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CNA registry: how to get listed and stay active

You are listed after passing both CNA test parts. Stay active with paid nurse aide work: 8 hours in 24 months in North Carolina, 7 in New York.

Checked November 15, 2026
A health worker talking with a woman in a clinic hallway
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Short answer: You are placed on your state's nurse aide registry after you pass both parts of the CNA test, and federal rules say this must happen within 30 days. To stay active, you must keep doing paid nursing-related work: federal rules remove you after 24 consecutive months without it, and states set the exact proof, such as at least 8 hours in North Carolina or 7 hours in New York during the 24-month period.

A 24-month calendar of a CNA registry listing, with the last 3 months marked as the Texas renewal window and boxes showing 8 hours of paid work in North Carolina and 7 hours in New York

How you get listed

Under federal rules (42 CFR 483.154 and 483.156), every state must keep a nurse aide registry. You are added when you pass both the written (or oral) test and the skills test. The state must tell you in advance that your result will go on the registry, and it must add you within 30 days.

Two examples of how long it takes in practice:

  • North Carolina: Credentia says to allow 2 to 5 business days after you pass.
  • Florida: Prometric's bulletin says 3 to 5 weeks after the Board of Nursing approves you.

The state may not charge you to be on the registry. Federal rules forbid registration charges for listed aides. (Some states charge for extras: Florida charges US$25 for a new certificate showing a new name.)

If you have just passed and are not yet listed, federal rules let a nursing home hire you if you can prove you recently passed, but it must follow up to make sure you are actually registered.

How you stay active

The federal rule

If you go 24 consecutive months without doing nursing or nursing-related services for pay, you must complete a new training and testing program, or a new test, before working again. The registry must remove entries for people with no such work in 24 consecutive months.

State examples

State Work you must show Other rules
North Carolina At least 8 hours of paid nurse aide work, supervised by an RN, in your 24-month listing period Report it on the scannable renewal form the registry mails 3 months before expiry; an RN must sign. Renewal runs 24 months from your last qualified work date
New York At least 7 hours of paid work as a nurse aide in a NYS nursing home or approved employer in the previous 24 months Certificate valid 24 months. Your current or last employer must submit the recertification and pay the fee. A reminder comes about 45 days before expiry
Texas Documented work in each two-year period At least 24 hours of in-service education every two years. You can renew from 3 months before your expiry date, in the TULIP system
Florida Paid nursing-related work during your certification period Renew with the Florida Board of Nursing before the expiration date; you may not work with a delinquent certificate

In North Carolina, renewal is the aide's responsibility. If the renewal form does not arrive, contact the registry.

Separately, your nursing home employer has its own federal duties: a performance review at least once every 12 months, and at least 12 hours of in-service training per year.

If your listing expires

Each state has its own route back, and it usually means testing again.

  • North Carolina: if you do not work at least 8 qualified hours in any 24-month period, you need new state-approved training and testing.
  • Texas: if you did not do nursing-related work and 24 hours of in-service education in the 24 months, your registration expires and you must take the skills and written or oral tests again.
  • New York: without at least 7 paid hours in the last 24 months, your certificate is lapsed and cannot be renewed; the manual points you to its certification routes.

Name and address changes

Keep your record current, or your renewal notice may not reach you.

  • North Carolina: report changes with the Name/Address Change Reporting Form, by phone (address only) or by letter. A name change needs a copy of your new signed Social Security card and the legal document showing the change.
  • Texas: you must tell Texas Health and Human Services about a new home address and phone number, in TULIP.
  • Florida: updating your address or name on the registry is free.

Moving to another state

Your listing does not move with you by itself. Texas tells nurse aides who move to contact the registry of the new state, because requirements differ, and to complete that state's reciprocity process. North Carolina, for example, accepts reciprocity if you are listed in good standing in another state and have at least 8 hours of paid nurse aide work in the previous 24 months.

Employers in the new state must also check every state registry they believe has information on you. To see how a lookup works, read CNA license lookup.

What to do next

  1. Check your listing on your state's official lookup after you pass.
  2. Put your expiry date in your calendar, with a reminder 3 months before.
  3. Keep proof of your paid nurse aide work and in-service hours.
  4. Report any move or name change to the registry at once.

Common questions

Does volunteer work count?

Federal rules and the North Carolina and New York rules all speak of work for pay. For any other kind of work, ask your state registry before you count on it.

I passed the test years ago but never worked. Am I still listed?

If more than 24 months have passed with no paid nursing-related work, federal rules say you need a new test, or new training and a new test. North Carolina requires both. Ask your state registry which route applies to you.

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