District of Columbia RN Licensing Guide

The DC Board of Nursing’s (BON) mission is to safeguard the public’s health and well-being by assuring safe, quality care in the District of Columbia. The BON achieves this through the regulation of nursing practice and education programs and by the licensure, registration and continuing education of nursing personnel. DC had nearly 46.900 active RN licenses in June 2024.

Prospective registered nurses (RNs) use the DC Health Licensing Portal operated by the Health Regulation and Licensing Administration (HRLA) to apply online for a new license by exam or endorsement or renew an existing license. Applicants apply for a single-state RN license and must provide a photo ID during the application process. DC Health - BON requires a criminal background check whether applicants apply via exam or endorsement.

To renew a District of Columbia RN license, applicants must log into the DC Health Licensing portal using Google Chrome only (Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge aren’t supported). All licensees eligible for renewal will see all the DC Health Licenses they currently hold on the License Landing Page. They must select “Yes” when asked if they wish to renew their license. To complete the renewal process, applicants must:

• Complete or confirm pre-populated applicant information

• Complete the name change section, if applicable

• Ensure home address is current

• Select preferred mailing address

• Complete Screening Questions

• Report Continuing Education by:

  • Marking exempt for first-time renewal

  • Indicating you’ll finish CEs before your expiration date (upload not required at time of renewal application submission)

  • Marking CE complete and uploading proof of CE in PDF format (individual course certificates, CE transcripts or other documentation demonstrating completion)

• Complete the Workforce Survey

  • Only retired and non-practicing applicants can bypass this screen

• Attest that you don’t owe more than $100 to the DC government or if answer is yes, applicant must:

  • Describe debt owed

  • Provide a Clean Hands Certificate from the Office of Tax and Revenue and/or a written payment agreement from the agency where debt is owed

• Agree to allow DC Health to utilize your information on file to perform a name-based Criminal Background Check (CBC) and pay required fee

• Submit payment for licensure renewal via credit card

Currently, RN renewal occurs every even-numbered year, with renewal opening in mid-April and closing on June 30.  A late fee is incurred if renewing after this date.

However, the DC Health Director has moved to change the renewal system to align with each RN licensee’s month of birth. All RN licenses issued on or after June 16, 2024, will expire on the last day of the license holder's birth month. This new process applies to new applicants immediately and renewing applicants once it takes effect in September 2024. Current license holders should receive additional information on this change.

Continuing Education Requirements

Renewing an RN license in DC requires 24 hours of CE, with 2 hours related to LGBTQ+ or Cultural Competency topics and 3 hours related to public health priority, also referred to as Director’s Topics, which includes HIV/AIDS. Applicants have four methods of CE compliance, including options related to contact hours, academic pursuits, teaching and author or editor credits. First-time renewals are exempt from completing CE.

All applicants for RN licensure in DC must meet the following requirements:

• Be at least 18 years of age

• Not have been convicted of a crime or moral turpitude bearing directly on the applicant’s fitness to be licensed

• Submit the following:

  • Completed and signed application, including required supporting documents

  • Two 2”x2” passport-type photos of the applicant’s face with applicant’s name printed on the back

Fingerprinting and CBC Requirements

Criminal background checks (CBCs) are required of all applicants for nurse licensure, whether by exam or endorsement or for initial licensure, renewals or limited licenses. FieldPrint is the DC Department of Health’s fingerprinting vendor. Applicants within the U.S. must:

• Sign up for fingerprinting via the online application portal

• Enter the information required by the FBI

• Pay the applicable fee ($50 as of June 2024)

• Use the six-letter code and link received via email to schedule fingerprinting

• Locate a fingerprinting collection site near you and schedule an appointment

• Bring appointment number and two valid forms of ID to fingerprinting appointment

• Submit to electronic collection of fingerprints

The vendor electronically transmits fingerprints to the FBI for a criminal records check. Once completed, FieldPrint receives the FBI's results and forwards this information to the DC Department of Health and the DC Board of Nursing. 

