Virginia RN License 2026 — VABN Endorsement, Fees & Timeline

Virginia is a major East Coast healthcare market, driven by the Washington D.C. metro area, the Hampton Roads corridor, and a growing Richmond healthcare hub. Major systems including Inova Health System, HCA Healthcare Virginia, VCU Health, Sentara Healthcare, and the large Department of Defense and VA medical network operate statewide. The Virginia Board of Nursing (VABN), part of the Virginia Department of Health Professions, administers RN licensure at dhp.virginia.gov.

Is Virginia an NLC compact state?

Yes. Virginia is a Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) member. Virginia-licensed RNs with Virginia as their primary state of residence hold multistate compact licenses valid in all other NLC compact states. Nurses residing in other compact states may work in Virginia using their home-state compact privilege without a separate Virginia endorsement.

Endorsement fees (2026)

Item	Fee
Endorsement application (SIRCON)	~$130
IdentoGO fingerprinting (background check)	~$40–50
Nursys electronic verification (if applicable)	$30
Estimated total	~$200–$210

Continuing education for renewal

Virginia RN licenses renew every two years. Renewal requires 30 contact hours of continuing education. VABN designates mandatory topic areas within those 30 hours each renewal cycle (verify the current required topics at dhp.virginia.gov before renewing — the mandatory topics are updated by board regulation). CE must come from providers approved by a recognized nursing CE accreditor (ANCC, ACEN, or equivalent).

Timeline expectations

Complete endorsement applications with Nursys electronic verification and cleared IdentoGO fingerprinting typically process in 4–8 weeks. Virginia does not issue temporary permits for nurses pending endorsement. Applications requiring paper license verification from non-Nursys states add 2–3 weeks. Plan your submission timing to ensure your Virginia license is active before your target start date at a Virginia facility.

What we see at Ava Health

Virginia generates strong nursing demand in our pipeline, particularly in the Northern Virginia / DC metro area (Inova Fairfax, HCA Reston), the Hampton Roads corridor (Sentara, Riverside), and the Richmond market (VCU Health, Bon Secours). Military-adjacent markets (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Quantico corridor) drive unique demand for nurses with DOD or VA facility experience. Virginia's NLC compact membership makes it a clean destination for nurses from other compact states seeking East Coast assignments.

Related: Travel Nurse Salary Guide, North Carolina RN License Guide, Georgia RN License Guide, Nurse Practitioner Salary Guide.