RN work list: Kentucky

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 RN 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 Kentucky’s record says about working here on a multistate licence

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

   Conditions & source context

   Conditional on a valid multistate RN/LPN license issued by the primary state of residence. Employer credentials and Kentucky scope requirements still apply; APRNs are excluded.

   State Board of Nursing · kbn.ky.gov · checked 6 Oct 2026

   Source quotation

   Administered by the National Council for State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) is an interstate agreement that allows nurses (RNs and LPNs/VNs) to practice with one multistate license in all states that are part of the NLC. The nurse would hold the multistate (compact) license in their primary state of residence. APRN licenses are not currently in a compact. Kentucky is a member of the NLC.

   kbn.ky.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

   • Original U.S. licensure by examination

     Detail

     For applicants who have not previously held a Kentucky license; international and Puerto Rico education may require a different route.

   • Application and $165 fee

     Detail

     Application expires after one year.

   • Jurisprudence and background checks

     Detail

     Pass with 80% or higher after applying; complete state and federal checks through IdentoGO.

   • Original examination-state license verification

     Detail

     Use Nursys if participating; otherwise request the original board verification.

   • Transcript when applicable

     Detail

     Florida-educated applicants must submit an official transcript; pre-September 2006 Puerto Rico education may require one.

   • 120 CE hours for qualifying practice gaps

     Detail

     Applies when licensed over five years but fewer than 500 practice hours in the previous five years. Approved CE must fall in the specified application window.

   Conditions & source context

   Summary of the domestic endorsement route. Topic-specific CE deadlines and criminal-disclosure requirements also apply. Concise source_quote is a partial anchor; all compound values, alternatives and exceptions were independently checked against the same captured primary page. No hidden CMS labels are proof.

   State Board of Nursing · kbn.ky.gov · checked 9 Oct 2026

   Source quotation

   Apply for licensure by endorsement if you were originally licensed in another state or U.S. jurisdiction by licensure by examination and have not held a Kentucky license previously.

   kbn.ky.gov · State Board of Nursing

2. Open the application

   kbn.ky.gov

   Conditions & source context

   Official instructions link to the application portal. Applications remain valid for one year.

   State Board of Nursing · kbn.ky.gov · checked 6 Oct 2026

   Source quotation

   Submit the application through the Kentucky Board of Nursing Nurse Portal . You will need to create an account through the nurse portal and then you will select Apply for a License located on the Nurse Portal Dashboard.

   kbn.ky.gov · State Board of Nursing

3. Pay the application fee

   Amount

   165

   Per

   application

   Non-refundable

   Yes

   Also payable

   • Nursys verification, when original licensing board participates

     Amount

     30

   • Background checks and any payment processing charges

     Note

     Not included in the application fee; current total not established.

   Conditions & source context

   Application plus conditional verification fee; not an all-inclusive cost.

   State Board of Nursing · kbn.ky.gov · checked 6 Oct 2026

   Source quotation

   Pay application fee of $165 (ALL FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE). Pass the Jurisprudence Exam with a score of 80% or higher Complete the Jurisprudence Examination after completing the application. The Jurisprudence Examination cannot be accessed prior to having a current application on file with the KBN. Complete the state and federal criminal background check through IdentoGO® Complete the state and federal criminal background check through IdentoGO® Request the verification of licensure be submitted to KBN Request that the verification of licensure be sent to the Kentucky Board of Nursing from the state where you took and passed the NCLEX and received your license by examination. This request should be made through Nursys if your state is a participating board. There is a fee of $30 that is paid to Nursys and not to the KBN. This fee is subject to change without notice.

   kbn.ky.gov · State Board of Nursing

4. Fingerprints and background check

   Required

   Yes

   State check

   Yes

   FBI check

   Yes

   Fingerprints

   Yes

   Vendor

   IdentoGO

   Conditions & source context

   Endorsement instructions name IdentoGO.

