The New York State Education Department (“SED”) Office of the Professions (“OP”) is alerting everyone to a vishing scam that has been brought to our attention. Phishing—or “vishing”—scams impersonate SED employees or websites attempting to collect licensure and personal information from the licensee. If you receive an inquiry which you believe to be suspicious do not provide any information. To verify if the inquiry was from OP, contact OP directly using the following contact information. You may report suspicious calls or emails to the Federal Trade Commission.
  • NYSED Homepage
  • Disclaimer
  • Contact Us
  • NYSED Employment
  • Board Members Only

RN Pathway #5 - Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (Outside of the U.S. and U.S. Territories)

These instructions apply to applicants for licensure as a RN who graduated from a nursing school in a foreign country (outside of the U.S. and U.S. territories).

  • STEP 1: COMPLETE NEW YORK STATE'S REQUIRED COURSEWORK.
    You must complete a NYSED Approved Infection Control Course and a Child Abuse Identification and Reporting Course from an approved provider or qualify for an exemption.
     
  • STEP 2: SUBMIT Online Form 1 - Application for Licensure - RN.
    You must pay the $143 license and first registration fee by credit card.
    If you started filling out Online Form 1 within the past 30 days, you can continue filling it out by using this link. You will need your Application ID, social security number, and date of birth to access your application. If you already completed Online Form 1 and want to upload additional documentation to your application use this link. You will need your Application ID, and date of birth to access your application.
     
    • LIMITED PERMIT OPTION. If you have not taken the NCLEX-RN, you may apply for a limited permit using an Application for a Limited Permit (Form 5). Complete Section I and then ask your prospective employer to complete Section II. Mail the completed form with the $35 fee to the Office of the Professions at the address at the end of the form.
  • STEP 3: HAVE YOUR FOREIGN NURSING CREDENTIALS VERIFIED.
    You have two options for having your foreign nursing education credentials verified to the NYSED:
     
    • NOTE: You are not required to use CGFNS’ Credential Verification Service for New York State. However, it is often more difficult and time consuming to apply for an RN license without using this service.
       
    • Option 1: You must arrange to have the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS)* verify your nursing education credentials to the NYSED using CGFNS’ Credential Verification Service for New York State*. If you were also licensed as a nurse in a foreign country, you must arrange for NYSED to receive verification of your nursing license from the licensing authority that issued it.
      *CGFNS is a non-profit company that helps foreign educated individuals who want to work in the U.S. as nurses. If you use CGFNS’ Credential Verification Service for New York State, CGFNS will collect and review your foreign nursing credentials. Then CGFNS will send a report to the NYSED regarding your credentials. After the NYSED reviews the report and your RN license application, it will inform you in writing whether your nursing education meets criteria for licensure as a RN in New York State. You may sign up for CGFNS’s Credential Verification Service for New York State online on at: www.cgfns.org or by calling 1-215-349-8767.
      - or -
    • Option 2: You must arrange to have your credentials verified by your foreign nursing school using a Certification of Professional Education (Form 2F). The school will certify your education on Form 2 and send it along with your official transcript and any other required documentation to the NYSED. If your transcript is in a language other than English, you must arrange to have it translated by a translation services acceptable to NYSED. If you were licensed as a nurse in a foreign country, you must arrange for the NYSED to receive verification of your nursing license from the licensing authority that issued it using a Verification of Foreign Professional Licensure/Certification (Form 3F)
  • ADDITIONAL STEP IF YOU HAVEN'T PASSED THE NCLEX-RN.
    If you haven’t passed NCLEX-RN, you must register to take the NCLEX-RN with Pearson VUE (the company that offers the NCLEX–RN in the U.S. and other countries). You may register online at www.pearsonvue.com/nclex/. Please note: Pearson VUE will not allow you to take the NCLEX-RN until NYSED completes a review your application for licensure as a RN and education credentials. If you have a disability and are seeking a reasonable accommodation to take the NCLEX-RN, submit a completed Request for Reasonable Testing Accommodations Form to NYSED. To retake the NCLEX-RN, you must reregister with Pearson VUE.
     
  • ADDITIONAL STEP IF YOU HAVE BEEN LICENSED AS AN RN, LPN OR LVN IN ANOTHER STATE OR U.S. TERRITORY.
    If you have been licensed as an RN in another state or a U.S. Territory, you must arrange to have information verifying your license(s) provided to the NYSED. There are two methods for verifying your RN license:
     
    • Nursys®: NYSED participates in Nursys® (an online service), to verify an applicant’s RN licenses from most other U.S. states. If you were licensed as an RN in a state that participates in Nursys®, use the Nursys® service to verify your nursing license to the NYSED. To find out whether your state participates in Nursys, visit: www.nursys.com. To sign-up for Nursys®, visit www.nursys.com After you sign up and pay the fee, Nursys® will provide verification of your nursing license directly to the NYSED.
       
    • Form 3: If have been licensed as an RN in a state or U.S. Territory that does not participate in Nursys®, Complete Section I of a Verification of Other Professional Licensure/Certification (Form 3) and send it to the licensing authority that granted you your nursing license and ask that they complete Section II. The licensing authority will verify your nursing license on Form 3 or a similar document and send it to the NYSED.
       
  • ADDITIONAL STEP IF YOU ARE LICENSED TO PRACTICE A PROFESSION OTHER THAN NURSING.
    If you are licensed to practice another profession in a state other than New York State or in a U.S. Territory, you must complete Section I of a Verification of Other Professional Licensure/Certification (Form 3) and send it to the licensing authority that granted your license and ask that they complete Section II. The licensing authority will verify your license on Form 3 and then send it to the NYSED.