Applicants for initial licensure by endorsement or examination shall receive a license expiring December 31 of the following year as part of the application fee.

Yes. All individuals seeking reinstatement, reactivation, or initial licensure as a nurse in the state of North Dakota must submit to the Board, along with the other requirements for licensure/registration, the required documents and fee made payable to Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI) for the purpose of obtaining a Criminal History Record Check (CHRC) from BCI and the FBI.

Go to the Nursys website at www.nursys.com.  From this site complete the process online with a credit card.  Follow the instructions on the website or form.  The online process will allow the state to which you are moving to obtain the required ND verification information from the Nursys system after you apply.

Once all of the completed paperwork, including Criminal History Record Check (CHRC) report, and fees are received in the Board office, allow a least seven (7) to 10 business days for full licensure.  Note:  The CHRC process takes 10-14 business days to complete before the Board recieves a CHRC report.  A temporary permit will be issued once the Board office has received the application, fee, and either an official transcript from your school of nursing or Verification of licensure.  If nursing practice occurred outside of the USA, a Verification of Employment form completed by the previous employer must also be submitted.

To track the progress of your application, visit our Nurse Portal to see your application status and view outstanding items.

Incomplete endorsement applications remain active for one year from the date they are initially received in the NDBON office.

Once the application for licensure by endorsement, endorsement fee, and the official transcript from the school of nursing or verification of licensure is received in the board office, a temporary permit is typically issued within three to five working days, however this can vary depending on the applicant.

Yes.  The board may grant a 90-day non-renewable temporary permit to an applicant for initial licensure by endorsement who has applied for a CHRC provided the applicant has met all other requirements for the temporary permit.

Temporary permits are issued for 90 days.

No. The ND Board of Nursing reaffirmed the position in 2018, as adopted and reaffirmed in 1987 and 1998, that orientation to a position that requires a nursing license, permit, or work authorization is considered nursing practice and therefore requires that the individual be properly licensed or authorized to practice for the position to which they are being oriented.

If a nurse holds licensure in ND and chooses to work in a position other than nursing, and the job description does not include use of nursing knowledge, skills, and abilities, the individual is free to do so.  However, the individual cannot claim those hours for nursing practice hours for purposes of maintaining eligibility for licensure.

An individual applying for nurse licensure in ND must be authorized to practice nursing if hired in any nursing position that reqires nursing knowledge, regardless of the title.  This is done by obtaining a work authorizatin or permit.

Exception:  If the individual is licensed, registerd or authorized toperform the work required in that position.  For example, a nurse who is registered as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) may work in the CNA role without having a license, permit or work authorization to practice nursing.  (October 25, 2018 Board motion).