Effective 09/01/2003 per Section 301.252 (b) of the Texas Occupations Code, all individuals seeking licensure as a nurse in the State of Texas must submit, along with a fee required by the board, a complete and legible set of fingerprints on a Board approved form for the purpose of obtaining a criminal history from the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

All students must undergo a criminal background check as part of the admission process.

All students must undergo Drug Testing.

This page contains helpful information about fingerprinting.

BOARD OF NURSE EXAMINERS' Requirements for licensure

Does Declaratory Orders apply to you?

• One may engage in questionable behaviors in one's younger years.
• Refer to Declaratory Orders to see if you must file a Declaratory Order Petition relating to criminal conduct (excluding minor Class C traffic violations), mental illness or licensing issues.
• Upon the student's graduation, the Board of Nurse Examiners for the State of Texas may deny the graduate's application to write the NCLEX-RN licensure examination if the graduate has certain criminal conviction or a lack of fitness to practice because of a specific mental or physical health condition that could result in injury to a patient or the public. 
• Refer to this document for Declaratory Orders Petition for particulars. Page 7 of this document addresses Frequently Asked Questions regarding Petitions for Declaratory Order.

If after reading the above document, applicants with questions concerning background checks or the Board's eligibility requirements should contact the Department of Nursing Education for further information.