How long does it take to get california nursing license

Table of Contents Show

Breaking Down Nursing Licensure Compact and Walk-Through States
What is the Enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact (eNLC)?
What are Walk-Through Nursing License States?
Breakdown of Time-Frame to Obtain Nursing License by State
How fast can you get a California nursing license?
How can I speed up my California nursing license?
Why does it take so long to get a California nursing license?
How long does it take for California Board of Nursing license by endorsement?

As a travel nurse, the whole country is your oyster in terms of where you can work….with one important caveat. You need to have the right state license. Sometimes getting that new license is easy. And sometimes, it can make or break whether or not you can work your next dream job.

To help ensure that you’re prepared and planning ahead for your next assignment, we’ve put together a table breaking down the average amount of time needed to get a new license in each state. This way you’re never caught off guard getting a license that you thought would take weeks, but actually ends up needing months.

Breaking Down Nursing Licensure Compact and Walk-Through States

Luckily, there are a few things in place to help you get your license faster.

Some states grant temporary permits to nurses putting in an application to get permanent licensure. This license may be granted to newly graduated nurses waiting on NCLEX results who are looking to work in a nurse-graduate program, or nurses who apply for licensure by endorsement.

There are two other ways that you could potentially expedite your licensing: the enhanced nursing licensure compact (eNLC) and walk-through state licenses.

What is the Enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact (eNLC)?

The eNLC was launched on January 19, 2018 to allow nurses with multi-state licenses to practice in any other eNLC state without obtaining additional licenses. There are currently 29 states (30 as of July 1, 2019) in the compact with a few others working on passing the necessary legislature.

We broke down the status of every state in this blog post about the eNLC with a further explanation of what you need to be doing, based on your state’s status, to obtain a compact license.

What are Walk-Through Nursing License States?

Walk-Through States allow nurses to apply for and obtain a temporary license within 24-48 hours. This greatly helps to expedite the licensing process and allows a nurse to start working an assignment before their actual license gets processed. These are great states to target as you’re working on getting licenses in other locations to ensure that you can continue working while you’re waiting.

Breakdown of Time-Frame to Obtain Nursing License by State

Here is a breakdown of the approximate time it takes to obtain a temporary and permanent nursing license in each state, as of September 25, 2018. Please note that these requirements could change, so please refer to the linked website for the most up-to-date information.

