Wyoming RN Licensing Guide

The Wyoming State Board of Nursing (WSBN) began as the Wyoming State Nurses Examination Board in 1909, changing its name to the WSBN in 1955. Its members strive to promote public safety through the administration of nursing education and practice and the issuance of Wyoming nursing licenses. The National Nursing Database reported that Wyoming had nearly 9,100 licensed RNs in early 2024. The process to earn a Wyoming RN license is lengthy, and includes completing the appropriate education, testing, background checks, and paperwork. The WSBN sets nurse licensure requirements and relevant fees. It is also responsible for overseeing and maintaining the resources on their website, with licensing information, continuing education (CE) opportunities, and other nursing-related resources in a centralized location.

Applications for a Wyoming RN license must be completed online through the Wyoming Nurse Portal. WSBN no longer accepts paper applications. Whether applying by exam or endorsement, all applicants must meet the WSBN's nurse education requirements. If they completed an in-state RN education program, the program must be approved by the Board. Programs completed outside the state must be approved by another State Board of Nursing, or a similar entity, to be recognized by WSBN.

Wyoming RN licenses renew biennially in even-numbered years. WSBN makes Wyoming RN license renewal applications available on the Nurse Portal on or before October 1 of every even-numbered year. All Wyoming RN licenses expire on December 31 of the renewal year. If they fail to renew before this date, RNs shall not practice after December 31. On January 1, RN licenses not renewed shall lapse, and nurses may not practice until they submit a relicensure/recertification application and WSBN issues a license. RNs who practice with an expired or a lapsed license or before WSBN issues a license may face discipline.

Nurses must complete a renewal application and submit the renewal fee to apply for Wyoming RN license renewal. They must also meet continued competency, which may include continuing education (CE) requirements.

Continuing Education Requirements

Wyoming doesn't have mandatory continuing education (CE), but RNs must demonstrate continuing competency. During each two-year licensure period, they must complete:

• 400 hours of active nursing practice

• 200 hours of active nursing practice with 15 hours of CE

• 30 hours of CE if they worked less than 200 hours

RNs passing the NCLEX and obtaining their Wyoming nursing license for the first time won’t have any additional continuing competency requirements for the initial renewal.

Wyoming RN license renewal applicants who haven’t engaged in 400 hours of active nursing practice or 200 hours of nursing practice and 15 hours of CE within the past five years must:

• Pass a refresher course or an equivalent course accepted by WSBN

• Complete a nursing education program resulting in a degree
  beyond their basic nursing education

• Obtain or maintain a specialty certification by a
  nationally-recognized professional accrediting agency

• Pass the NCLEX-RN a second time

Fingerprinting Requirements

All applicants must submit fingerprints for CBCs. An application must be on file before completing fingerprinting. Most local police stations or law enforcement offices will take fingerprints, but they may charge a fee for this service. On the fingerprint card, type or print all information in black in. Applicants must not sign the card without the official taking the fingerprints witnessing the signature. After the official collects the fingerprints, mail the completed fingerprint card to the WSBN office.

Fingerprints are used to conduct federal and state background checks. An applicant’s criminal history report goes directly to the WSBN. Applicants can challenge or appeal their Criminal History Record Information if they believe it to be inaccurate. Contact the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation for state records or contact the FBI at 304-625-5590 for federal records.

Wyoming State Board of Nursing
130 Hobbs Ave, Suite B
Cheyenne, WY 82002
[email protected]
(307) 777-7601

Wyoming wasn't part of the original Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) but joined the Enhanced NLC, enacted in the state on January 19, 2018. Anyone seeking a Wyoming nursing license who currently has a multistate or single state license from another state can apply for licensure by endorsement, which is faster than licensure by exam. Graduate nurses must apply for a Wyoming RN license by exam.

Wyoming RNs holding a multistate license can practice in Wyoming and other compact states. All initial Wyoming RN license applications are vetted for a multistate license. Applicants may only be issued a multistate license from their primary state of residence (PSOR). If a nurse permanently relocates to another compact state, they must apply for a license in the new compact state.

Applicants who aren’t licensed yet must prove Wyoming is their PSOR to qualify for a multistate nursing license. To prove residency in Wyoming, they must submit legal documentation containing their current home address within the state. Accepted documentation includes:

• Driver’s license

• Voter registration card

• Military form 2058

• Federal income tax return

• W2 form from the U.S. government

Applicants also must meet the 11 uniform licensure requirements (ULRs) to earn multistate nurse licensure in Wyoming. These include:

• Meeting the requirements for licensure in Wyoming

• Graduating from a board-approved education program or international education program approved by the authorized accrediting body within the country of matriculation

• Passing an English proficiency exam if English isn't the applicant’s native language

• Passing the NCLEX

• Holding an active unencumbered license or being eligible for licensure

• Submitting fingerprints for state and federal background checks

• Lacking any state or federal felony convictions of any kind or misdemeanor convictions related to nursing

• Having a valid U.S. Social Security number

• Self-disclosing current participation in an alternative program (chemical dependency)

• Not being a current participant in an alternative program (chemical dependency)

Applicants can get a single-state or a multistate license endorsement in Wyoming by applying on the Nurse Portal. To verify nurse licensure in another state, most State Boards of Nursing (BON) participate in Nursys. If a licensed nurse’s home state uses Nursys, they should complete licensure verification electronically through this platform.

