Texas Nursing License Requirements: RN, LPN

Overview

The mission of the Texas Board of Nursing (BON) is to protect and promote the welfare of the people of Texas by ensuring that each person holding a license as a nurse in the State of Texas is competent to practice safely. The Board fulfills its mission through the regulation of the practice of nursing and the approval of nursing education programs. This mission, derived from the Nursing Practice Act, supersedes the interest of any individual, the nursing profession, or any special interest group.

Registered Nursing (RN) & Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Licensure by Examination

Applicants Must Meet the Following Requirements:

• Complete online application or appropriate paper application for either an RN or LPN.
• Submit appropriate fee. Note: The fee is non-refundable.
• If you answer YES to any eligibility questions on the Paper Examination application, include a statement explaining the events of the incident(s). Include official court documents that show the disposition of the incident(s).
• Submit criminal background check.
• Submit affidavit of graduation from your nursing school. If you are a graduate from an approved school of nursing in Texas, the school will submit an online affidavit of graduation directly to the BON. If you have graduated out of state, request that your school of nursing dean/director complete the affidavit for either RN or LPN and mail it directly to the BON.
• You must pass the Texas nursing jurisprudence examination prior to being issued an authorization to test (ATT) for the NCLEX® examination.
• Register with the testing agency before or just after submitting the licensure application to take the licensure test, NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination). You may use any of the following ways to complete the registration:
  • Register online. The registration fee of $200 can be paid via American Express, Visa, or MasterCard. OR
  • By mail: You may request the Board of Nursing office to send an NCLEX registration form. Provide essential details in the form and include an appropriate fee of $200.00 in the form of a money order or cashiers check made payable to the NCSBN (National Council of State Boards of Nursing). Mail it to the following address:

NCLEX Operations
Post Office Box 64950
St. Paul, Minnesota- 55164-0950

• When all your essential documents are approved, the Board will inform the testing agency, Pearson VUE, making you eligible to take the licensure exam.
• Pearson VUE will send you an ATT (Authorization to Test) via email or on the address provided by you during the registration process.

If you are using the paper application, send the completed application, fees and applicable documents to:

Texas Board of Nursing
333 Guadalupe, Suite 3-460
Austin, Texas 78701

 International applicants must additionally meet following requirements:

• Proof of passing scores of English Proficiency exam (if program was not conducted in English). If your nursing program was conducted in a Language other than English, you must provide proof of English Proficiency. The Board accepts any one of these:

• the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a passing score of 560 paper based or 220 computer based
• the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) internet based test (iBT) with a minimum passing score of 83
• receipt of both the Test of Spoken English (TSE) with a minimum score of 50 and the Test of Written English (TWE) with a minimum score of 4.0, or
• the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a passing standard of an overall score of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in all of the four modules.

• An original Credential Evaluation Service (CES) Full Education course-by-course report sent directly from an approved organization. The Board accepts the CES from any one of these:
  • The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS)
  • The Educational Records Evaluation Service, Inc. (ERES), or the
  • The International Education Research Foundation, Inc. (IERF).

Note: The CES must be dated within one year of issuance by the certification organization.

• A Verification of Licensure (VOL) form from all countries, states, provinces, and/or territories where you hold or have held a license. The VOL must come directly from the licensing authority and must bear the authority’s official seal. The VOL is only valid for one (1) year after it is signed and sealed by the licensing authority. Provide either the RN VOL form or LPN VOL form. Note: the CES Full Education course-by-course report will contain your original country of licensure’s VOL.
• All international applicants must provide proof of working in nursing for a period totaling two (2) years (i.e. 24 months) at any time after graduation from a nursing program. If you have not worked at least two (2) years as a first level, general nurse within the four (4) years preceding the filing of the application, you will not be licensed until you complete a Foreign Educated Nurse (FENS) refresher course consisting of 120 hours of classroom instruction and 120 hours of clinical practice under direct supervision of a Registered Nurse. If you are required to take the FENS refresher, you will be given a six (6) month permit to complete the refresher course.

Click here to read more about licensure eligibility.

For more information about the examination process, click here.

Registered Nursing (RN) & Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Licensure by Endorsement

Applicants Must Meet the Following Requirements:

• Complete online application or appropriate paper application for either an RN or LPN.
• Submit appropriate fee. Note: The fee is non-refundable.
• Submit criminal background check.
• You must pass the Texas nursing jurisprudence examination prior to being issued a permanent license.
• The BON must receive a verification of licensure from ALL states, US territories, provinces, and/or countries where you hold or have ever held a nursing license, even if the license was never used, is inactive, delinquent, or invalid. It is your responsibility to make sure the BON receives this verification.
• If you hold or have held a license in any state that is part of the national database NURSYS, then go to nursys.com and complete a verification request and pay the appropriate fee. Once you complete that process, the Texas BON will have access to the needed license verification report. View a list of the participating states.
• If you hold or have held a nursing license from a state/nursing jurisdiction that does not participate in the NURSYS database, you must submit the BON Verification Licensure Form (LPN / RN) to that state and request a verification to be sent directly to Texas. You will need to contact the individual state/nursing jurisdiction for information regarding their exact procedure and required fee.

Note: A copy of the nursing license is not considered to be an official verification.

• If you are using the paper application, send the completed application, fees and applicable documents to:

Texas Board of Nursing
333 Guadalupe, Suite 3-460
Austin, Texas 78701

International applicants must additionally meet following requirements:

• An original Credential Evaluation Service (CES) Full Education course-by-course report sent directly from an approved organization. The Board accepts the CES from any one of these:
  • The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS)
  • The Educational Records Evaluation Service, Inc. (ERES), or the
  • The International Education Research Foundation, Inc. (IERF).

Note: The CES must be dated within one year of issuance by the certification organization and is required for LPN endorsement only.

• A Verification of Licensure (VOL) form from all countries, states, provinces, and/or territories where you hold or have held a license. The VOL must come directly from the licensing authority and must bear the authority’s official seal. The VOL is only valid for one (1) year after it is signed and sealed by the licensing authority. Provide either the RN VOL form or LPN VOL form. Note: the CES Full Education course-by-course report will contain your original country of licensure’s VOL. A copy of the nursing license is not considered to be an official verification.

Click here to read more about licensure eligibility.

For more information about the endorsement process, click here.

For more information visit the official Texas Board of Nursing website.

References:

https://www.bon.texas.gov/index.asp