Taking the NCLEX from Pakistan: the Lahore test center, fees and eligibility

The Lahore center and the passport rule

NCSBN's quarterly list of international Pearson Professional Centers for October 2026 shows a single site in Pakistan: Office Number 13, First Floor, Mall of Lahore, postal code 54000. There is no Karachi or Islamabad site on that list. The Candidate Bulletin warns the international list can change without notice, so check the current file before booking travel to Lahore.

Bring your passport. The 2026 Candidate Bulletin says a passport book or card is the only ID accepted at international centers, so a national identity card that works for everything else in Pakistan will not get you in. The name must match your registration exactly, or you are turned away, must pay the exam fee again and lose the international scheduling fee.

What it costs, and why there is no official PKR price

As of November 2026, NCSBN lists a $200 USD registration fee for US licensure and a $150 USD international scheduling fee for testing outside the US, plus VAT where it applies. That makes $350 for a sitting in Lahore. Payment is by Visa, MasterCard or American Express credit, debit or prepaid card, and neither fee is refunded for any reason.

NCSBN charges in dollars, so the rupee amount depends on your bank's exchange rate and card charges on the day you pay. Any PKR figure you see quoted is someone's conversion, not an official fee. Plan for the rise too: registrations made on or after February 1, 2027 cost $350, so with the international fee a Lahore sitting becomes $500. Board application fees are separate.

Eligibility comes from a US board, not from Pearson

Booking a seat in Lahore does not make you eligible. You apply for licensure to one US state board of nursing, register with Pearson VUE, and only after the board approves you does Pearson email an Authorization to Test. Requirements vary by board, but foreign-educated applicants are commonly asked for a credentials evaluation, English proof and license verification from the regulator. Texas, for example, says verification must come directly from the licensing authority with its official seal.

In Pakistan that regulator is the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council, which registers and licenses nurses and runs the license verification service. Start that request early, since it has to reach the board from the issuer, not from you. If your names differ across your degree, PNMC record and passport, sort it out before you register with Pearson.

How Pakistan-educated candidates did in 2025

NCSBN's 2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics count 692 first-time, Pakistan-educated candidates taking the NCLEX-RN for US licensure, and 48.6% passed. The quarterly rates were 57.9%, 42.4%, 46.6% and 49.6%, which shows how much a single quarter can swing. The rate for all first-time internationally educated candidates that year was 47.3%.

A separate table covers candidates testing for Canadian registration: 43 first-time Pakistan-educated candidates, 60.5% passing. That group is too small to compare fairly with the US figure. NCSBN groups candidates by country of education, not passport, and gives no reasons for differences between countries.

Preparing from Pakistan

The exam you sit in Lahore is the same NCLEX given in the US, built on the 2026 NCLEX-RN Test Plan, so preparation does not need to be local. Two free official resources are worth using first: the test plan, which sets the weight of each Client Needs area, and the NCSBN candidate tutorial on nclex.com, which shows every item type.

Test-day logistics are where Lahore candidates need extra care. Changes must be made online or by phone at least one full business day before your appointment, and moving from an international center to a US one forfeits the $150 fee. If the Lahore center becomes unavailable and you move to a US center, NCSBN refunds that fee.

Sources

International Pearson Professional Center Sites and Addresses, October 2026 (NCSBN). Pakistan's only listed center: Lahore, Office Number 13 First Floor, Mall of Lahore, 54000.

NCLEX Fees and Payment (NCSBN). $200 registration fee, $150 international scheduling fee, accepted cards, no refunds, $350 registration fee from February 1, 2027.

2026 NCLEX Examination Candidate Bulletin (NCSBN). Passport-only ID at international centers, exact name match, forfeited fees, VAT, list subject to change, rescheduling and refund rules between international and domestic centers, ATT after board eligibility.

2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics (NCSBN, June 2026). Table 9: 692 first-time Pakistan-educated NCLEX-RN candidates for US licensure, 48.6% passed, quarterly rates; 47.3% for all first-time internationally educated; Table 11: 43 candidates, 60.5% for Canadian licensure.

Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council. PNMC registers and licenses nurses in Pakistan and provides license verification services.