Texas RN License 2026 — BON Endorsement, Fees & Timeline

Texas is one of the largest nursing markets in the United States — the Texas Medical Center in Houston is the largest medical complex in the world, and major health systems including HCA Healthcare, Ascension, Baylor Scott & White, UT Southwestern, and Methodist operate across the state. The Texas Board of Nursing (BON) at nursing.texas.gov administers RN licensure under the Texas Occupations Code Chapter 301.

Is Texas an NLC compact state?

Yes. Texas is a Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) member and issues multistate licenses. If Texas is your primary state of residence and you hold a Texas RN license, you can practice in all other NLC compact states without obtaining a separate state license. Nurses licensed in other compact states who maintain residency there can work in Texas under their home-state compact privilege — no endorsement needed unless Texas becomes your permanent home.

Endorsement fees (2026)

Item	Fee
Endorsement application	$186
IdentoGO fingerprinting (background check)	~$38.25
Nursys electronic verification (if applicable)	$30
Estimated total	~$224–$254

Continuing education for renewal

Texas RN licenses renew every two years on the last day of the licensee's birth month. Renewal requires 20 contact hours of continuing education, including 2 hours of Texas nursing jurisprudence education approved by the BON. CE records are self-reported; the BON conducts random audits. A $65 late renewal penalty applies if renewal is not completed by the deadline. Texas does not require a minimum number of clinical practice hours for renewal.

Timeline expectations

Complete applications with Nursys electronic verification and cleared fingerprinting typically process in 4–8 weeks. Applications requiring paper license verification or flagged for additional review (criminal history disclosures, prior board action in any state) can take 12–16 weeks. Texas BON publishes current processing time estimates on its website.

What we see at Ava Health

Texas nurses are among the most in-demand candidates in our recruitment pipeline. Demand is heaviest in Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Austin, but rural critical access hospitals in West Texas and the Panhandle regularly post higher hourly rates and larger sign-on bonuses to compete for talent. Texas's NLC compact status makes it a frequent travel-nurse destination for compact-licensed nurses from across the country.

Related: Travel Nurse Salary Guide, Ohio RN License Guide, Illinois RN License Guide, Nurse Practitioner Salary Guide.