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Nurse Licensure Renewals – 9/15/2023-10/31/2023

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​​​​Kentucky LPN, RN, SANE, and APRN licenses/credentials must be renewed between September 15 to midnight ET on October 31, 2023. ​​​


  • Submitting your renewal application does not automatically renew your license.
  • You will receive an email when your license has been renewed. You can also check the online validation​ to determine if it has been renewed.
  • Renewal applications submitted after close of business on a Friday may not be processed until the next business day.
  • A license that is not renewed before midnight, Eastern Time, on October 31 will lapse and the individual cannot practice as a nurse until the license is renewed/reinstated. October 31 occurs on a weekend; therefore, it is strongly encouraged that nurses complete their renewal application early enough to allow time for review and processing.
  • Visit our page regarding ​Compact requirements for information on the following:
    • Information on licensure, including eligibility for a compact, multistate license
    • How to determine your primary state of residence
    • A list of current states that participate in the Nurse Licensure Compact
  • If a nurse’s primary state of residence is in a compact state other than Kentucky and the nurse qualifies for a compact, multistate license the nurse will not be able to renew their Kentucky LPN or RN license. The exception to this is if you are not eligible for a compact, multistate license.
  • ​For a full list of eligibility requirements see the information on the Nurse Licensure Compact page referenced above. The most common reasons that a nurse may not meet the requireme​nts for a compact, multistate license include the following:
    • If the nurse holds an encumbered license (i.e. with active discipline);
    • If the nurse has been convicted or found guilty, or has entered an agreed disposition of a felony offense under applicable state or federal criminal law;
    • If the nurse has misdemeanor convictions related to the practice of nursing as determined on a case-by-case basis; or If the nurse is a participant in an alternative program.
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If you received your LPN or RN license on or after 5/1/2022, your license will expire on 10/31/2023. No further action is needed by you during the 2022 license renewal period.

If you received your APRN license on or after 5/1/2022, your APRN license will expire on 10/31/2023; however, you must renew your Kentucky RN license first and within 24 hours the APRN license will update to reflect the expiration 10/31/2023. The Kentucky RN license cannot have an expiration date past the expiration date of the APRN license.

​If you have a compact, multistate license for your RN, your APRN license will reflect the expiration date of 10/31/2023. No further action is needed by you during the 2022 license renewal period.

Visit our page regarding being in the ​military for more information.

If KBN records reflect that your national certification has expired and your APRN license has been invalidated, you will be unable to renew your APRN license. You will be able to renew your RN license if it is still active; however, you will have to apply for reinstatement of your APRN license.

For more information visit the ​APRN reinstatement page

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If you are reporting any of the above, you are strongly encouraged to apply for renewal of your license early to allow adequate time for review and processing so that your license does not expire.

You must submit the following documentation on or before close of business on October 29th or your license may not be renewed. If your license is not renewed due to your failure to submit the required documentation, you will have to reinstate your license and you will not be able to work as a nurse using your Kentucky license until the reinstatement process is complete. Any instance of working on a lapsed nursing license, even if a reinstatement application has been filed, is a violation of KRS Chapter 314 and may subject you to disciplinary action.

Misdemeanor and/or Felony conviction(s):

  • A letter of explanation that describes, in your own words, the decisions, circumstances, and events that led to each conviction.
  • An official, certified or attested copy of the court record showing the disposition (outcome: guilty plea, guilty, diversion, etc.) for each conviction. You should contact the clerk’s office where each conviction was disposed and request a certified or attested copy of the court record/case history.
  • An official, certified or attested, copy of the citation or complaint that initiated each conviction and certified or attested copy of each indictment, if applicable. You should contact the clerk’s office where each conviction was disposed and request a certified or attested copy of the citation/complaint and indictment, if applicable.
  • Verification of the status of your compliance with the court-ordered terms for each conviction. If you were required to pay a fine, you should submit proof of paying the fine or having made a payment toward the amount owed. If you were required to attend a class, treatment, etc., you should submit proof of having completed the required class, treatment, etc., or proof of having scheduled the required class, treatment, etc. If you are currently on probation, parole, or diversion, verification of your compliance with probation/parole/diversion, whether supervised or unsupervised, verification of your compliance from the Probation and Parole office is required.

