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Texas BON license verification: how to check

Verify a Texas nursing license free on the Texas Board of Nursing lookup or Nursys; Texas is a compact state since January 19, 2018.

Checked November 15, 2026
A hand adjusting an IV bag in a hospital room
Photo: Pexels

Short answer: To verify a Texas nursing license, use the free Texas Board of Nursing (BON) License Verification Portal, reached from bon.texas.gov, or Nursys QuickConfirm at nursys.com; you can search by name, license number or NCSBN ID. The result shows the license type, whether it is active, its expiration date, whether it is single state or multistate, and any board discipline.

A sample Texas license lookup result with blank fields labeled: license type, active status, expiration date, compact status (single state or multistate) and discipline history

Where the Texas lookup is

The Board's "Verification" page at bon.texas.gov sends you to the Texas Board of Nursing License Verification Portal. The portal runs on the platform of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), the same body that runs Nursys.

You can search three ways:

Search by What you need Tip
Name Last name and first name, with license type if you know it Partial names work. You can also search maiden or other names.
License number The number and the license type More exact than a name
NCSBN ID The nurse's NCSBN ID The most exact match

The license types you can pick are RN, LVN/LPN, the four advanced practice (APRN) roles (CNM, CNP, CNS, CRNA), the 6 month APRN Permit and the Refresher Permit.

The Texas BON says nurses can check their status in three places: their Texas Nurse Portal account, the Texas Verification Portal, or Nursys. All three draw on the Board's own records. Texas stopped issuing paper licenses on September 1, 2008, so the online record is the license. A nurse who needs a copy prints it from the verification page.

What each field means

A Texas result uses the same fields as a Nursys QuickConfirm report:

  • Name, license type and number: check they match the person and the job (RN, LVN or APRN).
  • Is License Active: "Yes" means the nurse may work on this Texas license.
  • Expiration date: Texas licenses renew every two years.
  • Compact status: "Multistate" or "Single state". See the next section.
  • Discipline: any action against the license, or against the nurse's privilege to practice in other compact states. "(see history)" opens the details.

Two status words often confuse readers. "Delinquent" means the license expired because it was not renewed. The Board says this "does not indicate or imply discipline". "Inactive" and "retired" are statuses a nurse can choose instead of renewing.

Texas licenses and the compact

Texas joined the enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) on January 19, 2018. A Texas resident who meets the 11 uniform licensure requirements can hold a multistate license and practice in all compact states. A nurse who does not meet them may still get a single state license, valid in Texas only.

Texas asks each nurse to declare a primary state of residence on the exam, endorsement or renewal application. A nurse who lives in another compact state and holds that state's active multistate license can work in Texas without a Texas license. That nurse holds no Texas license, so search Nursys QuickConfirm, which covers the boards of every compact state. The full member list is in Compact nursing states: the 2026 list.

The compact covers RN and LVN licenses only. Texas is not in any APRN compact, so an APRN who works in Texas needs a Texas APRN license.

What to do if your own record shows an error

  1. Log in to your Texas Nurse Portal and check your details there first.
  2. For a name or address change, Board Rule 217.7 says to tell the Board in writing. You can do this through the Nurse Portal and upload your documents.
  3. For anything else, use the Nurse Portal Message Center or call the Board at (512) 305-7400, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
  4. Allow time for the fix to reach Nursys. NCSBN says it cannot change board data itself. The Board sends updates on its own schedule.

Sending a Texas verification to another state

Texas no longer sends paper or electronic verifications to other US boards. You request them through Nursys Verification for Endorsement, which costs US$30 per license type. For a board outside the United States, or a non-nursing agency, email the Board's form to licensing@bon.texas.gov and allow up to 20 business days. More detail is in RN license verification: Nursys or the board's lookup?.

What to do next

  1. Use only the official portal linked from bon.texas.gov, or nursys.com.
  2. If you are moving to Texas from another compact state, read the 60-day rule on the NLC site before you move.
  3. If you are taking the NCLEX for a Texas license, the exam steps are in How do you register for the NCLEX?, and NCLEXPace has a Texas BON exam registration guide at https://www.nclexpace.com/nclex-registration/usa/texas-bon. All Nursing Exams, NCLEXPace and NPractitioner are run by the same team.

Common questions

Do employers in Texas have to check?

Yes. Texas rules require supervisors to verify the current license or compact privilege of the nurses they are responsible for. The Board encourages employers to use its online verification.

Why can't I find a travel nurse on the Texas lookup?

If the nurse works on a multistate license from another compact state, the license was issued by that state, not Texas. Search Nursys QuickConfirm, which shows the multistate license and its compact status.

Is the Texas lookup free?

Yes. Looking up a license on the portal or on Nursys QuickConfirm costs nothing. Only a formal verification for endorsement has a fee.

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