Wyoming

The pathways, as the board describes them

Which application, stated as a contrast. The board separates the two routes by whether the applicant currently holds a license: "An application by EXAM is going to be used if you are getting your initial license -OR- you are NOT ACTIVELY licensed/certified in another state." against "An Application by ENDORSEMENT (called reciprocity in some states) will be used if you are an ACTIVE-licensed/certified nurse coming TO Wyoming." The parenthesis is the board's own acknowledgement that the vocabulary varies between states. Licensing.

Applicants with a criminal record, where this board is unusually explicit. Twice, in two places, it states there is no automatic bar: "There are NO automatic disqualifiers in the process." and "There are no pre-disqualifiers in the state of Wyoming for licensure. All applications are considered on a case by case basis." What it asks instead is disclosure and explanation: "please disclose them on your application regardless of status (exclude traffic violations)" and "a personal statement for EACH offense that is not a motor violation." That openness has a limit elsewhere on the same page, and the two sit oddly together: "If you have criminal history in the last 5 years you are not eligible for a temporary permit." So a criminal record cannot disqualify an application but can remove the interim authority that makes waiting for one affordable. Licensing.

Eligibility for a multistate license, as the board lists it. Nine conditions, including two that other boards in this collection often leave unstated: "You are NOT enrolled in ANY alternative program to discipline", "You have NOT been convicted of a felony offense or misdemeanor offense related to the practice of nursing", and "You have a valid United States social security number". Nurse Compact.

Upgrading an existing Wyoming license. Done inside the portal — "The multistate license is located under "other applications"." — and it requires the background check again: "The multistate license requires new fingerprint cards to perform a current background check." Licensing.

Returning to practice after time away. The board allows one route only: "This is the only approved way to come back into licensure in the state of Wyoming." said of nurse refresher courses. Licensing.

The published process

Practice while the application is pending. Wyoming publishes a temporary permit, priced, time-limited, and available once: "A one-time temporary permit can be given for up to 90 days (for LPN/RN) and 120 days (for CNA)." It is requested inside the application or separately — "Select Temporary Permit on the initial application; or" "Complete a temporary application (found under Apply for License)" — and the board is careful not to promise it: "Not all applicants may meet the requirements for a temporary permit and the temporary permits may be revoked by the Board at any time". Two limits matter especially. The five-year criminal-history bar quoted in section 01, and its scope: "A temporary permit does not grant multi-state licensure privileges." The compact page answers the consequence of that in a single word. Asked "Can I practice in another state on a temporary permit?", the board's whole answer is "No." Licensing; Nurse Compact.

Verification of the existing license. The board asks for its own forms alongside the application, with a substitution for nurses from states in the national system: "When you are moving TO Wyoming, from another state, you will need to apply via Endorsement, and fill out our verification forms IN ADDITION to your COMPLETED application. For RN/LPN if your state participates in Nursys utilize Nursys.com verification instead." Transcripts must come from the institution rather than the applicant: "we will need to receive your transcripts from your school DIRECTLY" — and the board warns of a cost it does not control, "institutions may have a fee for this." Licensing.

Fingerprints and the background check. Run by the state's own investigative division and submitted on cards rather than digitally: "we will also need two (2) Fingerprint cards with your application. You may either drop them off at our office or mail them to our office." The board points applicants at local law enforcement and again names a charge it does not set: "some may charge a fee to do so." Its own turnaround is stated: "DCI generally takes 15-30 days to process your background check once WSBN receives the fingerprint cards." The board also publishes a printable card, noting it "you will need to print this on cardstock paper". Licensing.

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. Wyoming's fees are set by administrative rule, and the rule is dated: "Effective Date:" "05/26/2026 to Current" with reference number "054.0002.5.05262026". The rule states its own exclusion up front: "The amounts listed below do not include the credit card processing fee." Chapter 5: Fees (WSBN Rules).

Endorsement, which differs by level. "(ii) RN $135" and "(iii) LPN $120" under the heading "(e) Licensure/Certification by Endorsement". The examination route charges the two levels the same — "(ii) Registered Nurse (RN) $130" and "(iii) Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) $130" — so the levels diverge on endorsement and not on examination, which is the reverse of the usual pattern in this collection. Chapter 5: Fees (WSBN Rules).

The background check. "(b) DCI Background Check $60". Chapter 5: Fees (WSBN Rules).

The temporary permit. "(c) Temporary permit (for exam or endorsement applicants) $25", and the licensing page states the same figure: "the cost of a temporary permit is $25". Chapter 5: Fees (WSBN Rules); Licensing.