Nurses renewing their licenses must undergo a fingerprint scan CBC or a CBC-based name search that requires their gender, mailing address, date of birth and social security number. CBCs must be completed at every two-year renewal. Applicants should start the process early enough to ensure their license doesn’t expire while awaiting results.

International applicants must register online, pay for their fingerprinting and receive a FieldPrint code after entering the contact and demographic information required by the FBI. After receiving a Confirmation Page, they must attach it to their official FD-258 FBI fingerprinting hard cards containing their ink-rolled fingerprints. Applicants can only obtain ink-rolled fingerprints from an official government location in the country where they’re located.

Completed cards must be mailed to:

Attn: FieldPrint
12000 Commerce Parkway
Suite 100
Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054

FieldPrint completes the CBC and forwards the results to the DC Department of Health. International applicants with questions may contact the FieldPrint Customer Service Team by calling (877) 614-4364 or emailing [email protected] or DC Health at [email protected].

DC Health - Board of Nursing
2201 Shannon Place SE
Washington, DC 20020
[email protected]
(202) 442-5955

As of June 2024, the District of Columbia isn’t currently part of the Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact, so nurses can’t apply for a multistate license. Compact, so nurses can’t apply for a multistate license.

An applicant for RN licensure by endorsement in DC may be eligible if they’re:

• Currently licensed as an RN in another state or territory of the United States

• Completed an educational program meeting the DC requirements

• Passed the NCLEX-RN or State Board Test Pool Examination for Nurses

• Approved by a nursing board in the U.S. or a U.S. territory with standards determined by the DC BON to be substantially equivalent to the District’s standards

• Licensure history shows they’ve continuously been in good standing in all jurisdictions where they’ve held a nursing license

During the online application process, DC registered nurse licensure applicants must upload:  

• A copy of a U.S. government or State-issued photo ID

• A 2”x2” front-facing headshot with a plain white background

• Proof of name change

  • Only required if the name on application differs from name on any supporting documents

• Social Security affidavit form

  • Only required if applicant doesn’t have a social security number

Applicants must pay the nonrefundable application and criminal background check fee ($280 as of June 21, 2024) online using a Visa or MasterCard only.

Other steps in the process require RN licensure applicants to:

• Complete a criminal background check through FieldPrint

• Submit verification of licensure through Nursys ($30 fee)

  • If license is expired, applicant must submit verification from both the current and original state of licensure

  • If state doesn’t participate in the NURSYS verification system, verification must be emailed to the DC Board of Nursing at [email protected]

  • On June 21, 2024, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) indicated that all states were participating in NURSYS

Allow 30 business days after applying before checking licensure status at https://dohenterprise.my.site.com/ver/s/.

Applicants for  RN licensure by exam in DC must provide proof that they’ve completed one of the following:

• A nursing education program leading to licensure as an RN approved by the DC BON

• A nursing education program leading to licensure as an RN approved by another BON within the U.S. or a U.S. territory with standards substantially equivalent to the District

• A basic nursing education program in Canada leading to licensure as an RN approved by a Canadian Provincial nursing board with standards  substantially equivalent to the District

During the application process, RN licensure applicants must upload:

• A copy of a U.S. government or State-issued photo ID

• A 2”x2” front-facing headshot with a plain white background

• Proof of name change

  • Only required if the name on application differs from name on any supporting documents

• Social Security affidavit form

  • Only required if applicant doesn’t have a social security number

• Special accommodation letters for NCLEX-RN testing, if applicable

Applicants must pay the nonrefundable application and criminal background check fee ($237 as of June 21, 2024) online using a Visa or MasterCard only.

