Florida Nursing License: Lookup, Renewal, CE, and Fees

Florida has belonged to the Nurse Licensure Compact since January 19, 2018. A nurse whose primary state of residence is Florida can hold one multistate license valid for practice in Florida and other compact states, provided their licenses are clear, they have no felony or nursing-related misdemeanor, they are not enrolled in the Intervention Project for Nurses, and they hold a US Social Security number. A nurse moving from outside the compact, or not claiming Florida as their primary residence, applies for licensure by endorsement.

Endorsement applicants must hold a valid license from another state or territory and have passed the NCLEX or SBTPE, or have practiced nursing two of the last three years. Florida verifies licensure from the original exam state and the current active state, requires fingerprint background screening, and screens applications for multistate eligibility. There is no separate Florida jurisprudence exam, though foreign-educated applicants without English-language instruction must pass an English competency exam. A temporary permit is available, and the initial license fee is $110.

To sit for licensure, Florida accepts nursing education from Florida-approved programs, ACEN- or CCNE-accredited programs, programs approved in their own jurisdiction with an NCLEX code, military nursing programs, and generic entry-level master's programs, recorded as diploma, associate, or bachelor's degree preparation. All candidates must pass the NCLEX-RN, administered through Pearson VUE for a $200 registration fee. Florida does not require a separate jurisprudence exam; Florida laws and rules is instead covered as a continuing education topic.