State	eNLC?	Walk-Through?	Time Frame for License	Fingerprint / Background Check	Renewal Date
Alabama	No	No	Temp: 48 hours Perm: No set time frame	No	Every 2 years
Alaska	No	No	Temp: 10 business days Perm: 10 business days	Yes	November 30th - even numbered years only
Arizona	Yes	Yes	Temp: 48h - Walk-In or 2w - Mail Perm: 1-2 months	Yes	Every 4 years
Arkansas	Yes	No	Temp: 3-5 business days Perm 3-5 business days	Yes	Every 2 years
California	No	No	Temp: 8-10 weeks Perm: 10-12 weeks	Yes	Every 2 years on your birthday
Colorado	Yes	No	Temp: 4-5 weeks Perm: 6 weeks	No	Every 2 years by September 30
Connecticut	No	No	Temp: 2-3 weeks Perm: 5-7 business days once all documents received	No	Every year
Delaware	Yes	No	Temp: 4-6 weeks Perm: 4-6 weeks	Yes	Every 2 years
Florida	Yes	No	Temp: 30 days Perm: 30 days	Yes	Every 2 years
Georgia	Yes	No	Temp: Unavailable Perm: 15 business days	Yes	Every 2 years
Hawaii	No	Yes	Temp: Unavailable Perm: 15-20 business days	Yes	Every 2 years on June 30 of odd years
Idaho	Yes	No	Temp/Perm: No set timeline	Yes	Every 2 years on August 31
Illinois	No	No	Temp: 2 weeks Perm: 4-6 weeks	Yes	Every 2 years by May 31
Indiana	No	No	Temp: 2 weeks Perm: 2-4 weeks	Yes	Every odd year on October 31
Iowa	Yes	No	Temp: 5-10 business days Perm: 2 - 8 weeks	Yes	Every 3 years
Kansas	Yes (Implementation Date: July 1, 2019)	No	Temp: 7-10 business days Perm: 2 - 4 weeks	Yes	Every 2 years
Kentucky	Yes	No	Temp: No set timeline Perm: 2 weeks	Yes	Every year - October 31
Louisiana	Yes (Implementation Date: July 1, 2019)	Yes	Temp: No set timeline Perm: 4 - 6 weeks	Yes	Every year
Maine	Yes	No	Temp: Unavailable Perm: 1-2 weeks	Yes	Every 2 years
Maryland	Yes	No	Temp: 48-72 hours Perm: 4-6 weeks	Yes	Every 2 years
Massachusetts	No	No	Temp: Unavailable Perm: 4-6 weeks	No	Every 2 years
Michigan	No	No	Temp: 4-6 weeks (only for nurses registered in Canada) Perm: 4-6 weeks	Yes	Every 2 years
Minnesota	No	No	Temp: 1 business day Perm: 2 weeks	No	Every 2 years
Mississippi	Yes	No	Temp: Unavailable Perm: 7-15 business days	Yes	Every 2 years
Missouri	Yes	Yes	Temp: Same day - In Person, 2 Weeks - Mail Perm: 10-12 business days	Yes	Every 2 years, expires 4/30 of even numbered years
Montana	Yes	No	Temp: Unavailable Perm: 30-60 days	Yes	Every 2 years
Nebraska	Yes	No	Temp: No set timeline Perm: 4-5 weeks	Yes	On October 31st of odd-numbered years
Nevada	No	No	Temp: 7-10 business days Perm: 2-4 months	Yes	Every 2 years
New Hampshire	Yes	No	Temp: no set timeline Perm: 4-6 weeks	Yes	Every year
New Jersey	No	No	Temp: Unavailable Perm: 6 - 8 weeks	Yes	Every 2 years
New Mexico	Yes	No	Temp: 2-3 weeks Perm: No set timeline	Yes	Every 2 years
New York	No	No	Temp: 6-8 weeks Perm: No set timeline	Yes	Every 4 years
North Carolina	Yes	No	Temp: 1-2 weeks Perm: 6 - 8 weeks	Yes	Every 2 years
North Dakota	Yes	No	Temp: 3-5 business days Perm: 7-10 business days	Yes	Every year
Ohio	No	No	Temp: 4-6 weeks Perm: 4-6 weeks	Yes	Every 2 years
Oklahoma	Yes	No	Temp: Varies Perm: 2-3 weeks	Yes	Every 2 years
Oregon	No	No	Temp: Unavailable Perm: 3 - 6 weeks	Yes	Every 2 years, expires at midnight before your birthday
Pennsylvania	No	No	Temp: 10-14 business days Perm: 8-10 weeks	Yes	Every 2 years in either April or October
Rhode Island	No	No	Temp: Unavailable Perm: 1 week	Yes	Every 2 years
South Carolina	Yes	Yes	Temp: 1 day Perm: 10-14 business days	Yes	Every 2 years
South Dakota	Yes	No	Temp: 2-3 business days Perm: 4-6 weeks	Yes	Every 2 years
Tennessee	Yes	No	Temp: Unavailable Perm: 6 weeks	Yes	Every 2 years
Texas	Yes	No	Temp: 2 weeks Perm: 2 weeks	Yes	Every 2 years
Utah	Yes	No	Temp: Unavailable Perm: 2-4 weeks	Yes	Every 2 years
Vermont	No	No	Temp: Unavailable Perm: 3-5 business days	No	Every 2 years
Virginia	Yes	No	Temp: Unavailable Perm: 4 - 6 weeks	Yes	Every 2 years
Washington	No	No	Temp: 3 weeks Perm: 3-4 weeks	Yes	Every 3 years
West Virginia	Yes	No	Temp: 7-10 business days Perm: 7-10 business days	Yes	Every year - October 31
Wisconsin	Yes	No	Temp: 10-15 business days Perm: 10-15 business days	No	Every 2 years
Wyoming	Yes	No	Temp: 10-14 business days Perm: Up to 90 days	Yes	Every 2 years

There you have it! We hope this was helpful in your planning for your next travel assignment. Please keep in mind that these are estimations and your experience could vary based on your circumstance. We recommend being as prepared as possible and applying for your next license as soon as you know where you want to go, so that the process does not delay you from getting your next dream assignment.

Click here to search all travel nursing jobs on Nomad.

Happy job hunting!

The Nomad Team
nomadhealth.com

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How fast can you get a California nursing license?

Initial evaluation of an application must be completed within 90 days of receipt of application. (16 CCR § 1410.1.) If you requested and paid for an Interim Permit, it will be issued within 24-48 hours after your exam application has been approved.

How can I speed up my California nursing license?

The fastest way to obtain your California Nursing License by Endorsement is to visit the California Board of Registered Nursing in Sacramento, California in person to turn in all the required documentation and perform the LiveScan nearby.

Why does it take so long to get a California nursing license?

There are also two reasons why these California Board of Nursing processing times can be off: One is that you went to school internationally, in which your transcripts haven't been sent over yet and two, if you have a “flaw” on your background check, your file will have to get cleared through the Enforcements ...

How long does it take for California Board of Nursing license by endorsement?

On average, Live Scan results take 1-2 weeks, while manual fingerprint cards can take 1-2 months. (Processing times at DOJ and FBI vary.) You may request for a fingerprint card to be sent to you by using our online request form at https:// www.dca.ca.gov/webapps/rn/requests.php.