How to get your RN license in Louisiana

Louisiana licenses registered nurses through the Louisiana State Board of Nursing (LSBN); practical nurses have a separate board. Everything below comes from LSBN's instructions for initial RN licensure by examination, its background check procedures (as of November 1, 2024), its applications and renewal pages, and its CE and nursing practice brochure, 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.

Louisiana at a glance

BoardLouisiana State Board of Nursing (LSBN)
ExamNCLEX-RN, registered with Pearson VUE: $200 to Pearson VUE ($350 for registrations completed on or after February 1, 2027)
Board fee$100, non-refundable, by credit card in the Nurse Portal
Background checkState and federal background check by IdentoGO Livescan, service code 27N3YH; $60.75 in Louisiana
Nurse Licensure CompactCompact state: multistate license if you live here
RenewalFirst license runs to the end of the calendar year, then every two years; renew October 1 to December 31, expires January 31
Continuing educationEvery two years, 30 board-approved contact hours or 900 practice hours verified by your employer
Authorization to TestNot stated; LSBN messages you in the Nurse Portal when the application is approved
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.

Louisiana, step by step

Louisiana State Board of Nursing (LSBN)

  1. Education: a nursing program approved by LSBN, or one that meets or exceeds Louisiana's standards. Graduates of out-of-state programs use the Out of State Affidavit of Graduation form.
  2. Application: online in the Louisiana Nurse Portal. Upload a government photo ID, declare your primary state of residence, attach documents for any "yes" answer (past arrests, malpractice payouts, court records) and pay $100 by credit card; fees are non-refundable. Louisiana requires you to report every citation or arrest other than traffic, even if dismissed or expunged.
  3. Mail-in pieces: your criminal background check packet and a notarized affidavit of verification go to LSBN by U.S. mail.
  4. Background check: a state and federal check by IdentoGO Livescan, scheduled online with service code 27N3YH. In Louisiana it costs $60.75, paid to IdentoGO, and results usually arrive in about 3 days. Out of state, Livescan is $55.75 plus a $39.99 convenience fee, or you can mail in a card scan.
  5. Compact: declare Louisiana as your primary residence to be considered for a multistate license; otherwise you get a single-state license good only in Louisiana.
  6. NCLEX-RN: register with Pearson VUE. LSBN notifies you through the Nurse Portal message center when you are approved; it gives no separate time to the Authorization to Test. Retakes use the board's Request for Retake of NCLEX application.
  7. Renewal: your first license is a calendar-year license; after that, renewals are every two years, online from October 1 to December 31 (a $50 late fee after December 31), and every Louisiana license expires at midnight January 31 if not renewed. Each two-year period needs 30 board-approved contact hours of CE or 900 practice hours verified by your employer.

Sources: Louisiana State Board of Nursing instructions for initial RN licensure by examination (PDF), background check procedures (PDF), applications, renewal FAQs and CE and nursing practice requirements (PDF). Checked October 18, 2026.

The compact: multistate or single-state?

Louisiana is a Nurse Licensure Compact state. If Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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