Disciplinary Action(s):

  • A letter of explanation that describes, in your own words, the decisions, circumstances, and events that led to each disciplinary action.
  • An official, certified or attested copy of each disciplinary action. The document(s) should be attested or certified by the regulatory agency responsible for the issuance of the discipline.
  • Verification of the status of your compliance with the terms of each disciplinary action. For each disciplinary action where you have successfully completed the requirements, you should submit an official, certified or attested, copy of the notification that you received indicating that you completed the requirements of the disciplinary action. For each disciplinary action where you have not yet completed the requirements and/or the discipline is still actively affecting your license/application in that state/jurisdiction, you should submit an official, certified or attested, statement from the regulatory agency that issued the discipline or that is monitoring your compliance with the terms of the discipline regarding the status of your compliance. Alternately, each regulatory agency that issued the disciplinary action or that is monitoring your compliance with the disciplinary action may submit a statement regarding your compliance directly to Board staff by email to KBNDisciplineAlert@ky.gov. If there were no requirements in the disciplinary action, you should contact the regulatory agency that issued the discipline and request verification that you have no requirements for the disciplinary action.
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Active/Pending Investigation(s) on your nursing, professional, and/or occupational license/certificate/multistate privilege to practice:

  • A letter of explanation that describes, in your own words, the decisions, circumstances, and events that led to each investigation.
  • An official, certified or attested copy of the complaint that initiated each active investigation or the documentation provided to you that notified you of the investigation on your nursing, professional, and/or occupational license, certificate, or multistate privilege to practice. The documentation should be certified or attested by the investigating agency and include the allegations being investigated.

Admission to Alternative to Discipline Monitoring Program(s):

  • A letter of explanation that describes, in your own words, the decisions, circumstances, and events that led to each admittance to an alternative to discipline program.
  • An official copy of each alternative to discipline monitoring agreement, showing the terms of your monitoring. The documentation should be certified or attested by the regula​tory agency that issued the monitoring agreement.
  • Verification of the status of your compliance with the terms of each monitoring agreement. You should contact your case manager/contact with each monitoring program and request an official, certified or attested, statement verifying your compliance with your agreement. Alternately, your case manager/contact with each monitoring program may submit a statement regarding your compliance directly to Board staff by email to KBNDisciplineAlert@ky.gov.

While outside agencies may use the ​KBNDis​ciplineAlert@ky.gov to submit documentation on your behalf, nurses will need to upload their documentation at https://ssla.state.ky.us/kbnursing/SearchDocument.aspx​.​

​If you are currently in monitoring with the Kentucky Board of Nursing and have questions regarding your eligibility for renewal, please contact your Case Manager.

Continuing education contact hours must be earned during the period of November 1, 2022 – October 31, 2023. You do not have to complete the contact hours before submitting the renewal application and paying the renewal fee. Hours must be completed before October 31, 2023.

Nurses do not need to submit proof of earning their CE at the time of renewal. When you submit your application, you are attesting that you have completed or will complete the continuing competency requirement by midnight on October 31, 2023.

The KBN has partnered with CE Broker so that nurses can upload CE documents into their CE Broker account to provide proof of completion of their CE requirements and to keep track of continuing education. With the exception of nurses selected for the CE Audit, the use of CE Broker is optional but encouraged. The Basic CE Broker package is free for the nurse.

Additional information can be obtained about Continuing Education requirements on the KBN website.​​

  • For information visit our ​name change page.
  • The name change request may be submitted before or after the renewal period. The nurse does not need to wait for the name change to be processed to complete the renewal; however, the renewal application should be completed using the name that is currently on file with the KBN.
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The renewal application fee is non-refundable.  It is the nurse’s responsibility to ensure that they are properly submitting the application prior to submitting the renewal application and paying the renewal fee. ​

Contact the following KBN branches for additional information:

  • Questions about the renewal process – Credentials Branch
  • Questions about reporting convictions, investigations, or discipline – Investigation Branch
  • Questions if you are currently in monitoring – Compliance Branch
  • Questions about reporting admission to an alternative to discipline monitoring program – Compliance Branch

For contact information, visit the Contact KBN page​.