Applications

Nurse Practitioner

Registration Only

Nurse Practitioner Registration is required only once. Registration does not confer the authority to practice as a Nurse Practitioner in North Carolina. If you wish to practice as a Nurse Practitioner in North Carolina, in addition to one-time Registration, you must also complete an Initial Approval to Practice application.

The Certificate of Registration will be emailed to you once all documents have been received and the application has been processed.

Fee Information: $25.00

FEE IS NON-REFUNDABLE

Valid Forms of Payment:

  • Credit or Debit Card; MasterCard or Visa only 

Prior to submission of the Nurse Practitioner Registration application, you will need the following:

  • An active permanent North Carolina Registered Nurse (RN) license or Registered Nurse (RN) license with multistate privileges from another compact state.  If you are not moving to North Carolina and hold an RN license with multistate privileges from another compact state, you will need to submit the Compact State Application via the Nurse Portal.  This will alert us that you wish to apply for Advanced Practice in NC based on an RN compact multistate status license from another state.  Once verified, the APRN applications will then be available to you in the Nurse Portal.

Once your online application for Nurse Practitioner Registration has been submitted, the application confirmation page will provide additional information regarding required items.

Initial Approval to Practice

Indicate the correct status of your position as either Volunteer or Non-Volunteer for each approval.

Fee Information: $100.00 (Per Physician for Nurse Practitioner Non-Volunteer status -- Paid Position) or, $20.00 (Per Physician for Nurse Practitioner Volunteer Status -- Non-paid Position)

FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE

Valid Forms of Payment:

  • Credit or Debit Card; MasterCard or Visa only 

Rule 21 NCAC 32M.0104 or 21 NCAC 36.0804

"Approval to Practice" means authorization by the Medical Board and the Board of Nursing for a Nurse Practitioner to perform medical acts within her or his area of educational preparation and certification under a Collaborative Practice Agreement with a licensed Physician.

This application is for the Nurse Practitioner applying for approval to practice for the first time in North Carolina who has already been issued Nurse Practitioner registration or has submitted the Nurse Practitioner Registration application.

The Nurse Practitioner shall not practice until notification of approval to practice has been received from the Board of Nursing. The approval letter and certificate will be emailed to you upon FINAL approval to practice.

You will need the following to apply:

  • An active permanent North Carolina Registered Nurse (RN) license or Registered Nurse (RN) license with multistate privileges from another compact state. (via submitting Compact State Application in Nurse Portal)
  • Registration as a Nurse Practitioner in North Carolina
  • Physician Name or Physician License Number and Physician Email Address
  • Practice Information (Practice Name, Practice Address, Office Phone, Email)

Registration & Initial Approval to Practice

Fee Information: $25.00 (Registration) plus, $100.00 (Per Physician for Nurse Practitioner Non-Volunteer status -- Paid Position) or, $20.00 (Per Physician for Nurse Practitioner Volunteer Status -- Non-paid Position)

FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE

Valid Forms of Payment:

  • Credit or Debit Card; MasterCard or Visa only 

This application is for the Registered Nurse applying for registration and initial approval to practice as a Nurse Practitioner.

In order to practice as a Nurse Practitioner (NP), a Registered Nurse (RN) must obtain Nurse Practitioner Registration and Approval to Practice with their collaborating/supervising Physician.  The Certificate of Registration will be emailed to you once all documents have been received and the application has been processed. The one-time Registration does not allow you to practice as a Nurse Practitioner in North Carolina; the Initial Approval to Practice application must also be reviewed and approved.

Initial Approval to Practice applications are reviewed and approved jointly by the North Carolina Board of Nursing and the North Carolina Medical Board. The Nurse Practitioner shall not practice until notification of approval to practice has been received from the Board of Nursing. The approval letter will be emailed to you upon final approval to practice.

You will need the following to apply:

  • An active permanent North Carolina Registered Nurse (RN) license or Registered Nurse (RN) license with multistate privileges from another compact state
  • Physician Name or Physician License Number and Physician Email Address
  • Practice Information (Practice Name, Practice Address, Office Phone, Email)

Renew Approval

This application is for the Nurse Practitioner applying for renewal of their approval to practice with a current supervising physician(s).

In order to renew your approval to practice, your current approval must be within 90 days of the expiration date. If your Registered Nurse license is also due to be renewed in the same year, you must renew your Registered Nurse license before you can renew your Nurse Practitioner approval to practice.

