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Open a jurisdiction to review its dated requirements and official sources. Use the compact tables to compare which states participate.

Nurse state crossing · Arkansas licensing · NLC status table · LPN/LVN list

AR

RN work list: Arkansas

What an RN has to do to work in Arkansas. Pick where you live and the page shows your route.

Pick your home state to see which route applies. Both are listed below.

Arkansas: Nurse Licensure Compact state

State Board of Nursing · healthy.arkansas.gov · checked 10 Oct 2026

Source quotation
The official implementation date for the new NLC was January 19, 2018

healthy.arkansas.gov · State Board of Nursing

Route A: practise on your multistate licence

For a nurse whose home state and Arkansas are both compact states in force, holding a multistate licence.

  1. Look yourself up on Nursys QuickConfirm. NCSBN: “If you already have a license and you are unsure if your license is single-state or multistate, use Quick Confirm at nursys.com at no cost.”

    NCSBN · nursecompact.com · checked 10 Nov 2026

    Source quotation
    If you already have a license and you are unsure if your license is single-state or multistate, use Quick Confirm at nursys.com at no cost.

    nursecompact.com · NCSBN

  2. Only the compact state you actually live in can issue your multistate licence. NCSBN: “If a nurse's PSOR is a compact state, that nurse may be eligible for a multistate license.”

    NCSBN · nursecompact.com · checked 10 Nov 2026

    Source quotation
    If a nurse's PSOR is a compact state, that nurse may be eligible for a multistate license.

    nursecompact.com · NCSBN

  3. NCSBN defines the privilege to practise as the authority “permitting the practice of nursing as either an RN or LPN/VN in a remote state”.

    NCSBN · nursecompact.com · checked 10 Nov 2026

    Source quotation
    permitting the practice of nursing as either an RN or LPN/VN in a remote state

    nursecompact.com · NCSBN

  4. Yes — a qualifying multistate license permits RN/LPN practice here

    Conditions & source context

    A valid eligible RN/LPN-VN home-state multistate license is generally sufficient for legal practice in other party states. This is licensure authorization only; state practice laws, individual restrictions, contract/employer eligibility and facility rules remain separate.

    State Board of Nursing · healthy.arkansas.gov · checked 10 Oct 2026

    Source quotation
    Under mutual recognition, a nurse may practice across state lines unless otherwise restricted.

    healthy.arkansas.gov · State Board of Nursing

If you move for good, not just for a contract: NCSBN says “when your PSOR changes by permanently relocating to another compact state, apply for licensure by endorsement” and “You have 60 days from the time you move to apply for your license.”

NCSBN · nursecompact.com · checked 10 Nov 2026

Source quotation
You have 60 days from the time you move to apply for your license.

nursecompact.com · NCSBN

Route B: get a Arkansas licence by endorsement

For everyone else. Each step comes from Arkansas’s own licensing sources; tick it off as you go.

    • Same-license-type out-of-state licensure

      Detail
      Apply in Arkansas for the same RN or LPN license type held in another jurisdiction. The endorsement route is not for new graduates seeking initial licensure by examination and not for Arkansas renewal.

    • Complete application, required documents and fee

      Detail
      No application is complete until all required documentation and fees are received. Completed applications are valid for one year from submission. A valid U.S. Social Security number is required.

    • Original-state license verification

      Detail
      Verification from the original licensing state is required. Use Nursys if the original state participates; otherwise print the ASBN verification form for the original licensing agency to return directly to ASBN.

    • Inactive-practice exception over five years

      Detail
      If not engaged in active nursing practice for greater than five years, complete an ASBN-approved refresher within one year before applying, or graduate from an approved nursing program within one year before applying; provide other evidence as requested by the Board. Board defines active practice as compensated acts within authorized scope.

    • State and federal criminal background checks

      Detail
      Applicants must submit the state and federal checks separately from the licensure application. Offenses listed under Ark. Code Ann. §17-3-102 may disqualify; the Board describes a waiver opportunity in certain circumstances.

    • Compact primary-state limitation

      Detail
      The Board says a nurse whose primary state of residence is a compact state and who holds an active multistate license there cannot be issued a separate Arkansas license.
    Conditions & source context

    Structured RN/LPN requirements are bound to their current Board endorsement pages and current Rule Part 121. Internationally educated RN endorsement is a separate pathway; the summary does not cover it.

    State Board of Nursing · healthy.arkansas.gov · checked 10 Oct 2026

    Source quotation
    This License Application by endorsement is for a nurse who holds a license in another jurisdiction and is applying for licensure in Arkansas jurisdiction for the same license type.

    healthy.arkansas.gov · State Board of Nursing

  2. arsbn.boardsofnursing.org

    Conditions & source context

    Observed Nurse Portal application link on the current RN and LPN endorsement pages.

