Ohio

The pathways, as the board describes them

RN endorsement. Ohio's RN rule opens: "A registered nurse applicant for licensure by endorsement shall satisfy the following" and requires the board's "Nursing Licensure by Endorsement Application," a criminal records check, qualifying education, examination history, verification, and two contact hours of Ohio law-and-rules continuing education. Rule 4723-7-05.

LPN endorsement. The practical-nurse rule separately begins: "A practical nurse applicant for licensure by endorsement shall satisfy the following" and publishes education routes that include an approved practical-nursing program and additional routes tied to specified prior practice and education. It likewise requires the "Nursing Licensure by Endorsement Application," criminal records check, verification, and two contact hours of Ohio law-and-rules continuing education. Rule 4723-7-06.

The multistate route. The board's annual report states that the NLC roll-out occurred January 1, 2023 and that "Registered Nurses (RNs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) may qualify for an MSL." The captured board report does not publish the eligibility conditions or a moving-between-states clock; those may appear on the board's compact page, whose current route returned 404 on both transports and remains pending. FY2025 Annual Report.

The published process

Practice while the application is pending. The statute permits a real endorsement bridge for both license types: "The board may grant a nonrenewable temporary permit to practice nursing as a registered nurse or as a licensed practical nurse" when the stated evidence condition is met. It expires "at the earlier of one hundred eighty days after issuance or upon the issuance of a license" and terminates automatically if the criminal-record-check result indicates ineligibility. The RN and LPN rules restate the same 180-day-or-licensure clock and require verification of original licensure by examination and current valid licensure before a requested permit. No separate temporary-permit fee is stated in the captured sources. Ohio Revised Code § 4723.09; RN rule; LPN rule.

Verification of the existing license. For an RN, the rule requires "verification of licensure by examination as a registered nurse" directly from the original jurisdiction or electronically from the national council, plus "verification of current, valid licensure as a registered nurse" directly from a jurisdiction or electronically. The LPN rule publishes the corresponding practical-nurse requirements. The captured current sources do not name Nursys; they name the national council and direct jurisdiction submission. Rule 4723-7-05; Rule 4723-7-06.

Fingerprints and the background check. The board instructions state: "Ohio law requires all individuals who apply for a license or certificate with the Ohio Board of Nursing (OBN) to submit fingerprints for criminal record checks completed by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)." They emphasize: "The Board of Nursing does NOT process any fingerprints, whether captured electronically or on cardstock. All fingerprint processing is completed by BCI." Ohio law requires "one complete set of fingerprint impressions" and an FBI request. The instructions publish code "ORC 4723.091" and separate in-state Webcheck and out-of-state ink-card routes. Criminal Record Check Instructions; Ohio Revised Code § 4723.091.

The three rows above answer the questions an experienced adviser raises first, from the board's own published documents, or record that a question is not answered in them.

Fees, as stated in the sources

All quoted; none totaled.

Application ceiling in the statute. Ohio law states: "The board of nursing may impose fees not to exceed the following limits" and then, for RN or LPN examination or endorsement, "seventy-five dollars". This is a statutory ceiling, not a claim that the current eLicense screen charges exactly that amount; the current fee page and eLicense transaction fee remain capture-pending. Ohio Revised Code § 4723.08.

Written verification. The same section states "fifteen dollars" for written verification of a nursing license to another jurisdiction. Ohio Revised Code § 4723.08.

Out-of-state fingerprint cards. The board's instructions say to send "a money order, personal check, or business check in the amount of $47.25" and state: "The payment covers both the BCI and FBI criminal record checks." No amount is stated for an Ohio Webcheck facility; the instructions say only "Payment". Criminal Record Check Instructions.

No separate temporary-permit amount appears in the captured sources. What any of this means for a particular application is for the board to determine.

Timelines, as stated in the sources

All quoted; none calculated.

Temporary permit. The statute and both endorsement rules state that the permit expires at the earlier of "one hundred eighty days after issuance" or issuance of the endorsement license. Ohio Revised Code § 4723.09.

Application closure. Both endorsement rules state that if the applicant fails to meet the requirements or the application remains incomplete "for one year", "the application shall be considered void and the fee forfeited." Rule 4723-7-05; Rule 4723-7-06.

Background-check review. The fingerprint instructions state that a more in-depth BCI review "may take four weeks or longer to complete the in-depth review and submit results to OBN." They state only comparatively that electronic prints have shorter processing times and publish no ordinary numerical clock. Criminal Record Check Instructions.

No permanent-endorsement processing time is stated in the captured sources. What any of this means for a particular application is for the board to determine.

Source map

Change log

Aug 26, 2026 · Page created. Captured first-party and appended mechanically: current Ohio Laws HTML for the RN and LPN endorsement rules and sections 4723.08, 4723.09, and 4723.091; the board's Criminal Record Check Instructions PDF; and its FY2025 Annual Report PDF. Findings recorded rather than smoothed: (1) nursing.ohio.gov's endorsement, compact, fee, and contact routes returned 404 on both transports, while the State of Ohio asset host continued to serve board PDFs; (2) the board report states the NLC roll-out was January 1, 2023, but the current compact landing page could not be captured; (3) Ohio publishes a nonrenewable temporary permit for both RN and LPN endorsement applicants, expiring at 180 days or licensure, but no separate permit fee appears in the captured sources; (4) the fee statute states a ceiling of seventy-five dollars rather than confirming the current eLicense charge; (5) the fingerprint instructions state $47.25 for the out-of-state card route but no amount for in-state Webcheck; (6) the fingerprint PDF carries a visible "pleas" artifact in one card instruction, preserved in the packet; (7) no permanent-endorsement processing time appears in the captured sources; (8) the current laws require verification from both the original examination jurisdiction and a current valid jurisdiction, directly or electronically through the national council. Capture pending: current board landing pages, current eLicense application screens and transaction fee, any separate TPP fee, and a permanent-endorsement processing clock. Internet Archive captures: to be added. Reviewer: Carrie Schluter, reviewed Aug 27, 2026. Corrections on the record in this log: hello@fieldassembly.net.