Louisiana Nursing License

If you want to become a licensed nurse in Louisiana, then this article will help you to gain some information on how to get Louisiana nursing license. It is important to mention that there are many opportunities in the field of health care in the State of Louisiana.

How do I get a Louisiana nursing license?

It is very important to know, that you will not be able to work as a registered nurse until after the Louisiana State Board of Nursing has issued a nursing license.

You may submit the application online at Louisiana’s Nurse Portal.

In order to process the online application you will need to prepare the following documents:

• A copy of your government ID in PDF format.
• A PDF copy of evidence of your primary state of residence.
• The needed documents that might be related to the past arrest, court documents, etc.

The message center of Nurse Portal will inform you, if your application is approved or in case of the need of any additional document.

If you want to submit the application, then you need to complete the following steps:

Step 1 – Submit completed application for endorsement.

If the application does not contain all the needed documents, then it may cause to its denial.

Here you may see the needed qualifications for the RN licensure by endorsement:

• You should have a valid, unrestricted RN license in another states of the USA, territory or country.
• You must possess current RN license issued for the jurisdiction of last employment.
• Complete a nursing education program approved by the Board.
• Pass the NCLEX-RN examination successfully before you apply for the RN licensure.
• You must have no pending disciplinary action by nursing or other health regulatory board in the USA  and no pending civil or criminal charges in the USA or outside the country.
• You must have been issued a US Social Security number.

Step 2 – Submit the required documents within 1 year of LSBN having submitted the application.

If the application does not contain all the needed documents, then it may cause to its denial.

• Apply for the verification of the RN licensure submitted directly to the LSBN office.
• Submit an original, signed, notarized Affidavit of the verification.
• Pass the criminal background and the fingerprint check.
• Submit a copy of a valid identity document’s photo ( for example- Green card, US Residency card, Driver’s license or Passport).

Step 3 – Pay the application fee.

The total fee for the application without a 90 day temporary endorsement permit is $139.25. And the application for full licensure with a 90 day temporary endorsement permit is totally $239.25.

How long does it take to get a Louisiana nursing license?

You need to consider, that it will take 4-6 weeks to get Louisiana nursing license.

If your application status is pending, you may request for a Temporary permit. In this case you may work for 90 days while you wait for your license to be approved.

How do I renew my nursing license in Louisiana?

In order to renew your nursing license you need to follow the required steps:

• Sign in your Nurse Portal account.
• Apply the section titled “Your licenses with Louisiana-PN”
• Submit the button “Apply for renewal” to begin the renewal process.

You need to pass the above-mentioned steps successfully during the active period for the renewals, that is from the 1^st of November until the 31^st of January.

It is very important to mention, that Louisiana nursing licenses are calendar year licenses. You need to check the expiration date of your license as you are required to renew it before the expiration date in order to keep the active license. All licenses expire on 31^st of January if not renewed online until the expiration date.