Independent renewal guide • Official-source review: . Texas BON controls license status and renewal decisions.
Texas nursing license renewal requirements: finish CE, submit and verify
Start with the expiration date and status on your official license record. Then check your competency route, applicable targeted education and the renewal application available in your Texas Nurse Portal.
For most subsequent RN/LVN renewals, complete 20 acceptable contact hours in your area of practice or use an approved national nursing certification, meet applicable targeted requirements, renew online and verify the result. Published timely fees are $68 for RN and $45 for LVN.
When does a Texas nursing license expire?
Standard renewal cycles end on the last day of your birth month: even-numbered years for an even birth year and odd-numbered years for an odd birth year. Initial or post-reactivation periods may be shorter than two years. Your official record is the date to use.
BON’s current guidance says the timely renewal application opens on the first day of the month before the expiration month. For example, a November 30, 2026 expiration has an October 1, 2026 opening date.
Do not treat a late-renewal period as practice permission. An expired Texas license does not authorize practice. Confirm any separate, valid compact privilege before relying on it.
Plan from your verified expiration date
Enter the date shown in the BON record. This calculates the standard timely-renewal window; it does not determine eligibility.
Calculation stays in this page; no date is submitted or stored by this tool. Expired, inactive, retired and special-status licenses need their own route.
Which CE requirements apply to you?
Complete acceptable nursing education
Earn 20 contact hours in your nursing practice area during the applicable period. Check the provider’s recognized approval and the certificate’s awarded contact hours.
Use a Board-approved certification
An approved national nursing certification in your practice area can satisfy the general competency requirement. Targeted education still applies where required.
Review the BON continuing competency requirements and certification list before relying on a course bundle or certification.
| Topic | Who needs it? | Timing and requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing jurisprudence and ethics | Nurses subject to the targeted requirement. | At least 2 CNE contact hours before the end of every third two-year licensing period. Certification does not replace it. |
| Older adult or geriatric care | Nurses whose practice includes these populations. | At least 2 contact hours each licensing period, or an accepted related certification. Qualifying hours count toward the general total. |
| Human trafficking prevention | Nurses providing direct patient care. | Complete an HHSC-approved course each applicable renewal period. General nursing CE accreditation alone does not prove HHSC approval. |
| Forensic evidence collection | Nurses working or floating in an ER setting. | One-time minimum 2 contact hours within two years of initial ER employment. Keep completion evidence indefinitely. |
Check your ethics cycle using the official jurisprudence and ethics calculator. For trafficking training, choose from the HHSC-approved course list.
The initial Nursing Jurisprudence Exam and renewal jurisprudence/ethics CNE are different requirements. Passing the licensing exam does not automatically satisfy later targeted CNE.
Check dates, credits and certificate details
Complete required education before submitting renewal. General CNE must fall within the applicable licensing period; excess hours do not roll forward to the next cycle. Keep the course title, provider, completion date, awarded hours and approval information.
Read the official CE acceptability and recordkeeping FAQs. “CEU” is not interchangeable with the contact-hour total on a nursing certificate. CPR or employer training should not be assumed to qualify.
Enter CE information before renewal
From September 1, 2026, applicable renewal and reactivation applicants must document competency through the Nurse Portal CE Module.
Current BON update: Standard CE entries do not currently require certificate uploads. Enter accurate certificate information and retain supporting records. BON may request documents for specific requirements or review.
- Open “Your Licenses with Texas” in your portal.
- Select “Add Continuing Education” beside the relevant license.
- Enter each activity separately using its supporting record.
- Confirm saved entries and the updated total.
A bundled package may use one entry only when the provider’s single certificate lists all courses and required information. For certification entries, BON instructs applicants to use the entry-submission date as the participation/completion date.
Read current CE Module instructionsCheck whether your first renewal qualifies for a CE waiver
BON’s current renewal page waives CE, including applicable targeted CE, for a qualifying first license renewal submitted before expiration or within 90 days after expiration. The application, fee and other renewal requirements remain.
This is a CE waiver, not a 90-day extension of practice authority. Confirm eligibility for each credential, especially when RN and APRN first-renewal dates differ.
Follow the current first-renewal instructions when answering the competency question.
Texas nursing renewal fees in 2026
| Credential or transaction | Published fee | Check before paying |
|---|---|---|
| RN | $68 | Timely registered nurse renewal. |
| LVN | $45 | Timely vocational nurse renewal. |
| APRN | $54 | Review RN and RX authority requirements separately. |
| APRN / RN | $129 | BON’s published combined category; use the portal itemization. |
BON’s schedule lists delinquent reactivation charges of $60 or $120 plus the current renewal fee, based on the applicable late category. Inactive-status reactivation has a separate fee structure.
Use your itemized portal total. Status, elapsed time, credential and prescriptive authority can affect the transaction. BON fees are non-refundable. Check the official fee schedule.