   State Board of Nursing · kbn.ky.gov · checked 6 Oct 2026

   Source quotation

   If a Kentucky licensed nurse is eligible for a compact license and declares KY as their primary state of residence, the nurse must submit a state and federal background check through IdentoGo . NOTE: For nurses who have moved to Kentucky from another state that currently hold a Kentucky single state license that want to update the status of their license to multistate, must complete the state and federal background check. The report must be received and reviewed by KBN before the status is updated. To see if your Kentucky license has multi-state privileges, please validate your license on our website. IMPORTANT: New NLC Residency Rule (effective Jan. 2, 2024) Starting Jan. 2, a new Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) rule has gone into effect. Nurses relocating to another compact state now have 60 days from the time they move to apply for a new license by endorsement in a new primary state of residence (PSOR) . The new rule reads: 402(2) A multistate licensee who changes primary state of residence to another party state shall apply for a multistate license in the new party state within 60 days. Just as a new driver's license is required each time we move, nurses have always been required to apply for a new compact (multistate) license when relocating and changing PSOR, but this new rule gives a hard deadline for this application to be filed. Nurse employers will benefit from this update by ensuring that all new employees are appropriately licensed within a given timeframe. Helpful FAQs and a brief video about the new rule are available online. Nurses can enroll at no cost in Nursys eNotify to receive notifications related to license renewals at www.nursys.com . For more information, visit www.nlc.gov or email nursecompact@ncsbn.org . Information Regarding Licensure Licensure requirements are aligned in NLC states, so all nurses applying for a multistate license are required to meet those same standards, including submission to federal and state fingerprint-based criminal background checks.

   kbn.ky.gov · State Board of Nursing

5. Verify your current licence

   Required

   Yes

   Verification for endorsement

   Yes

   Fee

   30

   Conditions & source context

   Conditional: use Nursys only when the original examination-state board participates. Otherwise request verification directly from that board; its fee may differ.

   State Board of Nursing · kbn.ky.gov · checked 6 Oct 2026

   Source quotation

   Request that the verification of licensure be sent to the Kentucky Board of Nursing from the state where you took and passed the NCLEX and received your license by examination. This request should be made through Nursys if your state is a participating board. There is a fee of $30 that is paid to Nursys and not to the KBN. This fee is subject to change without notice. If your state is not listed on NURSYS you will need to complete the verification of licensure form to another state board and contact that board of nursing to determine the fee.

   kbn.ky.gov · State Board of Nursing

6. Temporary permit to start sooner

   Available

   Yes

   Type

   Six-month Kentucky temporary permit

   Eligibility

   All other endorsement requirements satisfied; original-board verification still pending.

   Scope

   Kentucky only; supervision not required.

   State Board of Nursing · kbn.ky.gov · checked 6 Oct 2026

   Source quotation

   A temporary permit can be issued while the KBN is waiting for receipt of the original verification from the other licensing board so long as all other requirements outlined above are satisfied. Practicing on a temporary permit does not require supervision. A temporary permit is valid for six months. A temporary permit is only valid in the state of Kentucky.

   kbn.ky.gov · State Board of Nursing

7. Jurisprudence exam

   Required

   Yes

   Passing score percent

   80

   When required

   After submitting the endorsement application

   Conditions & source context

   Verified for endorsement; no claim about every other application route.

   State Board of Nursing · kbn.ky.gov · checked 6 Oct 2026

   Source quotation

   Pass the Jurisprudence Exam with a score of 80% or higher Complete the Jurisprudence Examination after completing the application. The Jurisprudence Examination cannot be accessed prior to having a current application on file with the KBN.

   kbn.ky.gov · State Board of Nursing

8. Continuing education you will owe at renewal

   • RN/LPN — contact-hour option

     Hours

     14

     Mandated topics

     None

   Conditions & source context

   14 hours is one option, not a universal requirement. Alternatives include seven hours plus a satisfactory evaluation covering at least six months, qualifying national nursing certification, academic coursework, preceptorship, publication, teaching, or research. Earning period is Nov 1–Oct 31; retain documentation five years. One-time topic requirements apply separately. Concise source_quote is a partial anchor; all compound values, alternatives and exceptions were independently checked against the same captured primary page. No hidden CMS labels are proof.

   State Board of Nursing · kbn.ky.gov · checked 9 Oct 2026

   Source quotation

   Option 1 14 Contact Hours Fourteen (14) contact hours of nursing CE during the earning period November 1st - October 31st

   kbn.ky.gov · State Board of Nursing

9. Processing time

   Basis

   published_by_state

   Conditions & source context

   May issue within 14 business days after all documents are received and reviewed; disciplinary or conviction disclosures can take up to three months. Calendar-day bounds are not assigned to these conditional estimates.

   State Board of Nursing · kbn.ky.gov · checked 6 Oct 2026

   Source quotation

   Licenses may be issued within 14 business days after all documents have been received and reviewed. However, if you respond "Yes" to the disciplinary or conviction questions it can take up to three months to process your application.

   kbn.ky.gov · State Board of Nursing

10. Confirm the rest on the Kentucky Board of Nursing site

    Our Kentucky record has nothing sourced for RNs on: other state-specific requirements. Get those from the board directly: kbn.ky.gov.

    State Board of Nursing · kbn.ky.gov · checked 6 Oct 2026