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

Vermont registered nurse licenses

Vermont 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 Vermont 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 nursing is defined at 26 V.S.A. § 1572; each RN's individual scope depends on education, training, experience and certification.²

Requirements

Education or training

Graduate from an approved RN education program, shown by an official transcript sent directly by the school (not needed for Vermont programs).⁵
Who may teach it: Program must be an approved U.S. registered nursing education program meeting Board rules; OPR links to Vermont-approved programs and to ACEN, CCNE and NLN CNEA accredited-program lists.⁵
Alternative: Educated outside the U.S.: hold a current RN license from that country, complete secondary education, graduate from an RN program meeting Board rules, show English proficiency if not taught in English, and pass the Board's examinations; a credentials evaluation (e.g. CGFNS, Josef Silny & Associates, SpanTran) is sent directly to OPR.³

Exam

NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensure Examination)²
Given by: Pearson VUE (NCLEX, for NCSBN). You register and pay the exam fee directly with Pearson VUE, separately from the OPR application.³
When you can take it: After you submit the online application, register with Pearson VUE; OPR e-mails you when you are approved to sit for the exam. The license is issued once the exam service reports your passing result.⁸
Retakes: To retake the NCLEX, file the NCLEX RN/LPN retake application with a $30 non-refundable processing fee and re-register with Pearson VUE. The NCLEX must be passed within five years of graduation; after that you must complete an approved nursing program again.⁹
Time limit: Within five years of nursing program graduation.²

Background check

Background check required³
Fingerprints required⁷
You can ask the board to review your record before you apply¹⁰

Also required

Internationally educated (non-Canadian) applicants need a credentials review by an international credentials agency, evidence of eligibility to work lawfully in the U.S. (SSN or taxpayer ID), English proficiency if not taught in English, a federal background check, and recent practice/CE/certification evidence before they may test.³

Also required

Vermont "good standing" declarations are mandatory on applications: child support, state taxes, unpaid court fines, and restitution orders must be in good standing (or under a payment plan) before a license is issued.⁹

Also required

Pro bono: a nurse who limits Vermont practice to pro bono services at a free or reduced-fee clinic is licensed without paying the application fee.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.

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

How to apply

1. Choose your route: by examination (new graduates), by endorsement (licensed elsewhere under three years) or Fast Track Endorsement (three or more years). Residents of another compact state who hold a multistate license need no Vermont license.³
2. Create or log in to your OPR Online Services account and submit the RN application; pay the fee by debit/credit card or ACH. Indicate single-state (SSL) or multistate (MSL); MSL requires Vermont residency.⁸ sos.vermont.gov⁷
3. Have your school send official transcripts to the Board ([email protected] or 89 Main Street, 3rd floor, Montpelier, VT 05620-3402), or, if educated abroad, have a credentials evaluation service send its report.³
4. Register and pay for the NCLEX-RN with Pearson VUE; OPR e-mails you when you are approved to test.⁸
5. Complete the fingerprint-supported background check using the Fingerprint Authorization Certificate OPR e-mails you, and upload your receipt.³
6. When the exam service reports your pass (and the background check clears), OPR issues the license; allow 3-5 business days.⁸

Apply online

sos.vermont.gov⁷

Temporary or provisional license

90-day Vermont-only provisional license, once per applicant, while verification or the background check is pending.⁷

Processing time

Allow at least 5 full business days for processing (3-5 business days per the FAQ); background-check results take 6-12 weeks after VCIC receives the prints.⁷

Renewal

How often

Every 2 years²

When it expires

Fixed two-year licensing periods; the expiry date is printed on the license and a license lapses at midnight on that date. Renewal opens 6 weeks before expiry. A first license issued within 90 days of the end of a period runs through the next full period with no renewal fee.²

Renewal fee

$220¹¹ (Biennial RN renewal)

Required topics

Continued competency for renewal (one of): 50 days (400 hours) of practice in the two years before renewal or 120 days (960 hours) in the last five years; or 20 hours of qualifying continuing education in the two years before renewal; or a current nationally recognized certification; or (per the renewal instructions) completion of an original or re-entry nursing program within the last five years.²

Approved courses

Qualifying CE must be approved and assigned a credit value by an ANCC Commission on Accreditation-approved organization, another verifying authority approved by the Board, or the Board itself.²

Exemptions

Practice hours are attested at renewal (no upload); OPR audits a random percentage of licensees 30 days after the renewal period ends.⁸

Late renewal

Late renewal fee: $100¹⁰ (license expired not more than 30 days (plus the $220 renewal fee))
Reinstatement fee: up to $1,500¹⁰ (license expired more than 30 days (within one biennial period))

If it expires

A license expired for more than two years requires reinstatement with a federal criminal background check. Two to five years: proof of continuous practice elsewhere or the Rule 4-8 renewal requirements. Five or more years: case-by-case; usually an approved nursing re-entry program (with a re-entry temporary permit) is the minimum.²
A nurse who does not meet any renewal option must first complete a nursing re-entry program meeting Vermont standards.¹¹

Renew online

sos.vermont.gov⁷

From another state

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

Work that does not need this license:

• Nurses with an active multistate license from another compact state need no Vermont license, including for telehealth to Vermont patients. Other out-of-state nurses providing telehealth need a Vermont telehealth registration or license (26 V.S.A. ch. 56).²

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

No Vermont residency needed for a single-state (Vermont-only) license. A nurse who holds a multistate license in another compact state may not apply for a Vermont single-state license and does not need one unless moving to Vermont.²

Renewal and continuing education

Multistate Registered Nurse (RN) license

Requirements

Residency or citizenship

Vermont must be your primary state of residence, with proof (e.g. driver's license, voter registration card, federal tax return, military form 2058 or W-2 showing a Vermont home address). Multistate status also requires a U.S. Social Security number and the NLC uniform requirements.²

Also required

Multistate license (NLC) eligibility: Vermont residency, an unencumbered Vermont single-state license, NCLEX-RN pass, fingerprint-supported background check, no felony conviction, no nursing-related misdemeanour (case-by-case), not in an alternative program, TOEFL or similar if educated in another language, and a valid U.S. SSN.¹

Also required

No provisional multistate license: multistate privileges are issued only after the criminal background check clears. Applicants who need to work sooner can request a 90-day Vermont-only (single-state) provisional license within the application.⁸

Fees

How to apply

1. Already hold a Vermont RN license? Once Vermont residency is established, log in, click "add specialty", choose the multistate specialty, upload proof of residency and a notarised release form, then complete a new fingerprint check.⁸

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

Look up a license

sos.vermont.gov⁷

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• 26 V.S.A. chapter 28 (Nursing), incl. §§ 1574, 1577, 1621-1624, 1629, 1647-1648
• 3 V.S.A. §§ 125, 127, 130, 136a
• Administrative Rules of the Vermont Board of Nursing (eff. May 11, 2023), Parts 1, 4, 7, 8

Rule changes since January 2024

• January 2, 2024: Multistate licensees moving their primary residence to another party state must apply there within 60 days.⁸

Common questions

Registered nurse (RN) licenses in other states

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