How to get your RN license in New Hampshire

New Hampshire licenses registered nurses through the Board of Nursing, administered by the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC). Everything below comes from OPLC's RN applications page, its Board of Nursing fee table, its nursing FAQ and background check page, and the board's RN renewal checklist, 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.

New Hampshire at a glance

BoardNew Hampshire Board of Nursing (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification)
ExamNCLEX-RN, registered with Pearson VUE: $200 to Pearson VUE ($350 for registrations completed on or after February 1, 2027)
Board fee$116, including the mandatory $28 Professional Health Program fee; a temporary license is $20
Background checkCriminal background check by fingerprints, following OPLC's instructions (option B in New Hampshire, option C outside it)
Nurse Licensure CompactCompact state: multistate license if you live here
RenewalEvery two years on your birthday (the first renewal is the second birthday after issue); $116
Continuing education30 contact hours in the two years before renewal (or a national certification), plus 400 practice hours in four years
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.

New Hampshire, step by step

New Hampshire Board of Nursing (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification)

  1. Application: initial applications are done online through OPLC's application portal; OPLC posts a checklist for RN license by examination and a new graduate checklist. To apply for a multistate license, include the Declaration of Primary Residency form and a copy of your New Hampshire driver's license.
  2. Fee: the RN application fee is $116, which includes the mandatory $28 Professional Health Program fee.
  3. Background check: a fingerprint-based criminal background check is part of licensure; OPLC's instructions use option B if you are printed in New Hampshire and option C if you are printed elsewhere.
  4. Temporary license: you can get a temporary license to work while you wait to take the NCLEX, only once, for $20. It is a paper application, mailed or delivered to OPLC.
  5. NCLEX-RN: register with Pearson VUE. OPLC does not give a time to the Authorization to Test; check with the board.
  6. Renewal: every two years on your birthday, online; the first renewal is the second birthday after the license is issued. The renewal fee is $116. The board's checklist asks for 400 working hours within four years (or passing the NCLEX within two years) and 30 contact hours of CE in the two years before you renew (a national certification can count). CE is tracked in CE Broker.

Sources: NH OPLC applications for RN, Board of Nursing license fees, nursing FAQs, criminal background check and RN renewal checklist (PDF). Checked October 18, 2026.

The compact: multistate or single-state?

New Hampshire is a Nurse Licensure Compact state. If New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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