How to get your RN license in Arizona

Arizona licenses registered nurses through the Arizona State Board of Nursing (AZBN). Arizona renews every four years and asks for practice hours rather than CE hours. Everything below comes from the board's apply-for-a-license, agency fee, fingerprint and renewal pages, checked October 18, 2026. Fees change, so confirm on the linked pages before you pay.

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.

Arizona at a glance

BoardArizona State Board of Nursing (AZBN)
ExamNCLEX-RN, registered with Pearson VUE: $200 to Pearson VUE ($350 for registrations completed on or after February 1, 2027)
Board fee$300 for RN exam and licensure plus $50 for the background check; non-refundable, and card payments carry a processing fee
Background checkFull set of fingerprints for state and FBI checks: electronic through Arizona DPS inside Arizona, or an FD-258 card; results can take 8 to 12 weeks
Nurse Licensure CompactCompact state: multistate license if you live here
RenewalEvery 4 years, by April 1; $160
Continuing educationNo CE hours; instead 960 hours of practice in the past 5 years (or a recent degree or refresher course)
Authorization to TestNot stated; check with the board
Practice for the NCLEX freeThe NCLEX shut-off simulator: real practice questions under the exam's published stopping rules, 85 to 150 questions. No sign-up.

Arizona, step by step

Arizona State Board of Nursing (AZBN)

  1. Education: a board-approved RN program (diploma, associate or bachelor's degree). Arizona programs file an Affidavit of Graduation; out-of-state programs send transcripts straight to AZBN. You must be licensed within 2 years of graduation, or you complete a refresher course after passing the NCLEX.
  2. Application: the RN/LPN Initial Exam application in the Nurse Portal, with proof of citizenship or lawful presence uploaded. The fee is $300 for exam and licensure plus $50 for the background check, non-refundable. Since September 11, 2025, card payments carry a $2 or 2.2% processing fee; eCheck is free.
  3. Fingerprints: a full set for state and federal checks. Inside Arizona you can be printed electronically through the Department of Public Safety, using the fingerprint code in your Nurse Portal messages and paying DPS yourself; otherwise use an FD-258 card (after filing the supplemental paper-card form). Results can take 8 to 12 weeks, and no permanent license issues without them, so do this first. A DPS clearance card does not count.
  4. NCLEX-RN: register with Pearson VUE. The board's pages do not give a time to the Authorization to Test; check with the board. A re-exam application is $100.
  5. Renewal: every 4 years, by April 1; the fee is $160, with a late fee of $50 a month up to $200.
  6. Practice requirement: instead of CE hours, show one of these in the past 5 years: 960 hours of practice as a nurse, graduation from a nursing program, an Arizona board-approved refresher course, or an advanced nursing degree.

Sources: Arizona State Board of Nursing, apply for a license (RN/LPN by exam), agency fees, fingerprints and renew your license. Checked October 18, 2026.

The compact: multistate or single-state?

Arizona is a Nurse Licensure Compact state. If Arizona 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 Arizona only. Move your primary residence to another compact state and you must apply there for a new multistate license within 60 days.

Compact status from NCSBN, nursecompact.com, checked October 18, 2026.

The national steps, briefly

  1. An approved RN program

    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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

The full national walk-through and every state: How to get your RN license. NCLEX facts from NCSBN, NCLEX fees and registration.

Practice for the NCLEX freeThe NCLEX shut-off simulator: real practice questions under the exam's published stopping rules, 85 to 150 questions. No sign-up.

Official pages