How to Fill Out Form 5505-NAR: Texas Nurse Aide Registry Reciprocity

To transfer an out-of-state certification through Texas nurse aide registry reciprocity, submit a reciprocity request through TULIP, the Texas Unified Licensure Information Portal run by the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). The process is governed by 26 Texas Administrative Code §556.12 and is now fully online; older guidance referencing a mailable paper Form 5505-NAR predates the portal transition.1Cornell Law Institute. 26 Texas Administrative Code 556.12 – Waiver, Reciprocity, and Exemption Requirements HHSC charges no fee to place you on the Nurse Aide Registry, and federal regulations prohibit states from charging registration-related fees.2eCFR. 42 CFR 483.156 – Registry Requirements Until your name appears on the Texas registry, you cannot legally work in a Medicaid- or Medicare-certified nursing facility in the state.

Who Qualifies for Reciprocity

HHSC will issue a certificate of registration and add you to the Nurse Aide Registry if you meet all five conditions in 26 TAC §556.12(b):1Cornell Law Institute. 26 Texas Administrative Code 556.12 – Waiver, Reciprocity, and Exemption Requirements

  • You are listed with active status on another state’s nurse aide registry. An expired, lapsed, or inactive listing does not qualify.
  • That registry complies with the federal Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) requirements for nurse aide registries.
  • You are not listed on the Texas Employee Misconduct Registry (EMR), which tracks unlicensed personnel who have committed abuse, neglect, exploitation, or misappropriation of resident property.3Texas Health and Human Services. Employee Misconduct Registry (EMR)
  • You have no permanently barring conviction under Texas Health and Safety Code §250.006(a) or (c), and no time-limited conviction under §250.006(b) within the preceding five years.
  • You submit the reciprocity request through TULIP.

Convictions That Will Block You

Texas Health and Safety Code §250.006 sorts disqualifying offenses into two tiers, and HHSC applies both during the background check. Equivalent convictions under another state’s laws, federal law, or the Uniform Code of Military Justice count the same way.4State of Texas. Texas Health and Safety Code 250.006 – Convictions Barring Employment

Permanent Bars

Under §250.006(a), these convictions permanently disqualify you from nurse aide employment in Texas:

  • Criminal homicide, including murder and manslaughter
  • Kidnapping, unlawful restraint, or smuggling of persons
  • Sexual assault or aggravated sexual assault
  • Continuous sexual abuse of a child or disabled individual, or indecency with a child
  • Aggravated assault
  • Injury to or abandonment of a child, elderly individual, or disabled individual
  • Robbery or aggravated robbery
  • Arson
  • Exploitation of a child, elderly individual, or disabled individual
  • Online solicitation of a minor
  • Health care fraud or money laundering
  • Aiding suicide, deadly conduct, terroristic threat, obstruction or retaliation, indecent exposure, or cruelty to animals

The list reaches further than many applicants expect. Animal cruelty and money laundering are both on it. If you have any criminal history, read the full statute before starting an application.4State of Texas. Texas Health and Safety Code 250.006 – Convictions Barring Employment

Five-Year Bars

Under §250.006(b), certain other convictions block employment only until five years after the conviction date. These include misdemeanor assault, theft, and certain controlled substance offenses. Once the five years have passed, the conviction no longer disqualifies you, though HHSC will still see it in the background check.4State of Texas. Texas Health and Safety Code 250.006 – Convictions Barring Employment

Documents to Gather First

TULIP asks you to upload each required document inside the application, so collect everything before you log in. According to HHSC’s reciprocity instructions, you need:5Texas Health and Human Services. Become a Certified Nurse Aide in Texas

  • Your nurse aide certificate from the other state, showing active registry status. A screenshot of an online listing may not suffice; use the actual certificate or a certified printout from the issuing state.
  • A valid government-issued photo ID. A state driver’s license, state ID card, or U.S. passport works. The name must match the name on your out-of-state certificate.
  • Your Social Security card, for identity verification and the background check.
  • Criminal history results from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Crime Records division, run for every last name you have ever used. Order this check before you start the application and upload the results into TULIP.
  • Form 5506-NAR (Employment Verification), only if your home state’s registry does not show an expiration date on your certification. If your certificate already shows an expiration date, skip this form.

