A temporary nursing license in Alabama, formally called a temporary permit, lets you work while the Alabama Board of Nursing (ABN) finishes processing your permanent license application. The Board issues it to two groups: new graduates applying for licensure by examination for the first time in any state, and nurses licensed in another state applying by endorsement. The permit is good for 180 days, cannot be renewed, and comes with supervision and scope limits you need to understand before your first shift.
Who Qualifies
Eligibility splits along the two application paths.
New Graduates Applying by Examination
If you just finished an approved nursing program and are applying for licensure by examination for the first time in any state, the ABN will issue a temporary permit once your application is complete. You practice under the title Nursing Graduate-RN Program (NG-RNP) or Nursing Graduate-PN Program (NG-PNP), depending on your program.1Alabama Board of Nursing. FAQs – Section: Temporary Permits – Nursing Graduate The “first time” language matters. If you have ever applied for or held a nursing license in another state, this path is closed to you.
Nurses Applying by Endorsement
If you hold an active, unencumbered nursing license in another state and are applying to Alabama by endorsement for the first time, you can receive a temporary permit after meeting the ABN’s requirements.1Alabama Board of Nursing. FAQs – Section: Temporary Permits – Nursing Graduate Unencumbered means no suspension, probation, revocation, or other disciplinary action against your license in any state.
Applicants who report felony convictions, certain misdemeanor offenses, or current disciplinary actions face additional Board review and are generally not eligible for a temporary permit while that review is pending.2Alabama Board of Nursing. Endorsement Online Application The permanent license may still issue; the Board simply wants to finish looking before letting you practice.
What You Submit and What It Costs
Both examination and endorsement applicants provide:
- Proof of U.S. citizenship, or acceptable documentation of legal presence for non-citizens.3Alabama Board of Nursing. NonCitizen Exam Checklist
- A Social Security Number. The application cannot be completed without one.4Alabama Board of Nursing. Endorsement Application
- Official transcripts sent directly from your nursing program to the ABN, either electronically through services like eScrip-Safe, Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, or Credential Solutions, or by other approved means.4Alabama Board of Nursing. Endorsement Application
Endorsement applicants also submit official verification of their current license (through NURSYS if the original state participates, otherwise a paper form), documentation of 24 contact hours of approved continuing education earned within the past 24 months, and fingerprints for a state and federal criminal background check.4Alabama Board of Nursing. Endorsement Application5Alabama Board of Nursing. Fingerprinting
The application fee is $125 for a single-state license, whether by examination or endorsement. A multistate license by endorsement costs $225. Both add a $3.50 electronic transaction fee.4Alabama Board of Nursing. Endorsement Application6Alabama Board of Nursing. Exam Application – Single State Fingerprinting carries its own fee, paid to FieldPrint when you schedule.
How to Apply
Everything runs through the ABN’s online portal.
New Graduates
Submit your application on the ABN website. Once it is complete, the ABN issues your temporary permit. You will receive a User Identification Number that you will need if fingerprinting applies. Separately, register with Pearson VUE to schedule the NCLEX. The ABN must have your application on file before Pearson VUE will issue your Authorization to Test.7Alabama Board of Nursing. FAQs ABN application first, then Pearson VUE.
Endorsement Applicants
Submit your online application with all supporting documents. Confirm your license verification (NURSYS or paper) has reached the Board and that your continuing education documentation is in order. Schedule fingerprinting with FieldPrint as soon as you have your User Identification Number. The ABN contracts exclusively with FieldPrint and cannot accept fingerprints processed through any other vendor.8Alabama Board of Nursing. Instructions for Applicants Requiring Fingerprinting FieldPrint
Alabama law requires fingerprinting for all endorsement applicants and all multistate license applicants.9Alabama Board of Nursing. Alabama Code Title 34 Chapter 21 Article 2 – Section 34-21-20.1 Examination applicants for a single-state license are not subject to this requirement under current law. Fingerprinting is where applications stall most often, and any delay eats directly into your 180-day permit window.
What You Can and Can’t Do on the Permit
A temporary permit is not a full license.
New graduates working under an NG-RNP or NG-PNP designation must practice under the direct supervision of a currently licensed registered nurse who is physically present in the facility and available to direct, guide, and evaluate the graduate’s work. Temporary permit holders cannot serve as charge nurse.1Alabama Board of Nursing. FAQs – Section: Temporary Permits – Nursing Graduate
Endorsement applicants have broader authority because they already hold a full license in another state, but the temporary permit only authorizes practice in Alabama. If you applied for a multistate license, your multistate privileges do not activate until the permanent license is issued.
How Long It Lasts
Every temporary permit runs 180 days from the date of issuance. It is issued one time only. It cannot be renewed or extended, and the ABN does not grant hardship exceptions.1Alabama Board of Nursing. FAQs – Section: Temporary Permits – Nursing Graduate
The permit also ends immediately, regardless of days remaining, if:
- You fail the NCLEX. The permit is invalid the moment you are notified of the failing result.
- Your permanent license is issued. The permit ends because it is no longer needed.
- Your application is denied. The Board revokes the permit if it determines you do not qualify.1Alabama Board of Nursing. FAQs – Section: Temporary Permits – Nursing Graduate
If your background check or other paperwork is not finished when the 180 days run out, you must stop practicing. There is no grace period.
If You Keep Working After the Permit Ends
Practicing nursing after your temporary permit has expired or been invalidated is unlicensed practice under Alabama law. The Board can impose administrative fines of up to $1,000 per violation against anyone holding a permit, license, or approval it issues.10Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 34-21-25 – Disciplinary Actions; Administrative Fines; Voluntary Disciplinary Alternative Program
The Board can also deny, suspend, or revoke your license application. Fraud or deception in applying for licensure is an independent ground for denial, with sanctions ranging from a formal reprimand to outright denial.11Alabama Administrative Code. Chapter 610-X-8 Disciplinary Action
One Requirement to Handle After Your Permanent License Arrives
Once your permanent license is issued, every new Alabama licensee must complete a mandatory four-hour ABN course before the first license renewal.12Alabama Board of Nursing. FAQs – Nursing CE Online Courses This is separate from the 24 contact hours of continuing education that endorsement applicants submit with the initial application. The course is available online through the ABN website. Skipping it will delay renewal, so schedule it well before your renewal date.