The NYS Nurse Form 2F, officially the Certification of Foreign Nursing Education, is a two-part document that verifies your overseas nursing education directly to the New York State Education Department (NYSED). You fill in a short applicant section, sign it, and send the whole form to your nursing school. The school completes its section and mails the form, along with your official transcript, straight to Albany in a sealed envelope. You never mail it yourself.1New York State Education Department Office of the Professions. Nurse Form 2F – Certification of Foreign Nursing Education
When Form 2F Is the Right Form
Form 2F applies if you graduated from a nursing program outside the United States or its territories and are applying for a New York RN or LPN license.2New York State Education Department Office of the Professions. Form 2F – Certification of Foreign Nursing Education If you trained at a U.S. or U.S.-territory school, you don’t need it.
NYSED gives foreign-educated applicants two ways to verify their education. You can hire TruMerit (formerly CGFNS) to produce a credential evaluation report and send it to NYSED, or you can use Form 2F and have your school certify your education directly.3New York State Education Department Office of the Professions. RN Pathway 5 – Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools The form itself states it should be used only when you are not using TruMerit’s service. Choose Form 2F when your school is willing to send records directly to Albany, or when TruMerit couldn’t obtain full documentation from your institution.
Section I: What You Fill In
Download the current PDF from the Office of the Professions website. Section I is the only part you complete yourself, and it’s short. It asks for:1New York State Education Department Office of the Professions. Nurse Form 2F – Certification of Foreign Nursing Education
- Your Social Security Number. If you don’t have one, leave the field blank. The form expressly permits this.
- Your date of birth (month, day, year).
- Your full name — last, first, and middle — printed clearly.
Sign and date the bottom of Section I. Your signature authorizes your school to release your academic records to NYSED. Then send the entire form to your school’s registrar, not just Section I.
Section II: What Your School Fills In
Your registrar or another authorized school official completes Section II. Knowing what it asks helps you prompt the right person and answer questions when they arise. The section covers:1New York State Education Department Office of the Professions. Nurse Form 2F – Certification of Foreign Nursing Education
- The school’s current and former name, and full address.
- Program length, language of instruction, and program type (baccalaureate, diploma, associate, or other).
- Your admission date, completion date, graduation date, and the years of prior education required for admission.
- The exact title of the degree or diploma awarded, and the date it was conferred.
- The registration authority that approved the program for licensed nursing practice, the date of that approval, and whether the program prepared graduates for general (professional) nursing or auxiliary (second-level) nursing. If the program wasn’t approved for general nursing practice, the registrar must explain.
The registrar signs the form, stamps it with the school’s official seal, and provides their title, contact information, and the certification date. One point of confusion worth clearing up: Section II does not ask the school to break down theory and clinical hours by nursing specialty. NYSED reviews your hours from the official transcript or marksheets that come with the form, not from Section II fields.
How the Form Reaches NYSED
Once Section II is complete, the school places the form and your official transcript (or marksheets) into a sealed official school envelope and mails the package directly to NYSED.1New York State Education Department Office of the Professions. Nurse Form 2F – Certification of Foreign Nursing Education The transcript must show completed courses by year, include grades, and carry the original signature of a school official together with the school’s original seal.
The mailing address is:
New York State Education Department
Office of the Professions
Division of Professional Licensing Services
Nurse Unit
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12234-10001New York State Education Department Office of the Professions. Nurse Form 2F – Certification of Foreign Nursing Education
The sealed-envelope rule prevents tampering. If NYSED receives the envelope in a condition that suggests it was opened or handled by the applicant, expect the submission to be rejected. Make sure your school understands this before mailing anything.
Translations for Non-English Transcripts
If your transcript is in a language other than English, a qualified translation must accompany it.2New York State Education Department Office of the Professions. Form 2F – Certification of Foreign Nursing Education The Form 2F page on the Office of the Professions website sets out what counts as “qualified.” At minimum, the translation should be complete and accurate, done by a competent translator, and accompanied by a signed certification statement attesting to its accuracy.
Coordinate with your school on whether the translation goes inside the sealed envelope or is submitted separately. If you send it yourself, confirm with NYSED how they want it delivered so it gets matched to your file.
After the Form Is Mailed
NYSED has an online status-check tool for nursing license applications on the Office of the Professions site. It shows which documents have been received and what is still missing.4New York State Education Department. Registered Professional Nurse
After you have submitted all your documentation, wait at least six weeks before contacting NYSED for a status update. The department warns that earlier contact slows processing for everyone, and phone updates on application status aren’t available; follow up through the online Contact Us form once the six weeks have passed.5New York State Education Department. Registered Professional Nursing – Contact Information
Check the portal in the weeks after your school mails the form. If Form 2F doesn’t appear as received within a reasonable window, contact your school to confirm the mailing date and ask for a tracking number if one is available. International mail delays are the most common reason for stalled applications, and catching the problem early can save months.
Form 2F handles education verification only. Your full application also involves the online Form 1 with a $143 fee, required Infection Control and Child Abuse Identification and Reporting coursework, and the NCLEX, which Pearson VUE won’t let you schedule until NYSED has processed your education documents.3New York State Education Department Office of the Professions. RN Pathway 5 – Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools6Office of the Professions. Fees Getting Form 2F to Albany cleanly is what unlocks the rest.