How to get a single-state Registered Nurse (RN) license in South Dakota

South Dakota registered nurse licenses

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

Requirements

Education or training

Complete a nursing program approved by a state board of nursing for preparing registered nurses. South Dakota programs certify your completion through the Board's Affidavit of Graduation (AOG) Portal. Graduates of programs elsewhere qualify if the Board finds the program's graduation requirements substantially the same as South Dakota's.³
Who may teach it: The program must be approved by the board of nursing of the state where it is located. SDBON approves South Dakota programs under SDCL 36-9-58 and ARSD 20:48:07.⁴
Alternative: Foreign-educated: TruMerit credentials evaluation (CES report) and English proficiency where applicable.⁷

Exam

NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensure Examination, National Council of State Boards of Nursing)²
Given by: Pearson VUE (NCLEX testing service); you pay the NCLEX fee separately from the Board fee.⁴
Passing score: Pass/fail, at the passing standard set by the Board.²
When you can take it: After the Board makes you eligible to test, you must schedule and take the computerized exam within 90 days. Your South Dakota nursing program certifies your graduation to the Board through the Affidavit of Graduation Portal after you apply.²
Retakes: After a fail you may apply to retest no more often than once every 45 days. Apply to the Board and pay the reexamination fee ($100 plus the NCLEX fee). A letter with retake instructions and a Candidate Performance Report arrives in 5-7 business days.²

Background check

Background check required³
Fingerprints required²
Fingerprint cards supplied by the Board go with a signed authorization and release form and the background-check fee. The Board sends the cards to DCI, and results must be in before a permanent license is issued. Failure to cooperate is grounds for denial.³

Also required

Internationally educated applicants by examination first get a TruMerit Credentials Evaluation Service Professional Report (CES) sent to the Board, plus English proficiency exam results if their program was not taught in English, and then apply in the Nurse Portal.⁷

Also required

Applications and fees are non-refundable, and an application becomes void one year after the Board receives it.⁴

Also required

Within 60 days, report to the Board any change of address, a felony conviction or agreed disposition, a nursing-related misdemeanour, a malpractice claim, discipline elsewhere, or enrollment in an alternative-to-discipline program.²

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 residency: a South Dakota multistate license needs South Dakota as your primary state of residence. If you live in another compact state, license there. If you live in a non-compact state, you get a South Dakota-only license.⁵
2. Create an SDBON Nurse Portal account (select "No" if you have never held an SD license or permit) and confirm it from the e-mail link, using a non-work e-mail address.⁸ sdbon.boardsofnursing.org⁸
3. Submit the application for license by NCLEX examination (or by endorsement) with the non-refundable fee. Cards accepted: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover.⁴
4. Complete the fingerprint cards provided by the Board and send them with the signed authorization and release form and the background-check fee.⁷
5. Your nursing program certifies your graduation in the AOG Portal. Register for the NCLEX with Pearson VUE and test within 90 days of being made eligible.⁹
6. After the Board receives your official pass result, the license is usually issued by 5:00 pm the next business day and shows as active on the verification site. The Board does not give results by phone or e-mail.⁴

Apply online

sdbon.boardsofnursing.org⁴

Temporary or provisional license

Temporary permit "R.N. App." ($25, up to 90 days) for exam candidates awaiting first results (practice under RN supervision) and for endorsement applicants. Limited license ($25, up to 90 days) for nurses in a reentry program.²

Processing time

After the Board receives official NCLEX results, the license is typically issued by 5:00 pm the next business day. Military-transfer applicants: within 30 days of a complete application.⁴

Renewal

How often

Every 2 years³

When it expires

Your license expires on your birthday. A first license runs to your birthday in the second calendar year after issue, then renews every two years on your birthday. The Board sends a renewal notice at least 90 days before expiry, and you renew in the Nurse Portal.²

Renewal fee

$95² (Biennial RN renewal)

Late renewal

Ten dollars to fund the nurses' education assistance scholarship program: $10² (added to each biennial renewal)
Ten dollars to fund the nursing workforce center: $10² (added to each biennial renewal)
Reinstatement fee: $50² (reinstating a license that lapsed because it was not renewed by the expiry date)
For placing a registered nurse license on inactive status: $10² (inactivating a license in the Nurse Portal)
For changing a name on the records of a license: $10²
Duplicate or replacement license: $20¹⁰
License verification to another state: $25²

If it expires

Practice requirement for active status: at least 140 hours of nursing employment in any 12-month period during the preceding 6 years. If you fall short, you can meet the reentry standard with 480 hours of nursing employment in the preceding 6 years or a Board-approved refresher course (at least 160 hours: 80 theory and 80 supervised clinical). Hours are verified by the employer.²
No grace period: a renewal fee delivered or postmarked after the filing date is not accepted and the license lapses. Practising on a lapsed license is illegal. Reinstatement requires an explanation, the $50 reinstatement fee plus the renewal fee, and evidence of employment in the preceding six years. A reinstated license runs to your second birthday after issue.²
An inactive license can be reactivated at any time through the Nurse Portal by paying the current renewal fee and meeting the practice or reentry standard.¹¹

Renew online

sdbon.boardsofnursing.org¹²

From another state

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

Work that does not need this license:

• Not prohibited: emergency assistance; students in approved prelicensure programs; nurses from other states employed by the U.S. government on official duty; family/gratuitous care; out-of-state nurses accompanying a patient for one engagement up to three months; out-of-state nurses teaching in South Dakota for up to five days.³

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 single-state license (valid in South Dakota only) is for applicants who do not live in a compact state. Residents of another NLC state hold their multistate license from that home state instead.³

Renewal and continuing education

Multistate Registered Nurse (RN) license

Requirements

Residency or citizenship

A South Dakota multistate license requires South Dakota to be your primary state of residence (have documents ready, e.g. a South Dakota driver's license or voter registration) and a valid U.S. Social Security number.⁵

Social Security number

A valid U.S. Social Security number is required for multistate status.³

Also required

Multistate license conditions (NLC Article III): NCLEX passed; active, unencumbered license; fingerprint-based check; no felony conviction; no nursing-related misdemeanour (judged case by case); not in an alternative program; valid U.S. SSN. Internationally educated applicants seeking a multistate license must also meet these.³

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

Look up a license

sdbon.boardsofnursing.org¹³

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• SDCL ch. 36-9 (Registered and Practical Nurses), incl. 36-9-2, -28, -30, -31, -31.1, -32, -32.1, -35, -36, -45, -46, -47, -47.1, -47.2, -97
• SDCL 36-9-98 (Nurse Licensure Compact)
• SDCL ch. 36-1B (expedited licensing for military personnel and spouses)
• ARSD ch. 20:48:03 (licensing and licenses)
• ARSD 20:48:06:01, amended 53 SDR 8 eff. August 3, 2026

Rule changes since January 2024

• September 1, 2026: From September 2026 the Board no longer issues paper renewal cards; verify licenses online.¹³

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
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming