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

Tennessee registered nurse licenses

Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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 course of study at an approved school of nursing before the exam date; graduates of other U.S. jurisdictions need substantially the same course of study as Tennessee schools. Foreign-educated nurses need a CES professional report (CGFNS/TruMerit) and an English proficiency exam (IELTS, TOEFL, OET or MET) unless exempt.¹
Who may teach it: An official transcript must be sent directly from the school after the degree is conferred.¹

Exam

NCLEX-RN¹
Given by: Pearson VUE⁵
When you can take it: Only applicants who have filed the application, paid the fee and been accepted by the Board are issued an authorization to test; the program must be completed before the exam day.¹
Retakes: A candidate who fails may be eligible to repeat the exam; the re-examination fee applies each time.¹
Time limit: Applicants who finished their nursing program more than ten years before applying are considered for the exam only case by case.¹
Exam waived: Nurses already licensed by examination in another U.S. jurisdiction apply by endorsement without re-examination.¹

Background check

Background check required¹
Fingerprints required¹
Applicants with any arrest or conviction upload a letter of explanation and certified court records; applicants may be required to undergo an expert evaluation.¹

Also required

The Board may request evidence of satisfactory mental and physical health.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 VUE⁵, when you schedule.

How to apply

1. Complete fingerprinting through the Board's vendor at tn.ibtfingerprint.com (OCA code 1703 for RN) - as early as 6 weeks before graduation.⁵
2. Apply to the Tennessee Board of Nursing online (LARS) - as early as 4 weeks before graduation - and upload the notarized Declaration of Citizenship and your driver's license.⁵ lars.tn.gov⁴
3. Register and pay Pearson VUE for the NCLEX-RN - as early as 2 weeks before graduation.⁵
4. Have your school send an official transcript directly to the Board after your degree is conferred.⁵
5. Once accepted, receive the authorization to test, pass the NCLEX-RN, and the license is issued (processing 4-6 weeks from a complete application).¹

Apply online

lars.tn.gov⁴

Processing time

Exam applications: 4-6 weeks from a complete application. Endorsement: allow six weeks.⁷

Renewal

How often

Every 24 months²

When it expires

Renew every two years by the last day of your birth month (Division of Health Related Boards biennial birth-date system); renewal is online via LARS.¹

Required topics

Keep evidence of TWO items, e.g. satisfactory employer or peer evaluation, contract renewal, written self-evaluation, national certification, a goals plan, nursing volunteer work, teaching nursing students, 10 contact hours of CE, a published article, a two-week refresher or orientation program, 3 nursing credit hours, or retaking NCLEX.¹

Approved courses

CE/in-service must be applicable to nursing practice; licensees attest on the renewal application and the Department audits monthly.¹

Exemptions

Initial licensees meet the rule by completing licensure requirements; nurses who have not practiced more than five years and do not intend to practice are not covered.¹

If it expires

Failure to renew automatically forfeits the right to practice; renewal applications are not accepted after the last day of the month following expiration, after which reinstatement is required.¹
Reinstatement: application under penalty of perjury with a biometric criminal background check, plus reinstatement and state regulatory fees.¹
Returning after more than five years out of practice: prove competence by one option such as 10 contact hours of CE per year of inactivity, a two-week refresher program, current specialty certification or NCLEX re-examination.¹

Renew online

lars.tn.gov⁴

From another state

Who needs a single-state Registered Nurse license

Other rules on who may do this work:

• Exempt: domestic family remedies, emergency assistance, supervised assistants in physician/dentist offices, and nursing students in Board-approved programs (students may not be employed in roles requiring a license).¹

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

Single-state license: for applicants whose primary state of residence is a non-compact state (or who do not qualify for multistate); valid only in Tennessee. Applicants residing in another compact state with a multistate license cannot get a Tennessee license until they declare Tennessee residence. Citizenship/qualified-alien status required.¹

Renewal and continuing education

Moving to Tennessee with a license from another state

These are the routes the Tennessee 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: Tennessee must be your primary state of residence; a Tennessee driver's license is required for multistate eligibility. All applicants must be U.S. citizens, qualified aliens or eligible non-immigrants (Declaration of Citizenship, notarized).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 Tennessee, you can confirm the license is current on the board's own search. Every board we cover in Tennessee is on the Tennessee license lookup page.

Look up a license

internet.health.tn.gov⁶

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• T.C.A. §§ 63-7-103, 63-7-104 (registered nurses; Nursing Acts 1967, Title 63 ch. 7)
• T.C.A. § 63-7-401 et seq. (Nurse Licensure Compact)
• Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1000-01 (General Rules and Regulations Governing Nursing)
• Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1000-01-.02
• Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1200-10-01-.10 (biennial renewal system)

Rule changes since January 2024

• April 8, 2026: Rule 1000-01-.02 (fees) amended; board fee-schedule PDF not yet consistent with the rule (see fee conflicts).¹
• October 8, 2024: Chapter 1000-01 repealed and replaced (new general nursing rules).¹

Common questions

Registered nurse (RN) licenses in other states

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