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Division of
Professional Regulation

RN/LPN License by Endorsement



When to Apply by Endorsement


Current Licensure Requirement

Submit an endorsement application only if you currently hold an active Nursing license of the same type in another jurisdiction (state, U.S. territory or District of Columbia) and you have never held a Delaware Nursing license of the same type.

  • If you have previously held a Delaware license of the same type, log in to DELPROS online portal, and choose the reinstatement option in the drop-down for that expired license.
  • If you have never held a Delaware RN/LPN license and do not hold a current, active license of the same type in any other jurisdiction, you must reinstate your license in another jurisdiction before applying for a Delaware license by endorsement.


Home State of Residence Requirement

Your home state of residence (also called the primary state of residence) is your declared fixed, permanent and principal home for legal purposes. You may apply only if one of the following applies to you :

  • Your current home state of residence is Delaware, or
  • Your current home state of residence is not a Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) state, or
  • Your current home state of residence is another NLC state but you plan to move to Delaware or to a state that is not a NLC state, or
  • Your current home state of residence is another NLC state but your license from your home state is not a Multistate license.

If the jurisdiction where you are currently licensed is a compact state, you can work in Delaware with your current compact state license until your Delaware license is issued.


Practice Requirement

To be licensed by endorsement Delaware, you must meet one of the following practice requirements. If possible, you must complete one of these requirements before filing the application:

  • Graduation from a Nursing education program within the past two years (24 months)
    • The program must be a State Board of Nursing approved Registered Nurse or Practical Nursing education program. Section 2.4.1.7.4 of the Board’s Rules and Regulations requires at least 200 hours of clinical experience for LPN students and at least 400 hours of clinical experience for RN students.
  • At least 1,000 hours of nursing practice during the five years (60 months) before submitting an application
  • At least 400 hours of nursing practice during the two years (24 months) before submitting the application
  • Completion of a Board-approved refresher program

If it is not possible to meet any of the above practice requirements, you may file the application and request the Board’s approval of an alternate supervised practice plan. Your application will be processed and a temporary permit will be issued while working under a supervised practice plan, see RN/LPN Temporary Permit for instructions on applying. For information about supervised practice plans, see Section 4.0 of the Board’s Rules and Regulations.


Continuing Education Requirement

If you have practiced at least 1000 hours during the past five years or at least 400 hours during the past two years in any jurisdiction (state, U.S. Territory, or District of Columbia) where you have ever held a nursing license, you must complete the following continuing education (CE) requirement (see Section 9.0 of the Board’s Rules and Regulations):

  • as an RN, at least 30 hours of CE within the past two years
  • as an LPN, at least 24 hours of CE within the past two years

You are required to list the CE you have completed in your Continuing Education Tracker. From your Dashboard, click CONTINUING EDUCATION in the blue banner at the top of the screen.

  • Each individual course must be listed in the CE Tracker. We do not accept a list of all courses taken with a particular agency.


Information on How to Apply for a License in DELPROS

All applications are submitted our online system DELPROS. We no longer accept paper applications.


PRIOR TO APPLYING

In order to apply for a license or submit a service request, you must first have a DELPROS user account. To LOG IN or CREATE a DELPROS (Delaware Professional Regulation Online Services) user account:

  1. Go to: https://delpros.delaware.gov/OH_HomePage.
  2. Click GO on the Apply/Manage a License and Service Requests tile.
  3. If you do not have a DELPROS user account, click the REGISTER button on the left side of page for NEW USERS.
  4. If you already have a DELPROS user account, enter your email address and password on the right side for EXISTING USERS and click the LOGIN button.

DELPROS allows you to save your incomplete application and return to it later to finish the process. You only have six (6) months to submit your application once you begin.

  • If you do not submit your application within six months of starting it, you will be required to restart the entire online application again.

You may check the status of your application online throughout the entire application process by using the “View Application Status” feature in DELPROS on your e-License dashboard.


KNOW YOUR REQUIREMENTS AND COLLECT YOUR DOCUMENTS

  1. Know the requirements for the license you are pursuing.
  2. Request and gather all documents required to upload on the Attachments page. All information and forms are located on your profession’s webpages.


ATTACHING AND ACKNOWLEDGING DOCUMENTS

On the ATTACHMENTS page of your application, you may be instructed to:

  • either “attach” or “upload” the required document(s) directly to your application. This means you will find the document(s) saved on your computer or device and upload it to your application.
  • click “acknowledge.”  This means you will either mail the documents yourself or request the “third-party” to mail the document(s) directly to the Board office.
    • Examples of “third-party forms” are transcripts from schools, employment verifications from a supervisor, or license verifications from another state.
  • Forms requiring a supervisor signature, seal, or notary may have to be MAILED to the Board office directly UNLESS the document specifically indicates to UPLOAD the document.


Requirements

In addition to submitting the application and fee in DELPROS, you must submit:

  • A copy of your driver’s license or official identification card from the Division of Motor Vehicles.
    • The state (or other jurisdiction) on the identification you provide is considered your home state of residence.
    • If you don’t have a driver’s license or official identification from the Division of Motor Vehicles, you may submit a voter registration card, federal tax return, military form 2058 or a Form W-2 showing your home state of residence.
  • A State of Delaware and Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal background check (CBC). Go to the Criminal Background Check Process page to find the Service Code required to obtain a State of Delaware and Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal background check. Once you have your Service Code, you will be directed to the IdentoGO website for instructions to complete the fingerprinting process.
    • Criminal background checks completed for any other purpose (e.g., employment, licensure in other states) will not meet this requirement.
  • A Nursing School Reference Form from your nursing school:
    • If you have not been employed as the same type of nurse for which you are applying for at least the past six months but you graduated from your nursing program within the past two years (24 months).
  • Verification of original licensure by examination. How you do this depends on whether the jurisdiction where you were licensed uses the NURSYS™ databank. Jurisdictions that use NURSYS™ are:
    NURSYS™ STATES
    Alaska, Alabama, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana- Registered Nurse, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
    • If your original jurisdiction of licensure is listed above, go to www.nursys.com and complete the NURSYS™ Verification Request.
    • If your original jurisdiction of licensure is not listed above, complete the Verification of Original Licensure form and send it to the Board of Nursing in the jurisdiction where you were licensed by examination. Contact that jurisdiction to find out if there is a fee.
  • A CES report from CGFNS if you received your Nursing education outside the U.S. (including Canada) or in Puerto Rico.   You must call CGFNS customer service to order your verification. The verification must be sent to us directly from CGFNS.


Temporary Permit for RN or LPN

For information on applying for a temporary permit, see RN/LPN Temporary Permit. Carefully read the instructions about when you may apply. Do not begin orientation or employment until you are assigned a temporary permit number.

 


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