In order to practice as Nurse Practitioner, in addition to renewing the Nurse Practitioner approval, a Registered Nurse license valid for practice in North Carolina, must also be maintained.

Fee Information: $50.00 (Per Physician renewed for Nurse Practitioner Non-Volunteer status -- Paid Position) or, $10.00 (Per Physician renewed for Nurse Practitioner Volunteer status -- Non-paid Position)

FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE

Valid Forms of Payment:

  • Credit or Debit Card; MasterCard or Visa only 

Rule 21 NCAC 32M.0106 or 21 NCAC 36.0806

This application is for the Nurse Practitioner applying for renewal of approval to practice.

"Approval to Practice" means authorization by the Medical Board and the Board of Nursing for a Nurse Practitioner to perform medical acts within her or his area of educational preparation and certification under a Collaborative Practice Agreement with a licensed Physician.

You are required to renew your approval(s) to practice by the last day of your birth month each year. If you do not renew by the last day of your birth month, your approval to practice is automatically placed on inactive status at midnight on the last day of the expiration month.

A Nurse Practitioner with an inactive approval to practice status shall not practice as a Nurse Practitioner. Prior to practicing, you will be required to reapply for approval to practice and will need to complete the Approval to Practice Reinstatement application.

Maintaining certification as a Nurse Practitioner by a National Credentialing Body (ANCC, AANPCB, AACN, PNCB, NCC) is also required. If you have renewed/updated your National Nurse Practitioner Certification since your last renewal, provide an updated copy to the North Carolina Board of Nursing.

Reinstate Approval to Practice

Before you can apply for reinstatement of your NP Approval to Practice, you must hold a Registered Nurse license valid for practice in North Carolina and have a supervising physician that is licensed by the NC Medical Board.

Fee Information: $100.00 (Per Physician reinstated/added for Nurse Practitioner Non-Volunteer status -- Paid Position) or, $20.00 (Per Physician reinstated/added for Nurse Practitioner Volunteer status -- Non-paid Position)

FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE

Valid Forms of Payment:

  • Credit or Debit Card; MasterCard or Visa only 

"Approval to Practice" means authorization by the Medical Board and the Board of Nursing for a Nurse Practitioner to perform medical acts within her or his area of educational preparation and certification under a Collaborative Practice Agreement with a licensed Physician.

The Nurse Practitioner shall not practice until notification of approval to practice has been received from the Board of Nursing. The approval letter and certificate will be emailed to you upon final approval to practice.

Physician Maintenance

Fee Information:

$100.00 (per Physician for Nurse Practitioner Non-Volunteer status -- Paid Position)

$20.00 (per Physician for Nurse Practitioner Volunteer status -- Non-Paid Position)

FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE

Valid Forms of Payment:

  • Credit or Debit Card; MasterCard or Visa only 

This application is for the Nurse Practitioner to:

  • Add a new supervising physician;
  • submit additional practice sites to your currently approved practice(s);
  • update the practice information (Practice Name, Practice Address, Office Phone, Email) for an existing approved Physician; or
  • remove an existing approved supervising Physician

Request Inactive Status for my NP Approval

Fee Information: There is no fee for this process

This application is for the Nurse Practitioner requesting inactive status for all supervising Physicians.

Update Compact Registered Nurse License for Nurse Practitioner - Expiration Date

Fee Information: There is no fee for this process

This application is for the Nurse Practitioner to update/change the Registered Nurse information in the North Carolina Board of Nursing's records for another Compact State license. Once the application is submitted, we will verify the information with the Compact State.

If North Carolina is now your primary state of residence, you must apply for a North Carolina Registered Nurse license. Per 21 NCAC 36.0702(2), a nurse changing primary state of residence from one Compact State to another may practice in the new home state (new primary state of residence) with the prior home state’s license, for a period not to exceed 90 days.

The Application Confirmation which serves as your official receipt will be available on the Nurse Portal upon successful completion of the application process. To access, select the appropriate tile on the Home screen, then select the 'Files' tab on the License Information screen.

If your email address is listed with the North Carolina Board of Nursing, you will receive confirmation via email verifying receipt of your online application.

Upon successful completion of the online application, you may check your application status via Nurse Portal. Licensure information can be verified on the Board's website. The Board of Nursing’s electronic database serves as the primary source of licensure information for nurses in North Carolina.

Last Changed: 24-April-2024