How to renew your Texas nursing license
-
Verify the credential and deadline
Confirm the license type, status and expiration. APRNs should also check their RN authority and any RX authority.
Open official license verification -
Match your competency requirements
Check general competency, targeted topics and any applicable waiver. Use certificates and certification records to confirm completion.
Review BON competency requirements -
Document competency in the CE Module
Enter required information according to the current module guidance and your applicable renewal route.
Check current module instructions -
Open the appropriate renewal application
Access your existing Nurse Portal account. Choose the transaction matching the credential and current status.
Sign in through the official portal page -
Complete declarations and requested records
Confirm your contact and residence information. Answer eligibility questions accurately and provide any requested supporting records.
Read renewal and reactivation guidance -
Review the fee, pay and save confirmation
Check the correct credential and any RX selection before submitting. Retain the receipt and monitor portal messages.
Compare the published fee categories -
Verify the renewed license record
Confirm current status and the new expiration date. A payment receipt alone does not prove that renewal has been issued.
Recheck the official license record
APRN renewal needs more than the RN checklist
Match advanced-practice competency
APRN competency must fit the recognized role and population focus. Qualifying APRN education can satisfy the RN general requirement; the two 20-hour totals are not automatically added together.
Check pharmacotherapeutics
APRNs with prescriptive authority need at least 5 additional pharmacotherapeutics contact hours per licensing period. An opioid-prescribing agreement triggers at least 2 hours annually in the specified pain-management education.
Review practice and certification
Check the applicable 400-hour current-practice requirement, certification and first-renewal exceptions. Review all prescribing topics required for your activities.
Use the official APRN timely-renewal fact sheet alongside current BON competency guidance. Confirm that RX authority is renewed when needed; APRN renewal alone should not be assumed to preserve every prescribing authorization.
Expired, inactive or retired license?
Delinquent after non-renewal
Use BON’s reactivation process and complete the applicable fee, competency and review requirements before relying on that Texas license for practice.
Inactive or retired status
Request reactivation if returning to licensed practice. A long gap can require additional education or supervised re-entry. Confirm requirements before arranging clinical work.
Reactivation requires supporting evidence. Current BON guidance says CE Module data entry alone does not satisfy reactivation documentation requirements.
Review the official reactivation section. For a required refresher or supervised experience, use the BON six-month permit guidance.
If another compact state is now your home state
An active multistate license from that home state may change your need or eligibility to renew the Texas RN/LVN license. Check residence and privilege status instead of maintaining licenses on assumptions. APRN authority needs separate review.
Keep a renewal record you can explain
Personal checklist only; selections do not update BON. Retain required competency records for at least three consecutive licensing periods or six years. Keep forensic evidence collection documentation indefinitely.
If the portal blocks renewal
Record the exact message, credential and date. Check whether the window is open, the account shows the correct license and the required information was saved. Request a replacement certificate from its provider rather than guessing missing details.
Texas Board of Nursing contact and office map
Texas Board of Nursing
- Address
- 1801 Congress Avenue, Suite 10-200
Austin, TX 78701 - Main phone
- 512-305-7400
- Fax
- 512-305-7401
- Customer service
- Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.; state holidays may affect availability.
- Portal help categories
-
RN/LVN – Renewal/Reinstatement
APRN – Renewal/Reinstatement
CE Module Assistance
Contact BON before visiting. The map shows the office building and does not indicate appointment availability or application processing status.
Texas nursing renewal FAQ
How many CE hours do Texas RNs and LVNs need?
The usual route is 20 acceptable contact hours per two-year period, or a Board-approved national nursing certification in the practice area, plus applicable targeted requirements.
What are the timely RN and LVN renewal fees?
BON publishes $68 for RN and $45 for LVN timely renewal. Other transactions or late status can change the total.
When does the renewal application open?
Current BON guidance says the timely application opens on the first day of the month before the license-expiration month.
Do I currently need to upload every CE certificate?
Standard entries currently require accurate CE information, not certificate uploads. Retain records and provide supporting documentation when BON requires it.
Is CE waived for the first renewal?
BON’s current guidance provides a qualifying first-renewal CE waiver when submitted before expiration or within 90 days afterward. Fees and other requirements still apply.
Can I work using an expired Texas nursing license?
An expired Texas license does not authorize practice. Any separate active multistate privilege must be valid and applicable to your circumstances.
Requirements and guidance used for this page
- Texas BON renewal, first-renewal waiver and reactivation guidance
- Current CE Module documentation update
- Continuing competency and targeted education requirements
- Continuing education acceptability and recordkeeping FAQs
- Official renewal and reactivation fee schedule
- APRN timely-renewal information
- BON rules and regulations reference page
Reviewed against official-source information on October 13, 2026. Some BON pages were available through official search-indexed content rather than direct page retrieval. Portal instructions and later BON updates should be checked before submission. Report a correction through our contact page.