Alabama licenses registered nurses through the Alabama Board of Nursing (ABN). As we checked, the board was recovering from a cybersecurity event and posted September 2026 "downtime" paper exam applications that you mail in. Everything below comes from those application instructions and the board's apply, fingerprinting, renewal and FAQ pages, checked October 18, 2026.
Study aid, not legal advice. Your state board of nursing has the final word on your license, and its rules and fees change. Built by an RN. Headed In LLC is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), Pearson VUE or any board of nursing; their names appear here only to point you to the real thing. NCLEX and NCLEX-RN are registered trademarks of NCSBN.
Education: graduate first, from an approved nursing program whose parent institution is accredited by an organization the U.S. Department of Education recognizes. Your school sends an official transcript in a sealed envelope or through eScrip-Safe, Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse or Credentials Solutions.
Single-state or multistate: a single-state application is $125; a multistate (compact) application is $225 and needs Alabama as your primary state of residence with a Declaration of Primary State of Residence form and proof. Both need a valid Social Security number and the citizenship or legal presence checklist.
How to apply right now: the board's September 2026 instructions are "downtime" paper applications mailed to the Alabama Board of Nursing, Licensing, PO Box 303900, Montgomery, AL 36130, with a check or money order. Register for the NCLEX at the same time. The board sends no receipt confirmation; check its site for when online applications return.
Fingerprints: required for multistate applicants (and endorsement applicants) since January 1, 2020. File the application first; prints submitted before the application is on file are not refunded. The board lists no fingerprint step for a single-state exam application.
NCLEX-RN: register with Pearson VUE and give them your middle name and Social Security number, as the board asks; the name on your ID must match both registrations. Your application is kept for one year. Results come only from the board, mailed about 3 to 5 days after the exam. You can retest after 45 days with a new application and fee.
Renewal: online from September 1 to 4:30 p.m. December 31: single-state RN licenses in even-numbered years ($104.50 with the online fee), multistate licenses in odd-numbered years ($204.50). Miss it and the license lapses.
Continuing education:24 contact hours per license period; the board offers free CE courses in the My Profile section of its site.
Alabama is a Nurse Licensure Compact state. If Alabama is your primary state of residence and you meet the compact's uniform licensure requirements (they include a fingerprint-based state and federal background check), the board issues a multistate license that also lets you practice in every other compact state. If you live in another state, or do not meet those requirements, you get a single-state license good in Alabama only. Move your primary residence to another compact state and you must apply there for a new multistate license within 60 days.
An associate degree, bachelor's degree, diploma or entry-level master's program approved by a board of nursing, with an NCLEX program code. Your school confirms you graduated.
Apply to the board
The license comes from the state board, not the exam. Apply, pay the board fee and do the background check the board asks for.
Register with Pearson VUE
The NCLEX-RN registration fee is $200 to Pearson VUE ($350 for registrations completed on or after February 1, 2027), non-refundable. Your registration stays open 365 days while the board decides your eligibility.
Get your Authorization to Test and sit the exam
When the board makes you eligible, Pearson emails your Authorization to Test (ATT). Test within its dates: they cannot be extended. The NCLEX-RN runs 85 to 150 questions in up to five hours, and it stops when the computer is 95% sure you are above or below the passing standard.