (with 30 hours of CE from the preceding biennium).⁸
Lapsed or inactive 5 years or longer: pass the licensing exam, complete a Board-approved reactivation program, or show a current license elsewhere with 3,600 hours of RN practice in the last 5 years.⁴
Background check is not required to renew.³

Renew online

pals.pa.gov⁹

From another state

Who needs a single-state Registered Nurse license

Other rules on who may do this work:

• Single-state license: valid only in Pennsylvania.³

Requirements for a single-state Registered Nurse license

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

Residency or citizenship

No PA residency needed; a single-state license is not available to a nurse who holds a multistate license from another NLC state.⁵

Social Security number

Board posts a Social Security Number Attestation and a Social Security Waiver form for applicants.¹⁰

How much a single-state Registered Nurse license costs

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. Review the Nursing Licensure Guide and the tips for RN-by-exam applications.²
2. Finish a Board-approved RN program; the Board starts processing only after your school reports completion.³
3. Register with Pearson VUE for the NCLEX-RN and pay the NCSBN fee.²
4. Submit the online application in PALS (optionally with a Graduate Nurse Temporary Practice Permit, $70 plus the $95 license fee).² pals.pa.gov²
5. Complete the IdentoGO FBI fingerprint check (pre-register with the service code from the application) and 3 hours of approved child abuse CE.³

Renewal and continuing education

Moving to Pennsylvania with a license from another state

These are the routes the State Board of Nursing publishes for the single-state Registered Nurse 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 if Pennsylvania is your primary state of residence (proof: PA driver's license, voter card, federal tax return, military form 2058 or federal W-2).⁵

Social Security number

Valid US Social Security number required (a TIN is not accepted).⁵

Also required

Multistate license: must meet all NLC uniform licensure requirements (no felony conviction or agreed disposition incl. ARD; nursing-related misdemeanours reviewed case by case; not in an alternative-to-discipline program such as VRP or PERC; unencumbered license; valid US SSN, not a TIN).⁵

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.

How to apply

1. Live in Pennsylvania (primary state of residence) and complete the PSOR declaration with proof of residence; existing PA single-state licensees apply to convert ($105).¹¹
2. Graduates: finish a Board-approved RN program, register with Pearson VUE for the NCLEX-RN and complete 3 hours of child abuse CE.²
3. Get a state criminal history record check (PA State Police for PA residents) and an FBI fingerprint check through IdentoGO using the service code from your application.³
4. Apply for the multistate license in PALS and pay the multistate fee; if you do not meet the uniform requirements you are automatically considered for a single-state license.⁵ pals.pa.gov²
5. Check license type (multistate or single-state) free on Nursys.⁵

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

Look up a license

pa.gov²

File a complaint

pa.gov²

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• The Professional Nursing Law, Act of May 22, 1951, P.L. 317, No. 69 (63 P.S. 211-225.5), secs. 2, 3, 4.1, 5, 6, 11, 12.1
• 49 Pa. Code ch. 21 Subch. A, Subch. K (endorsement under 63 Pa.C.S. 3111) and Subch. L (NLC temporary regulations, expire May 24, 2028)
• Nurse Licensure Compact Act (35 P.S. 10291-10295)
• 63 Pa.C.S. 3111-3120 incl. Act 53 of 2020 preliminary determinations (summarized by DOS guide)

Rule changes since January 2024

• May 1, 2026: New CE content rule: 2 of the 30 hours in organ and tissue donation and recovery, once within 5 years.⁴
• July 7, 2025: Pennsylvania fully implemented the Nurse Licensure Compact; multistate RN licenses available through PALS.⁵

Common questions

Registered nurse (RN) licenses in other states

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