How to get your RN license in Delaware

Delaware licenses registered nurses through the Delaware Board of Nursing, in the Division of Professional Regulation. Everything below comes from the board's RN by examination, fee, renewal and continuing education pages and the Division's criminal background check page, checked October 18, 2026. Fees change, so confirm in DELPROS 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.

Delaware at a glance

BoardDelaware Board of Nursing (Division of Professional Regulation)
ExamNCLEX-RN, registered with Pearson VUE: $200 to Pearson VUE ($350 for registrations completed on or after February 1, 2027)
Board fee$181 for an RN application, paid in DELPROS; non-refundable
Background checkFederal and state criminal background checks by digital fingerprinting through IdentoGO, RN service code 27S1KZ
Nurse Licensure CompactCompact state: multistate license if you live here
RenewalEvery two years; your renewal fee is shown at renewal, and late renewals cost 50% more
Continuing education30 contact hours each renewal period, including substance abuse and abuse-recognition hours
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.

Delaware, step by step

Delaware Board of Nursing (Division of Professional Regulation)

  1. Who can apply by exam: you have never held an RN or LPN license anywhere, it has been less than 5 years (60 months) since you graduated, and you live in or are moving to Delaware, or your home state is outside the compact, or you are a compact-state resident who is not eligible for a multistate license at home. If your home state is another compact state, you test there instead.
  2. Application: online in DELPROS; you have six months to submit once you start. The RN application fee is $181, by card, non-refundable.
  3. Background check: federal and state checks by digital fingerprinting through IdentoGO (uenroll.identogo.com) with the RN service code 27S1KZ. A wrong service code means doing and paying for the whole check again, and a Delaware check cannot be transferred elsewhere.
  4. NCLEX-RN: register with Pearson VUE. The board does not give a time to the Authorization to Test; check with the board. Foreign-educated graduates go through TruMerit (CGFNS).
  5. Renewal: every two years, online in DELPROS after an email notice; the fee is shown at renewal and a late renewal adds 50%. You must keep a free Nursys e-Notify account with your workforce data, or the renewal is held.
  6. Continuing education: active RNs complete 30 contact hours during each renewal period, including at least 3 hours on substance abuse and 1 hour on recognizing and responding to abuse, exploitation, trafficking or domestic violence of vulnerable people (see Board rule 9.2.1.1.1).

Sources: Delaware Board of Nursing RN/LPN license by examination, fee schedule, license renewal and continuing education, and the Division's criminal background check process. Checked October 18, 2026.

The compact: multistate or single-state?

Delaware is a Nurse Licensure Compact state. If Delaware 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 Delaware 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