The multistate application, which is free. "(a) Multistate licensure application processing $0". Chapter 5: Fees (WSBN Rules).

The card surcharge, which the rule excludes and the page states. "There is a 2.4% processing fee with all card payments and a minimum fee of $1", and cards are the only option: "Paper applications are no longer accepted and credit/debit card payments are the only form of payment accepted." The rule itself lists more methods than the page does — "Licensure fees and data requests shall be payable by credit/debit/debit card, money order, or cashier's check, and shall be paid in advance of services rendered." — with the duplication in "credit/debit/debit card" the rule's own. Licensing; Chapter 5: Fees (WSBN Rules).

A fee holiday, with dates. The rule suspends two of its own charges for part of this year: "licensees shall not be subject to fees specified in Section 4(f) and Section 4(g)(ii) from October 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026." Section 4(f) is the renewal schedule. A reader consulting this page inside that window should read the rule itself rather than rely on a figure quoted here. Chapter 5: Fees (WSBN Rules).

Refunds. "Any fees collected by the Board are nonrefundable except as provided in Section 4(r)." Chapter 5: Fees (WSBN Rules).

What any of it means for a particular application is for the board to determine.

Timelines, as stated in the sources

All quoted; none calculated.

The whole process, stated twice. "On average, the entire process can take between 45-60 days from when we receive your COMPLETE application." and in the FAQ, "Licensure generally takes 45-60 days once ALL documents are received." Both make the clock start at completeness rather than at submission. Licensing.

Its two components. "It usually takes 15-30 days for DCI to process fingerprint cards (once received by the WSBN)." and "Processing the application takes 3-5 days (longer if there is previous discipline or criminal history)." The second names the same factor that removes temporary-permit eligibility, and here it lengthens the wait rather than ending it. Licensing.

The permit's ninety days, one time only, as quoted in section 02.

A renewal cycle that can arrive immediately. The board warns a new licensee about the timing of their first renewal: renewal happens "every EVEN year (yes, you will have to apply again if you are getting your initial license in an even year)." — the aside is the board's. Licensing.

The compact's residency change, referred to but not restated: the board points to "the new changes to the NLC as of January 2, 2024 (Regarding the amended residency rule)" and links the national body's FAQ rather than publishing the rule itself. Nurse Compact.

What any of it means for a particular application is for the board to determine.

Source map

Change log

Aug 30, 2026 · Page created. Three first-party captures. Two were read through a session browser and supplied to the capture tool, which the packet header records; the third was fetched mechanically. Findings: (1) this board's site is built on Google Sites and serves a JavaScript shell to a plain fetch — the word endorsement appears nowhere in the raw HTML although it appears repeatedly on the rendered page, so a fetcher trusting the raw response would conclude Wyoming publishes nothing about the route; this is the Montana near-miss in a different form and is recorded in the recipe against a future re-capture; (2) the board keeps its administrative rules, including its fee schedule, on Google Drive rather than on a state server, which makes the authoritative text of Wyoming's nursing fees dependent on a commercial file host's continued cooperation — a durability fact worth stating rather than passing over; (3) the board twice states that nothing automatically disqualifies an applicant with a criminal record and asks for disclosure and a personal statement per offence, while separately barring a temporary permit to anyone with criminal history in the last five years, so the record cannot end an application but can remove the interim authority that makes waiting for one affordable; (4) endorsement fees differ between the registered nurse at $135 and the practical nurse at $120, while the examination route charges both $130 — the levels diverge on endorsement and converge on examination, the reverse of the usual pattern here; (5) the fee rule suspends two of its own charges from October 1 to December 31, 2026, so a reader inside that window should consult the rule rather than a quoted figure; (6) the multistate license application costs nothing; (7) fingerprints are submitted as two physical cards, dropped off or posted, with the board publishing a printable card to be produced on cardstock; (8) the board splits its telephone lines alphabetically by the applicant's surname; (9) a heading on the licensing page reads "MULTI-SATE LICENSE" - the board's own transposition, preserved here rather than silently corrected. Automated or AI-assisted decision-making: none located; the terms artificial intelligence, automated decision, and algorithm return nothing across the three captured sources, and that scope is recorded in `research/ai-disclosure.jsonl` — note that this jurisdiction's captured scope is narrower than most in the collection, being three sources rather than seven or eight, so the absence is recorded at that narrower scope. Capture pending: Chapters 2 and 8 of the board's rules, the application checklists, and the application inside the Nurse Portal. Reviewer: Carrie Schluter, reviewed Aug 30, 2026. Corrections on the record in this log: hello@fieldassembly.net.