If the original state of licensure doesn’t participate in Nursys, applicants must submit a Verification of Licensure form and fee to the State BON that originally issued their license and request they mail the completed form directly to the WSBN. Applicants who no longer hold an active license in their original state of licensure must also request licensure verification from the state in which they currently hold an active license and were most recently employed.

Endorsement applicants must also request their nursing school to send official transcripts directly to WSBN. These must be sent either electronically to [email protected]
or mailed to the WSBN office.

Initial applicants for licensure by endorsement must submit fingerprint cards to WSBN to obtain a criminal background check (CBC) from the Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).

First-time applicants for single state licensure by endorsement may request a nonrenewable 90-day temporary permit on their applications. Once they apply for their CBCs, they receive a temporary license to practice under while awaiting their criminal history background checks. Applicants with a valid multistate license practice under this license and don't need a temporary permit.

Applicants can track the progress of their applications through the Nurse Portal and view application status. A message arrives in the message center when WSBN issues an applicant's license. Incomplete endorsement applications only remain active for one year from the submission date. Once expired, applicants must reapply.

Graduate nurses must apply for Wyoming nursing licensure by exam. All applicants must provide evidence of completion of a licensing board-approved pre-licensure registered nursing education program. They must request their nursing school to send official transcripts directly to WSBN. These must be sent either electronically to [email protected] or mailed to the WSBN office. Exam applicants must also submit fingerprint cards to WSBN to obtain a criminal background check (CBC) from the Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).

Applicants for licensure by exam must register with Pearson VUE and pay the required exam fee to take the NCLEX-RN. Once WSBN receives the completed application and all required documents, it makes them eligible to sit for the exam. Pearson VUE sends an Authorization to Test (ATT) through email and applicants schedule their exam. ATTs are only valid for 90 days and can't be extended for any reason. Applicants who fail to test during the 90-day period must reregister and pay another exam fee.

WSBN sends NCLEX-RN results via the messaging system on the Nurse Portal within 3 to 5 days of testing. Results can't be released over the phone. Applicants who pass receive a message through the Nurse Portal. WSBN issues their permanent license once it receives their CBC results and all required documentation. Applicants failing the exam receive a message on the Nurse Portal and must stop practicing as a graduate nurse if they were issued a temporary permit while awaiting their NCLEX results.

When applicants are ready to retake the NCLEX, they must submit a re-exam application with fees and reregister through Pearson VUE with another exam fee. Applicants must wait 45 days between retests and can test no more than 10 times within the five years following graduation.

Foreign-educated nurses seeking Wyoming nursing licensure must have graduated from a foreign RN prelicensure nursing education program approved by the authorized approving body in the applicable country and verified by an WSBN-approved independent credential review agency to be comparable to an approved prelicensure nursing education program in Wyoming. Graduation must have occurred within five years of application for a Wyoming nursing license. WSBN approved transcript credentialing agencies include:

• Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS)

  • course-by-course evaluation

  • certificate program

• Educational Records Evaluation Service, Inc. (ERES)

• International Education Research Foundation, Inc. (IERF)

• Josef Silny & Associates, Inc. (JS&A)

Foreign-educated nurses also must pass an English proficiency exam, if the applicant completed a nursing program in a country where English isn't the native language and the nursing program wasn't taught in English with English textbooks. English proficiency exam must include reading, speaking, writing, and listening components.

Other requirements include:

• Submitting a completed application and fees

• Providing a copy of their Social Security card

• Providing another form of lawful presence in the U.S.

  • Driver's license

  • Birth certificate

  • Passport

  • Etc.

• Submitting CBC fingerprint cards and fees

• Completing the NCLEX-RN or a recognized predecessor exam

• Providing verification of nursing licensure status and/or authorization to practice from country of origin, if applicable

Foreign educated nurses currently licensed in the U.S. should submit an endorsement application, not the Foreign Educated Application.

Applicants should allow up to 45 business days to complete the entire licensure process. However, Wyoming RN licensure usually takes three weeks once WSBN receives all documents. It takes the DCI 2 to 3 weeks to process fingerprint cards once it receives them from WSBN. Application processing takes an additional 5 to 7 days for applicants with a criminal history. Application processing is most commonly delayed by applicants not providing requested documents. Applicants receive details in the Nurse Portal message center about missing documents. They can also track their application’s progress in the Nurse Portal.

Wyoming RN license by exam. Endorsement candidates’ permits expire when they receive their permanent endorsement or in 90 days, whichever comes first. Exam candidates’ permits expire upon receiving their permanent license, failing the NCLEX, or in 90 days, whichever comes first. WSBN only issues temporary permits one time to applicants per licensure type and may revoke the permit at any time.

The Wyoming Board of Nursing sets the fees for licensure and other relevant costs. Prospective nurses must apply and pay for their licenses online with a debit or credit card. All fees must be paid for in advance and are nonrefundable. Current fees and other related costs include:

• RN Licensure by Examination: $130

• RN Licensure by Endorsement: $135

• Temporary Permit: $25

• Multi-State Licensure Application: $25

• Wyoming RN License Renewal: $110

• Mandatory DCI Background Check: $60

• RN Licensure/Recertification/Reinstatement: $135

• RN Reactivation: $110

• Credit Card Processing: $5

Applicants also must pay a $200 registration fee to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) for taking the National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses NCLEX-RN licensing exam. This fee won’t be refunded and must be paid by a Visa, MasterCard, or American Express credit, debit, or prepaid card. Applicant who fail the exam and must pay another $200 fee each time they retake it.