LPN/LVN work list: Iowa

Moved here from another compact state? 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.” The endorsement steps are below.

NCSBN · nursecompact.com · checked 10 Nov 2026

1. Confirm your licence is multistate

   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. Your home state is where you legally live

   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. Practise as an LPN/LVN on the privilege

   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. What Iowa’s record says about working here on a multistate licence

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

   Conditions & source context

   Licensure route for a nurse with active home-state MSL and no Iowa restriction; employer credentialing and specific contract eligibility are outside this claim.

   State Board of Nursing · dial.iowa.gov · checked 9 Oct 2026

   Source quotation

   Nurses may work on their active multistate license while waiting for their Iowa multistate license.

   dial.iowa.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

1. Check you qualify for endorsement

   • Online application with nonrefundable fee

     Detail

     Covers application and criminal background check.

   • Official transcript sent directly by the school

     Detail

     Must show degree awarded and date conferred; electronic only via National Student Clearinghouse.

   • Verification of original state of licensure

     Detail

     Via Nursys, or a mailed Verification of Original License form for non-Nursys states. Online printouts not accepted.

   • Nurse refresher course within 12 months of application if no active license in any jurisdiction in the previous five years

     Detail

     Applies to endorsement and reactivation.

   Conditions & source context

   Core steps quoted separately. Foreign-educated applicants can use CGFNS report for transcript requirement; individualized international route not fully reviewed.

   State Board of Nursing · dial.iowa.gov · checked 9 Oct 2026

   Source quotation

   Iowa only requires verification from your original state of licensure. Printing an online verification through a board of nursing website is not accepted.

   dial.iowa.gov · State Board of Nursing

2. Open the application

   amanda-portal.idph.state.ia.us

   Conditions & source context

   Online application plus status check through the Board of Nursing Portal.

   State Board of Nursing · dial.iowa.gov · checked 9 Oct 2026

   Source quotation

   If you would like to see the status of your application, visit our online portal and log into your account.

   dial.iowa.gov · State Board of Nursing

3. Pay the application fee

   Amount

   169

   Per

   application

   Non-refundable

   Yes

   Conditions & source context

   Bundled application119+CBC50=169; nonrefundable. Nursys and applicant-specific ancillary costs unverified, not zero.

   State Board of Nursing · dial.iowa.gov · checked 9 Oct 2026

   Source quotation

   Endorsement $169.00 (Includes the $119 application fee and the $50 fee for criminal history background check.)

   dial.iowa.gov · State Board of Nursing

4. Fingerprints and background check

   Required

   Yes

   Fingerprints

   Yes

   Vendor

   Fieldprint

   Fee

   50

   From out of state

   Fieldprint appointments in any U.S. state; paper packet by request if outside U.S. or unable to use Fieldprint.

   Conditions & source context

   Fingerprinting and vendor explicit.

   State Board of Nursing · dial.iowa.gov · checked 9 Oct 2026

   Source quotation

   The Iowa Board of Nursing now utilizes Fieldprint as the primary means of completing the fingerprinting requirement for applications. Fieldprint allows the applicant to schedule an appointment in any state in the U.S., to have their fingerprints collected digitally and sent electronically directly to the Board. Instructions for scheduling your appointment can be found in this document . For those applicants located outside of the U.S. or otherwise unable to use Fieldprint, a paper background check packet can be requested by emailing us at [email protected] . Please include your mailing address in this request, and allow at least 5-7 business days for arrival of your fingerprint packet.

   dial.iowa.gov · State Board of Nursing

5. Verify your current licence

   Required

   Yes

   Verification for endorsement

   Yes

   Conditions & source context

   Conditional required route for participating original boards; mailed form for nonparticipants. Not blanket false. Fee unknown.

   State Board of Nursing · dial.iowa.gov · checked 9 Oct 2026

   Source quotation

   Apply online for original license verification through Nursys. If you are endorsing from a state that does not use Nursys, send the “Verification of Original License” form from your packet to your original state . If you are able to apply through Nursys, discard the form.

   dial.iowa.gov · State Board of Nursing

6. Continuing education you will owe at renewal

   • RN

     Regular credit requirement hours

     36

     Credited alternatives

     • National certification/recertification recognized as36hours
     • Nurse residency recognized as36hours
     • Refresher participation credited
     • Qualifying semester hour15/quarter hour10
     • Documented60-hour preceptorship recognized as6hours

     Approved exemptions

     • Honorable active-duty military
     • Active other-state license with mandatoryCE and residence outsideIowa
     • Specified U.S.government/foreign-service/missionary work abroad
     • Provider-attested disability/illness

   • LPN

     Regular credit requirement hours

     36

     Credited alternatives

     • National certification/recertification recognized as36hours
     • Nurse residency recognized as36hours
     • Refresher participation credited
     • Qualifying semester hour15/quarter hour10
     • Documented60-hour preceptorship recognized as6hours

     Approved exemptions

     • Honorable active-duty military
     • Active other-state license with mandatoryCE and residence outsideIowa
     • Specified U.S.government/foreign-service/missionary work abroad
     • Provider-attested disability/illness

   Conditions & source context

   Regular36credit-hours requirement is not universal36newcourse-hours. Alternate credited activities and approval-required exemptions explicit; exemption cannot be self-claimed. Mandatory-reporter course details remain held.

   State Board of Nursing · dial.iowa.gov · checked 9 Oct 2026

   Source quotation

   Renewal or reactivation of all licenses requires 36 contact hours of continuing education.

   dial.iowa.gov · State Board of Nursing

7. Other state-specific requirements
   • Renewal law says30days before expiration; Board does not impose monetary penalty for missing that deadline.
   • Thirty-day grace period permits late renewal and Board rules do not prohibit practice; employer may prohibit it.
   • Renewal99+late50 during grace.
   • KeepCEdocumentation4years and earn credits within renewal period.

   Conditions & source context

   Core administrative rules only; mandatory-reporter training scope/hours still unverified.

   State Board of Nursing · dial.iowa.gov · checked 9 Oct 2026

   Source quotation

   Note : Iowa law requires completion of the renewal 30 days before expiration. The board has elected to not impose a monetary penalty for missing this deadline.

   dial.iowa.gov · State Board of Nursing

8. Confirm the rest on the Iowa Board of Nursing (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing) site

   Our Iowa record has nothing sourced for LPN/LVNs on: temporary permits, any jurisprudence exam, processing time. Get those from the board directly: dial.iowa.gov.

   State Board of Nursing · dial.iowa.gov · checked 9 Oct 2026