Welcome to the Texas Board of Nursing

Licensure - Endorsement Information

 

Definition of Endorsement

“The process of issuing a permanent license without further examination to a nurse from another jurisdiction or licensing authority after determination is made that the applicant meets the same standards as those required of Texas nurses.” [Rule 217.1 (12)]

Requirements

Per Rule 217.5 (a) To be eligible for licensure by endorsement, you must have:

  1. graduated from an approved licensed practical nurse/vocational nurse (LPN/LVN) or registered nurse (RN) program
  2. taken the appropriate US exam, and
  3. have either worked in nursing or have taken the US NCLEX® exam sometime in the previous four years prior to the application

60 Day NLC Rule Requires Nurses Relocating to Another Compact State to Apply for New License by Endorsement 

Starting Jan 2, 2024, a new NLC rule is in effect. Nurses relocating to another compact state have 60 days from the time they move to apply for a new license by endorsement in a new primary state of residence.

The rule (effective beginning January 2, 2024) reads: 402(2) A multistate licensee who changes primary state of residence to another party state shall apply for a multistate license in the new party state within 60 days. Helpful FAQs and a brief video about the new rule are available online. For a map listing states participating in the compact, visit https://nursecompact.com/index.page#map  To read the Bylaws of the Compact, visit https://nursecompact.com/about.page. Nurses can enroll at no cost in Nursys eNotify to receive notifications related to license renewals at www.nursys.com.

For more information, visit www.nlc.gov or email [email protected].

Ineligibility

You are not eligible to apply by endorsement if any of the following is true:

  • you have previously held a Texas nursing license.You should either renew or reactivate the Texas license you once held. Go to Licensure Renewal for more information regarding this process.
  • you did not graduate from an approved nursing program
    • Notice - Individuals who attended a nursing program outside of the United States must meet additional requirements for licensure. Please check our “Non Approved International School(s)” list to ensure that your nursing program is approved by the Board and that you are eligible to receive a license in Texas.
  • you have not taken a national nursing licensing examination. To see if you are eligible to take the NCLEX for Texas please visit Licensure - Examination Information

A Nurse may apply for a license by Endorsement for Texas:

    Online Endorsement Application here

RN/LVN Endorsement Application Instructions

LVN/RN Verification Request Forms

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