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

Wisconsin registered nurse licenses

Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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

Diploma from a Board-approved school of professional nursing (or one authorized to admit students pending approval), or a comparable school. Out-of-state graduates show comparable qualifications. The school must send its transcript or Statement of Graduation directly to DSPS through the third-party portal.⁴
Who may teach it: Board-approved or comparable school. Graduates of foreign schools submit a CGFNS certificate, or a credential evaluation report plus a Board-accepted language proficiency exam.⁴

Exam

NCLEX-RN²
When you can take it: The Board makes you eligible as of your reported graduation date, or earlier if your school sends a certificate of approval to test before graduation. Schedule the NCLEX within one year of becoming eligible.²
Retakes: After a failed attempt, apply to the Board for authorization to retest. A retake may not be sooner than 45 days after the last sitting. Failing ends any temporary permit, and you cannot get another one.⁴

Fees

Some lines are combined figures, or parts of one; do not add the lines up.

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

How to apply

1. Create or log in to a LicensE account and choose Apply for a License → Category: Health → License Type: Registered Nurse → Application Method (Licensure by Examination or by Endorsement).²
2. Have your school send the transcript or Form 259 Statement of Graduation directly through the LicensE third-party portal. Endorsement applicants request a Nursys endorsement verification for Wisconsin.²
3. Answer the attestation questions, disclose any convictions (Form 225x), request a veterans fee waiver or the income-based fee reduction if eligible, and pay by card or ACH. ACH can add 3-5 business days.²
4. Track the application by PAR number and check "Due Diligence" items marked Not Met. DSPS aims to review materials within about 10 days.²
5. Take the NCLEX-RN once DSPS makes you eligible. Do not test before your graduation date or before your school's approval.²

Apply online

license.wi.gov⁶

Temporary or provisional license

Optional temporary permit (Form 2434, $10) for exam applicants who have not failed the NCLEX: 3 months, renewable once, 6 months maximum.⁷

Processing time

About 10 days for the first review. Longer if items are missing, if legal review is needed (e.g. convictions), or if you pay by ACH (adds 3-5 business days). DSPS posts live review dates on its LicensE dashboard.²

Renewal

When it expires

All RN licenses renew together: the statutory renewal date is March 1 of each even-numbered year, and DSPS lists "Renew by 02/29/Even". Renewal opens about 4 weeks before expiry, through LicensE. You must complete the DWD nursing workforce survey, pay the $4 survey fee, and report your primary state of residence.⁶

Renewal fee

$73⁸

Late renewal

Late renewal fee: $25⁸ (renewal after the expiration date)

If it expires

Up to 5 years after expiry: renew with the renewal fee, the $25 late fee and the workforce survey (fee). After 5 years: also show nursing employment within the last five years, or complete a Board-approved refresher course, for which a limited license is available for the clinical part.⁴

Renew online

license.wi.gov⁶

From another state

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

Work that does not need this license:

• 72-hour exception: an RN licensed in another state may practice for up to 72 consecutive hours a year, once a year, for patients being transported through or into Wisconsin for care or for residents of the nurse's licensing state. The form is due 7 days before.⁹

Other rules on who may do this work:

• Camp nurses: RNs with an active non-multistate license from another state, territory or Canadian province may treat campers and staff at a licensed Wisconsin camp for up to 90 days a year (Form 2435).¹⁰

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
Convictions and pending charges are disclosed on the application (Form 225x) and reviewed under the fair-employment rules (Wis. Stat. 111.321, 111.322 and 111.335). Applications with convictions go to DSPS legal review, which adds time.⁶
You can ask the board to review your record before you apply⁶

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

Renewal and continuing education

Moving to Wisconsin with a license from another state

These are the routes the Board of Nursing 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 required¹¹
Convictions and pending charges are disclosed on the application (Form 225x) and reviewed under the fair-employment rules (Wis. Stat. 111.321, 111.322 and 111.335). Applications with convictions go to DSPS legal review, which adds time. Multistate: no felony conviction and no misdemeanour related to nursing practice, plus an FBI and Wisconsin DOJ fingerprint check.⁶
You can ask the board to review your record before you apply⁶

Residency or citizenship

Wisconsin must be your primary state of residence, or you must be preparing to move it to Wisconsin.¹¹

Social Security number

Valid U.S. Social Security number.⁴

Also required

NLC uniform requirements also apply: English proficiency exam for some foreign graduates, an active unencumbered license, no nursing-related misdemeanour, and not currently in an alternative program.⁴

Fees

How to apply

1. Select multistate on your application (or later via Amendments), upload Form 2687 and a photo, and get fingerprinted only after you receive DSPS instructions. Otherwise the results may be wasted and you pay the vendor again.¹¹

From another state

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

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• Wis. Stat. 441.06 (registered nurses), 441.08 (temporary permit), 441.01(7)
• Wis. Stat. 441.51 (Nurse Licensure Compact)
• Wis. Stat. 440.05, 440.052, 440.08
• Wis. Admin. Code ch. N 2 (licensure by examination, endorsement, temporary permits, renewal)
• DSPS Credential Fees and Renewal Dates (RN Reg Code 30)

Rule changes since January 2024

• October 1, 2026: Wis. Stat. ch. 441 as published October 1, 2026, includes 2025 Wis. Act 17 amendments to 441.01, 441.06 and 441.07.¹

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
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wyoming