Other steps in the process require RN licensure applicants to:

• Request official e-transcript be sent from their college or university to [email protected] or request a hardcopy be mailed to:

  • DC Health – Board of Nursing ATTN: NCLEX EXAM, 899 North Capitol Street NE,   Washington, DC 20002 

• Complete a criminal background check through FieldPrint

• Register and pay for the NCLEX-RN through Pearson VUE and pay the $200 testing fee directly to this exam administrator

• Wait for application to be reviewed to receive an authorization to test from Pearson VUE

• Schedule and pass exam

Allow 30 business days after applying before checking licensure status at https://dohenterprise.my.site.com/ver/s/.

Application for Licensure by Exam

Foreign-educated nurses seeking U.S. nurse licensure by exam must have completed their nursing educated (Associate or Bachelor’s degree) no more than five years from the date of application for licensure by exam if never licensed as a nurse in their country or haven’t stopped practicing as a licensed nurse in their country for more than 5 years from the date of application for licensure or they won’t be approved to sit for the NCLEX. 

International nurses must contact an approved credential evaluation organization to evaluate their education and licensure from a foreign country and request a Professional Report.  In the District of Columbia, they may use Josef Silny & Associates or CGFNS International Education Evaluations to obtain a professional credential evaluation.

If the applicant’s nursing education was completed in a country not identified as having English as its native or primary language, they must also pass an English proficiency exam with an acceptable score as dictated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

If they’re currently living outside the U.S., foreign-educated nurses must obtain a national criminal background check from their country of residence and upload a copy of the original report with their application. 

Apply online to the DC Board of Nursing for Licensure by Examination and following the instructions. If the applicant doesn’t have a Social Security number, they must complete an SSN Affidavit during the online application process. They must also:

• Agree to a criminal background check

• Schedule and complete the fingerprint scan for the CBC using the code on the application payment receipt

• Register and pay for the NCLEX exam through Pearson VUE

• Receive authorization to test from Pearson VUE following application approval

• Schedule and take the NCLEX within 90 days of the ATT

Incomplete applications close in 90 days and applicants will be required to begin the process over.

Application for Licensure by Endorsement

Foreign-educated nurses who’ve already received licensure in another U.S. state may apply for licensure by endorsement in the District of Columbia. They must upload the following items with their online application:

• Copy of the credentials evaluation report that qualified them for licensure in the U.S.

• Evidence that applicant has spoken and written competency in English by:

  • Graduating from a nursing program in a country where English is the native language or primary language used during instruction, as reported on the evaluation report

  • Passing an English proficiency exam with acceptable score

  • Completing at least 12 months of full-time employment in the U.S. during the 2 years preceding application (proven through a letter from employer)

• Copy of U.S. government or State-issued photo ID

• A 2X2 front-facing headshot with a plain white background

• Attestation of full COVID-19 vaccination

• Verification of original and current licensure through NURSYS

Incomplete applications close in 90 days and applicants will be required to begin the process over.

RN licensure applicants may receive a Letter of Supervised Practice that allows them to practice for 90 days in the District of Columbia under the supervision of an RN while their application is pending. To obtain a Letter of Supervised Practice, applicants must:

• Appear in person at the Department of Health office (899 North Capitol Street, NE First Floor Washington, DC 20002) between 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Monday through Friday

• Submit the following:

  • Completed, signed application

  • Copy of current photo ID

  • Passport  Photo

  • Completed  (by supervisor) Supervised Practice Form

  • Application fee

An applicant who has been disciplined or has pending disciplinary action in DC or any other jurisdiction can’t work under supervised practice unless authorized by the Board.

All fees are non-refundable and include:

DC RN Licensure by Endorsement: $280 Total

• Application Fee: $85

• License Fee: $145

• CBC Fee: $50

NURSYS Nurse Licensure Verification: $30

DC RN Licensure by Exam: $237

• Application Fee: $85

• License Fee: $102

• CBC Fee: $50
  Pearson VUE - NCLEX Fee: $200

DC RN Renewal Fee: $195 Total

• Application Fee: 145

• CBC Fee: $50

Late Renewal Fee: $85

Returned Check Fee: $65