Tennessee CNA Reciprocity Form: Eligibility, Costs, and Processing

To transfer an out-of-state certification through Tennessee CNA reciprocity, you file a $20 application with the state’s contracted testing vendor, Credentia, and once your paperwork is complete, processing usually takes about a week. Tennessee accepts reciprocity from every state except Florida, and the Tennessee Health Facilities Commission oversees the registry through its vendor.

Who Qualifies

Your certification in your current state must be active, meaning it has not expired, been revoked, or been placed on hold. Tennessee will pull your home state’s registry record and check for any findings of resident abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of property. Any such finding disqualifies you.¹

You also need to have worked at least eight paid hours as a nursing assistant within the last 24 months. Without documented recent work, reciprocity is off the table and you would need to retrain or retest.¹

Your original training program must have met the federal minimum of 75 clock hours of instruction, including at least 16 hours of supervised practical training in a clinical or lab setting.²

Florida Certifications Are Not Accepted

If you hold a Florida CNA certification, Tennessee will not accept it for reciprocity. You must complete a Tennessee-approved training program and pass the competency evaluation. There is no challenge exam or workaround.¹

If You Were Previously Certified in Tennessee

Contact the Nurse Aide Registry before filing anything. You may qualify for reinstatement rather than reciprocity, and filing the wrong form will delay you.¹

Where to Get the Application and What It Costs

Tennessee’s testing vendor handles reciprocity, not a state office directly. As of June 1, 2026, that vendor is Credentia. Go to www.credentia.com and select Tennessee to reach the reciprocity application.¹

The application fee is $20. It is charged by the vendor for processing, not by the state.³

What to Have Ready

The form asks for your full name, Social Security number, mailing address, and your out-of-state certification number with its expiration date. Verify your certification number against your home state’s records; a single wrong digit will stall the application.

Part of the form requires verification from your current state’s registry confirming that your certification is active and free of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation findings. Some states process this electronically, others require you to route the form through their registry office first. Call your current state’s registry to confirm how they handle out-of-state verification, because response time is usually the longest part of the whole process.

Include legible photocopies of a government-issued photo ID (such as a driver’s license or state ID) and your Social Security card. Blurry or cut-off copies are a common cause of rejection.

Submitting Your Packet

Send the completed application, the $20 fee, and all supporting documents as a single packet. Credentia’s website specifies whether to submit online, by mail, or both, and because the vendor changed in mid-2026, check the current instructions on the Credentia site for the mailing address or upload portal before you send anything.¹

If you mail it, use a trackable service. A lost packet means starting over, including paying the fee again. Confirm every document is inside before you seal the envelope, since incomplete packets are the biggest cause of delay.

How Long Processing Takes

Once Credentia has your complete application with all documentation, processing typically takes no longer than one week.¹ The clock does not start until everything is in, and the wait on your previous state’s verification usually accounts for most of the total time.

Check whether your name has been added to the Tennessee Nurse Aide Registry at tn.tmutest.com/search. Employers use the same search to confirm hiring eligibility, so once your name appears, you are cleared to work.¹

If Reciprocity Is Not an Option

If your certification lapsed, you cannot document eight paid hours in the last 24 months, or you are coming from Florida, Tennessee offers three other routes onto the registry:

Complete a Tennessee-approved nurse aide training program and pass the state competency evaluation.
Nursing student challenge: if you are enrolled in an LPN or RN program and have finished your basic nursing fundamentals coursework, apply to challenge the competency exam by submitting your original transcripts.
Military medic challenge: if you were trained as a military medic, apply to challenge the exam with a copy of your DD-214 plus documentation of your classroom and clinical experience.¹

Keeping Your Tennessee Certification Active

Once you are on the registry, your certification is valid for 24 months. To keep it active, you must work at least eight paid hours as a nursing assistant during each two-year cycle. Your employer reports those hours to the registry, so there is no separate renewal form and no renewal fee. If the hours are reported, renewal is automatic.¹

Go 24 consecutive months without any nursing-related work and your name can be removed from the registry under federal rules.³ You would then need to retrain and retest.

You are required to keep your name and address current on the registry. As of March 2025, demographic changes and renewals are handled through tn.tmutest.com or by calling 1-877-201-0758.¹ If you move without updating your address, you risk missing renewal notices and other correspondence about your certification.

1
Tennessee Health Facilities Commission. Nurse Aide Information
2
eCFR. 42 CFR 483.152 – Requirements for Approval of a Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program
3
eCFR. 42 CFR 483.156 – Registry of Nurse Aides