How to get a single-state Registered Nurse (R.N.) license in West Virginia

West Virginia registered nurse licenses

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

Requirements

Minimum age

18 years old²

Schooling

An approved four-year high school course of study or its equivalent¹

Education or training

A prelicensure nursing education program approved by the WV Board, or one meeting comparable criteria under 19 CSR 1. The school sends the final official transcript showing the degree and date conferred directly to the Board, with an affidavit of graduation. Foreign-educated applicants submit a CGFNS Credentials Evaluation Service report and English proficiency exam result.²
Who may teach it: Board-approved program, or one meeting comparable criteria under 19 CSR 1.⁷
Alternative: Veterans who served in a military medical corps and completed training equal to civilian nursing education, and who were honourably discharged, may qualify in place of the usual education requirement (W. Va. Code 30-24).²

Exam

NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses)²
Given by: Pearson VUE (register and pay the exam fee directly with Pearson VUE; the Authorization to Test is valid 90 days and cannot be extended)⁷
When you can take it: After the Board approves your exam application (final official transcript received), you register with Pearson VUE and receive an Authorization to Test (ATT) before scheduling.⁸
Retakes: No more than four attempts a year and not more often than every 45 days, with a new exam application and $70 fee. After two failures you must petition the Board to retest. Candidates testing more than five years after graduation, or after two or more failures, must first complete one Category A study activity and one Category B remediation activity.²
Time limit: No fixed deadline, but the Board may refuse a third or later attempt if more than two years have passed since graduation. More than five years after graduation, extra study and remediation are required before testing.²

Also required

You must not be an alcohol or drug abuser (as defined in W. Va. Code 27-1A-11). Applicants in active recovery, such as through a Nurse Health Program, may be considered.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. Apply online in the Nurse Portal (RN by exam, or by endorsement) and pay the fee ($70 exam / $125 endorsement). Fees are non-refundable.⁷
2. Have your nursing school send the final official transcript (degree and date conferred) directly to the Board. Endorsement applicants request license verification through NURSYS.⁷
3. Get state and federal electronic fingerprints at IdentoGO using service code 228NJX. Results reach the Board in 2–3 business days.⁷
4. Exam candidates register and pay with Pearson VUE, receive an ATT (valid 90 days) and take the NCLEX-RN. Once the application, fingerprints and transcript review are complete, the Board automatically issues a Graduate Temporary License, valid 180 days from graduation. You must work under direct RN supervision until you pass.²

Apply online

wvrn.boardsofnursing.org⁷

Temporary or provisional license

Exam applicants: a Graduate Temporary License, issued automatically, valid 180 days from graduation or until NCLEX results arrive, whichever is first. It is not renewable and requires direct RN supervision. Endorsement applicants: a 180-day temporary permit included in the $125 fee.²

Processing time

The Board publishes no overall processing time. Fingerprint results reach the Board in 2–3 business days, and the ATT is valid for 90 days.⁵

Renewal

How often

Every 2 years²

When it expires

Every RN license expires on June 30 of each even-numbered year. Renewal runs online from May 1 to June 30 (e.g. 2026, 2028). A renewal received after June 30 means the license has lapsed.²

Renewal fee

$90³

Continuing education

At least 12 hours each renewal period⁴

Required topics

New licensees: 3 contact hours on drug diversion, best-practice prescribing of controlled substances and opioid antagonist training, within one year of the initial license. The statute applies this to nurses who prescribe, administer or dispense controlled substances. Others may upload a signed waiver statement to CE Broker.⁹

Approved courses

Approved providers include national APRN certifying bodies, national and state nursing associations, and any U.S. state board of nursing. 1 contact hour = 50 minutes; 1 semester hour = 15 contact hours; 1 quarter hour = 10. Compliance is tracked in CE Broker and audited.⁹

Exemptions

First licensed in WV during the reporting period: exempt for that whole period.⁴
Government RNs working outside the U.S., or active-duty military for more than 3 months of the period: exempt. Hardship or disability waivers may be granted for no more than one period.⁴

Late renewal

Reinstatement fee: $115³ (license lapsed (not renewed by June 30))
Reinstatement fee: $25³ (returning from voluntary inactive status)

If it expires

If you do not renew by June 30 the license lapses, and practicing on it is illegal. Reinstatement costs $115 and requires an attestation of 12 contact hours of CE. You may instead ask for inactive status (no fee) before the period ends, and later reactivate for $25 plus CE.²

Renew online

wvrn.boardsofnursing.org¹⁰

From another state

Who needs a single-state Registered Nurse (R.N.) license

Other rules on who may do this work:

• The licensing law does not prohibit emergency nursing help, nursing by students in Board-accredited programs, or federal-employee nurses from other states on official duty.¹¹
• RNs licensed in another state who provide telehealth to WV patients register with the Board ($100, renewed every year from September 1 to October 31) rather than taking a WV license.⁷

Requirements for a single-state Registered Nurse (R.N.) license

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

Background check

Background check required¹
Fingerprints required²
State and federal fingerprint check through IdentoGO (service code 228NJX); results reach the Board in 2–3 business days and may be submitted up to 12 months before graduation. Applicants must report convictions, pleas and license actions.¹²

How much a single-state Registered Nurse (R.N.) 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.

Renewal and continuing education

Moving to West Virginia with a license from another state

These are the routes the West Virginia Board of Examiners for Registered Professional Nurses publishes for the single-state Registered Nurse (R.N.) license. The other registered nurse licenses have their own routes in their sections below.

Multistate Registered Nurse (R.N.) license

Requirements

Background check

Background check required¹
Fingerprints required²
State and federal fingerprint check through IdentoGO (service code 228NJX); results reach the Board in 2–3 business days and may be submitted up to 12 months before graduation. Applicants must report convictions, pleas and license actions. A multistate license also requires no felony convictions and no nursing-related misdemeanour convictions.¹²

Residency or citizenship

You must declare West Virginia as your primary state of residence (proof: WV driver's license, voter registration card, state income tax return or military Form DD-2058).⁵

Social Security number

Valid U.S. Social Security number (NLC uniform licensure requirement).⁵

Also required

All 11 NLC uniform licensure requirements apply: WV primary residence, approved education, English proficiency where needed, passed the NCLEX, unencumbered license, fingerprints, no felony, no nursing-related misdemeanour, not in an alternative-to-discipline program, self-disclosure of past participation, and a valid SSN.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. Already hold an active WV single-state license? In the Nurse Portal, choose "RN Multistate Conversion Application", attach proof of WV residence, complete IdentoGO fingerprints and pay $7.⁵

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

Look up a license

wvrn.boardsofnursing.org²

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• W. Va. Code 30-7-6 (RN license requirements)
• W. Va. Code 30-7-8 (license renewal) and 30-7-8a (temporary permits)
• W. Va. Code 30-1-7a (continuing education; drug diversion training)
• W. Va. Code 30-1-23
• 19 CSR 3 (Requirements for Registration and Licensure), eff. May 2, 2024
• 19 CSR 11 (Continuing Education and Competence), eff. April 24, 2023
• 19 CSR 12, eff. May 2, 2024

Rule changes since January 2024

• May 2, 2024: 19 CSR 12 fee rule refiled effective May 2, 2024 (current schedule: $70 exam, $125 endorsement, $90 biennial renewal, $7 multistate conversion, $100 telehealth registration).³
• May 2, 2024: 19 CSR 3 licensure rule refiled effective May 2, 2024.²

Common questions

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