See how to transfer your nursing license to California (CA)
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Written by Nurses Link on December 10th, 2012

Just because you receive an RN (registered nurse) license in your home state does not mean you cannot move to California to find work. There are cases where a person receives their RN from the state in which they reside, but find employment opportunities in California. There are two options for RN’s who wish to transfer to California and work as a nurse. One is to transfer your license to California, and the other is to apply to take the California State Nurses Licensing exam.

In order to apply for license endorsement, or reciprocity, from the state of California, the applicant must meet the requirements set forth by the state licensing board. Those requirements include completion of an educational program meeting all the state requirements and successfully pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) or the State Board Test Pool Examination (SBTPE).

To apply for state endorsement, the application can be completed online or via postal mail. The application includes the verification of an active, current and clear license through documentation submission or by registering on www.nursys.com. The applicant must complete Part 1 of the Verification of License and mail it to the state where the current license is held. Nursys is a licensure confirmation system that allows employers to check licensing of any nurse that has provided the information to any state that is participating in the program. Currently, not all states participate in the license verification process.

Applicants must also include one completed fingerprint card. The fingerprint card can be requested via email or postal mail. If the applicant is already residing in California, a livescan form should be requested, and if residing outside of California at the time of application, a fingerprint card should be requested. The card or live scan form is available through the California Board of Registered Nursing / 1747 N. Market Boulevard, Suite 150 / Sacramento, California.

Endorsement applications must also include education transcripts. The transcripts must be sent from the school of nursing directly to the California Board of Nursing.
Along with the application and required information, the appropriate fees must also be included. The fees are $100 for the endorsement and permanent license, $49 for the fingerprint submission, in addition to a fee assessed by the fingerprint card provider, and an optional fee of $50 if the applicant would like a temporary license before the permanent license is issued.

Applicants must also provide a recent passport size photograph. All applicants must report all misdemeanor and felony convictions and must include if the convictions have been expunged, dismissed or adjudicated. Drug and alcohol information must include blood alcohol content and a sobriety date. Applicants must also provide their social security number, and it will only be used for tax enforcement purposes.

International applicants may also be required to include additional information on the application or with any of the accompanying documents.

The length of time it takes to review and approve or deny an application depends on when information being sent from other sources, such as a school transcript, arrives. The application will not be reviewed until all information is supplied. If the application is missing information, it will not be reviewed and will be returned to the applicant for adjustment.

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