How to get your RN license in the District of Columbia

The District of Columbia licenses registered nurses through the DC Board of Nursing, part of DC Health. Everything below comes from the board's page and its Registered Nurse Examination Requirements checklist (revised September 2022, the version the board links), checked October 18, 2026. The checklist is older, so confirm the fee in the online application 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.

District of Columbia at a glance

BoardDC Board of Nursing (DC Health)
ExamNCLEX-RN, registered with Pearson VUE: $200 to Pearson VUE ($350 for registrations completed on or after February 1, 2027)
Board fee$237 for the application and criminal background check, by Visa or MasterCard (per the board's September 2022 checklist); non-refundable
Background checkCriminal background check by fingerprints through Fieldprint; the code and link arrive by email after you pay
Nurse Licensure CompactNot in the compact (bill pending): single-state license
RenewalLicenses issued since June 16, 2024 expire the last day of your birth month (renewal in odd or even years by birth year)
Continuing educationCE each renewal, including 2 hours of LGBTQ cultural competency and 10% on public health priorities; check the board for the total hours
Authorization to TestAfter the board approves your application, Pearson VUE emails the ATT; take the exam within 90 days
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.

District of Columbia, step by step

DC Board of Nursing (DC Health)

  1. Education: an RN program approved by the DC Board (nationally accredited or U.S. Department of Education-accredited), approved by another U.S. nursing board with equivalent standards, or an approved Canadian program.
  2. Application: online through DC Health's licensing portal. Upload a government photo ID, a 2x2 photo, any name-change proof and, if needed, the Social Security affidavit. The board's checklist lists $237 for the application and criminal background check, by Visa or MasterCard only; fees are non-refundable.
  3. Transcripts: have official transcripts emailed to [email protected] (or mailed to DC Health, Board of Nursing, Attn: NCLEX Exam). Accelerated and second-degree graduates send transcripts from every school.
  4. Background check: after you pay, an email gives you the Fieldprint code and link to schedule fingerprints.
  5. NCLEX-RN: register and pay with Pearson VUE. After approval, Pearson emails your ATT; the application closes if you do not take or pass the exam within 90 days (or get an extension). More than 12 months after graduating, you need a board-approved review course to test; after 3 years, also a refresher course to be licensed; after 5 years, the board will not approve you to test.
  6. Renewal: DC Health is moving every license to a birth-month cycle: credentials issued on or after June 16, 2024 expire on the last day of your birth month, in odd or even years matching your birth year. Each renewal requires CE that includes 2 hours of LGBTQ cultural competency and 10% on public health priorities; see the board's CE guidance for the total.

Sources: DC Board of Nursing and its Registered Nurse Examination Requirements (PDF, rev. 9/2022). Compact status from NCSBN. Checked October 18, 2026.

The compact: multistate or single-state?

The District of Columbia is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact. NCSBN lists pending compact legislation (B69), but until a law passes and takes effect your license is single-state, and a multistate license from another state does not let you practice in the District of Columbia: you need a District of Columbia license, by exam or by endorsement.

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