Names have to match across all three identity documents. A maiden name on the Social Security card paired with a married name on the photo ID will stall the review. If your name has changed, bring the marriage certificate or court order and update the mismatched document before you apply.

Submitting the Application in TULIP

The regulation requires the aide to complete a “Request for Entry on the Texas Nurse Aide Registry Through Reciprocity, via the online portal.”1Cornell Law Institute. 26 Texas Administrative Code 556.12 – Waiver, Reciprocity, and Exemption Requirements Go to hhs.texas.gov, open TULIP, and create an account if you do not have one. The Licensing and Certification Unit can help with enrollment questions at 512-438-2630.6Texas Health and Human Services. TULIP Online Licensure Application System

Once logged in, select the reciprocity application type, enter your personal information and out-of-state registry details, and upload each required document. The portal walks you through each section. Check that every upload is legible before you move on; blurry scans and dim phone photos of IDs get flagged.

For questions that cannot be handled inside the portal, the Nurse Aide Registry’s mailing address is P.O. Box 149030, MC E-414, Austin, TX 78714-9030, and the phone number is 512-438-2050.7Texas Health and Human Services. List of States’ Nurse Aide Registries

What Happens After You Submit

HHSC reviews your criminal history results, verifies active status with the other state’s registry, and checks the EMR. Texas facilities must check both the NAR and the EMR before hiring any unlicensed employee, so HHSC runs the same checks during reciprocity review.3Texas Health and Human Services. Employee Misconduct Registry (EMR)

No official source confirms a specific processing timeframe. Older guidance sometimes cited ten to fifteen business days, but that figure is unverified. How quickly your file moves depends on the other state’s response to the verification request and whether your criminal history returns clean. If HHSC needs more information, they contact you inside TULIP, so check the portal regularly after you submit.

Once approved, HHSC issues your certificate of registration through TULIP and adds your name to the NAR with active status. You can print the certificate directly from the portal.5Texas Health and Human Services. Become a Certified Nurse Aide in Texas There is no fee for issuance or for registry listing.8Cornell Law Institute. 26 Texas Administrative Code 556.9 – Certificate of Registration, Nurse Aide Registry, and Renewal

Keeping Your Texas Certification Active

Your certificate and active NAR listing expire 24 months after issuance or 24 months after your last verified date of paid nurse aide employment, whichever comes first.8Cornell Law Institute. 26 Texas Administrative Code 556.9 – Certificate of Registration, Nurse Aide Registry, and Renewal To renew, a nursing facility where you have worked submits Form 5506-NAR (Employment Verification) through TULIP documenting that you performed paid nursing or nursing-related services during the preceding year. If your employer does not submit it, you can submit the form yourself through the portal.

You also need at least 24 hours of in-service education every two years. That training must include geriatrics and care of residents with dementia disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease.9Texas Health and Human Services. Nurse Aide In-Service Education If you go 24 consecutive months without verified employment, your active status lapses and you would need to retake the competency evaluation to return to the registry.

Keep your address and phone number current inside TULIP; the regulation requires it.8Cornell Law Institute. 26 Texas Administrative Code 556.9 – Certificate of Registration, Nurse Aide Registry, and Renewal

Military Medics: A Different Pathway

If your training came from the military rather than a civilian nurse aide program, reciprocity is probably not your route. Many military medics were never placed on a state registry, which makes them ineligible to transfer in. Texas instead offers an exemption under 26 TAC §556.12(c)(1)(C): a person who completed at least 100 hours of military training equivalent to civilian nurse aide training (on or after July 1, 1989) can sit for the competency evaluation without repeating the classroom portion.1Cornell Law Institute. 26 Texas Administrative Code 556.12 – Waiver, Reciprocity, and Exemption Requirements You still have to pass the evaluation, and the same criminal history and EMR requirements apply.