Alabama Nursing License by Endorsement: Requirements, Costs, and Timeline

A nurse already licensed in another U.S. state or territory can obtain an Alabama nursing license by endorsement without retaking the NCLEX. You apply online to the Alabama Board of Nursing (ABON), arrange for license verification and official transcripts to be sent directly to the Board, complete 24 hours of approved continuing education, pass a fingerprint-based background check, and pay fees totaling roughly $210 to $315 depending on the license type.¹

Who Qualifies

You need a current, active RN or LPN license in another U.S. state or territory.² A license that has been revoked or suspended can lead the Board to deny the application, and a lapsed license will cost you access to the temporary permit while your file is reviewed.¹

Your nursing program must substantially meet Alabama’s educational standards.³ If your program lacked clinical experience, the Board can still consider the application based on your continuing education and work history, at its discretion.¹

You also need 24 contact hours of Board-approved continuing education completed within the 24 months before you apply. Older CE will not count.³ And you must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident with a valid Social Security Number.

What to Send, and in What Order

The ABON is strict about sequencing. Complete and pay for the electronic application first. Only then should you request license verification, order transcripts, submit CE records and citizenship documentation, and schedule fingerprinting. Items sent before the application is on file can create problems, and fingerprinting done before the application exists is not refunded.³

License Verification

Official verification of your original license must come from the issuing state, not from you. If that state participates in Nursys (most do), request verification through the Nursys website for $30 per license type and the Board receives it electronically.⁴ If your original state does not participate in Nursys, use the ABON’s paper verification form and have that board send it directly.³

Official Transcripts

An official transcript must come directly from your nursing program. Transcripts you forward yourself will not be accepted. The Board takes electronic transcripts through eScrip-Safe, Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, and Credential Solutions, as well as sealed paper copies by mail.³ If your school has closed, contact the board of nursing in the state where it was located to find out who now holds the records.⁵

Fingerprint Background Check

Every first-time endorsement applicant must complete a state and federal fingerprint-based background check.⁶ Alabama contracts with Fieldprint, and the fee is $52.25.⁷ Schedule it only after your application is on file.

What It Costs

Fees are paid to several different organizations:

Application fee: $125 for a Single State License (SSL) or $225 for a Multi-State License (MSL), paid by card at submission.³
Electronic transaction fee: $3.50, added to the application payment.³
Nursys verification: $30 per license type, if your original state participates.⁴
Fieldprint fingerprinting: $52.25.⁷
Transcript fees: vary by school; most electronic services charge under $15.

Expect roughly $210 to $215 for an SSL endorsement or $310 to $315 for an MSL, before transcript costs and any continuing education you still need to complete.

How Long It Takes, and Working While You Wait

There is no set processing timeline. The Board works applications first-in, first-out and will not issue a license until every requirement is in the file.⁵ The online portal shows you which items have arrived and which are still missing.

If you need to start working before the review is finished, you may qualify for a nonrenewable temporary permit, valid only in Alabama, that the Board issues once staff confirm you qualify as a first-time endorsement applicant. It expires when your permanent Alabama license is issued or if the application is denied. To qualify, you need an active license in another state or territory; a notarized copy or primary source verification works as initial proof.¹ A lapsed out-of-state license disqualifies you, and so does answering “yes” to any of the regulatory questions on the application, such as past disciplinary action or criminal conviction.

Single State or Multi-State License

You choose between an SSL and an MSL on the application. Alabama participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), so a Multi-State License lets you practice in any other compact state without a separate license there.⁸ To get an Alabama MSL, you must declare Alabama as your primary state of residence, typically shown by an Alabama driver’s license, voter registration, or federal tax return filed from an Alabama address.

A Single State License authorizes practice only inside Alabama and carries no compact privileges. If something disqualifies you from an MSL, such as a felony conviction, you may still apply for an SSL.

Moving From Another Compact State

If you are relocating to Alabama from another NLC state and already hold a Multi-State License there, you have 60 days after establishing Alabama residency to apply for an Alabama MSL by endorsement.⁹ You can keep practicing on your former state’s multistate license until Alabama issues your new one.¹⁰ Miss the 60-day window and you risk practicing without proper authorization.

1
Alabama Administrative Code. Alabama Administrative Code 610-X-4-.07 – Licensure By Endorsement
2
Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code Title 34-21-21 – License to Practice
3
Alabama Board of Nursing. Endorsement Application
4
National Council of State Boards of Nursing. License Verification with Nursys
5
Alabama Board of Nursing. FAQs
6
Alabama Board of Nursing. Alabama Code 34-21-20.1 – Submission and Use of Fingerprints for Criminal History Background Check
7
Alabama Board of Nursing. Instructions for Applicants Requiring Fingerprinting – FieldPrint
8
Alabama Board of Nursing. Apply
9
National Council of State Boards of Nursing. Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators Adopts New Residency Rule
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Nurse Compact. Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the Amended NLC Residency Rule