    State Board of Nursing · healthy.arkansas.gov · checked 10 Oct 2026

    Source quotation
    CLICK HERE TO GO TO ARKANSAS NURSE PORTAL TO SUBMIT APPLICATION

    healthy.arkansas.gov · State Board of Nursing

  3. Per
    application
    Non-refundable
    Yes
    License types
    • RN
    • LPN
    Also payable

    • RN endorsement application fee

      Amount
      125

    • LPN endorsement application fee

      Amount
      125

    • Optional temporary permit

      Amount
      30

    • State and federal background-check fees, applicant-paid

    Conditions & source context

    Current Board fee table columns list RN, APRN, RNP, LPN; RN and LPN endorsement applications are $125 each. Fees are nonrefundable. Optional temporary permit is a separate $30 fee; state/FBI check charges are applicant-paid but amount is not published in this table.

    State Board of Nursing · healthy.arkansas.gov · checked 10 Oct 2026

    Source quotation
    License/Cert By Endorsement $125.00 — — $125.00

    healthy.arkansas.gov · State Board of Nursing

  4. Required
    Yes
    State check
    Yes
    FBI check
    Yes
    Fingerprints
    Yes
    From out of state
    Out-of-state residents cannot submit electronic fingerprints unless traveling to Arkansas; the Board says to use the pre-stamped ASBN fingerprint card mailed after a separate background-check request. Background-check charges are paid separately by the applicant; amount not established.
    Conditions & source context

    Both checks are required; background fees are applicant-paid and their amount remains unknown. Out-of-state fingerprint process is included exactly as Board-published.

    State Board of Nursing · healthy.arkansas.gov · checked 10 Oct 2026

    Source quotation
    A state and federal criminal background check is required for all applicants for Arkansas licensure.

    healthy.arkansas.gov · State Board of Nursing

  5. Required
    Yes
    Verification for endorsement
    Yes
    Conditions & source context

    Original-state verification is mandatory, but Nursys is conditional on the original jurisdiction participating; otherwise the ASBN verification form is the route. The verification fee is unknown.

    State Board of Nursing · healthy.arkansas.gov · checked 10 Oct 2026

    Source quotation
    If you were originally licensed in one of the states listed on the NURSYS website, www.nursys.com, you must obtain verification via submitting a verification request online through NURSYS.

    healthy.arkansas.gov · State Board of Nursing

  6. Available
    Yes
    Type
    RN/LPN endorsement temporary permit
    One time
    Yes
    Renewable
    No
    Duration months max
    6
    Fee
    30
    Eligibility
    Board may issue to a qualified applicant holding an unencumbered active license from another jurisdiction; all other licensure qualifications must be met.
    Conditions & source context

    The RN and LPN endorsement pages each describe a one-time permit. Current Part 121 supplies the discretionary issuance condition and six-month nonrenewable maximum. This claim is endorsement-only; examination permit timing and triggers remain separate.

    State Board of Nursing · healthy.arkansas.gov · checked 10 Oct 2026

    Source quotation
    A one-time temporary permit may be issued to a qualified applicant who holds an unencumbered active license from another jurisdiction.

    healthy.arkansas.gov · State Board of Nursing

    • RN

      CE option (hours)
      15
      Requirement
      During each renewal period, complete one option: 15 practice-focused contact hours approved by a nationally recognized or state CE body recognized by ASBN; certification or recertification during the renewal period by a Board-recognized national certifying body; or an academic course in nursing or a related field.
      When required
      Each renewal period

    • LPN

      CE option (hours)
      15
      Requirement
      During each renewal period, complete one option: 15 practice-focused contact hours approved by a nationally recognized or state CE body recognized by ASBN; certification or recertification during the renewal period by a Board-recognized national certifying body; or an academic course in nursing or a related field.
      When required
      Each renewal period
    Conditions & source context

    Fifteen contact hours are one of three renewal options. Inactive licenses and qualifying first renewals have separate exceptions.

    State administrative code · healthy.arkansas.gov · checked 10 Oct 2026

    Source quotation
    Document completion of one (1) of the following during each renewal period: (i) Fifteen (15) practice-focused contact hours from a nationally recognized or state continuing education approval body recognized by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing; (ii) Certification or recertification during the renewal period by a national certifying body recognized by the board; or (iii) An academic course in nursing or related field;

    healthy.arkansas.gov · State administrative code

  8. Our Arkansas record has nothing sourced for RNs on: any jurisprudence exam, other state-specific requirements, processing time. Get those from the board directly: healthy.arkansas.gov.

    State Board of Nursing · healthy.arkansas.gov · checked 10 Oct 2026

Built from the Arkansas nursing licensing record and the compact status table. A step appears only when the record has a sourced answer for it; anything else points to the board. Informational only: confirm with the board of nursing before you apply.