Taking the NCLEX in Mexico

Where the Mexico City center is

The October 2026 quarterly list of international Pearson Professional Centers gives one Mexican location: Antonio Dovali Jaime 70, Torre B, Piso 6, Colonia Zedec Santa Fe, Alvaro Obregon, Mexico City, postal code 01210. No other Mexican city appears, so candidates in Guadalajara, Monterrey or Tijuana either travel to Santa Fe or book a center inside the United States.

The candidate bulletin warns that the international list can change without notice, and NCSBN republishes it every quarter. If your booked center becomes unavailable, Pearson tells you and you may move to another center; in that one case the international fee is refunded if you move to a US center. Check the current quarter's file on nclex.com before you buy flights or hotel nights.

What a sitting in Mexico City costs

As of November 2026, nclex.com lists a $200 registration fee for US licensure and an additional $150 international scheduling fee, so a first attempt in Mexico City costs $350 before travel. The bulletin adds that a value-added tax may be charged on international appointments where applicable, and that neither the fees nor the VAT are refunded for any reason.

NCSBN has announced that from February 1, 2027 the US registration fee rises to $350, which would put a Mexico City sitting at $500 plus any VAT. Moving an international appointment to another international center keeps your $150 fee. Moving it to a US center, or cancelling, forfeits it, so decide where you will test before you schedule.

The passport rule that turns people away

At every international center the only accepted ID is a passport book or card. A driver's license is on the domestic list but not the international one, and an INE voter card is on neither. The first and last names on the passport must match exactly the names you registered with Pearson, character for character.

A mismatch is expensive: the bulletin says a candidate turned away must reregister, pay the exam fee again and forfeit the international scheduling fee. If your passport shows both apellido paterno and apellido materno, register the surname exactly as the passport prints it. To change an appointment, use your NCLEX candidate profile or call Pearson Candidate Services at least 24 hours ahead.

Can Mexican nurses get a US license?

Yes, but the license comes from a state board, not from the exam. A pass in Mexico City counts the same as a pass in Texas; what differs is the paperwork the board wants before it issues an Authorization to Test. Texas, for example, asks internationally educated applicants for a Credential Evaluation Service full education report from an accepted provider, verification of every license held, fingerprints and its jurisprudence exam.

Texas also wants a passing English proficiency score when the nursing program was not taught in English, which applies to anyone whose licenciatura en enfermeria was taught in Spanish. The reports must reach the board directly from the agency that issued them, and first-time international applicants must be within four years of graduating or of their last nursing work. Other boards set their own lists, so read your board's page before paying any evaluator.

The exam is in English, and work authorization is a separate step

There is no Spanish NCLEX. NCSBN's fee table offers a language change only to candidates seeking Canadian registration, and only between English and French. Plan your English practice alongside content review, because you will need it twice: for the board's English test and for an exam with a five-hour time limit.

Passing and getting licensed still does not let you work in the US by itself. Federal rule 8 CFR 214.6 lists Registered Nurse among the USMCA professions eligible for TN status, with a state or provincial license or a licenciatura degree as the qualification. TN status covers entry for work; the state license is what lets you practice, so a TN plan only makes sense once the board has licensed you.

Sources

NCSBN: International Pearson Professional Center sites and addresses (updated October 2026). Mexico City is the only Mexican center, with its full address (October 2026 list).

NCLEX fees and payment (nclex.com). $200 US registration fee, $150 international scheduling fee, no refunds, card payment, $350 registration fee from February 1, 2027 (viewed November 2026).

2026 NCLEX Examination Candidate Bulletin. VAT on international appointments, no refunds, passport-only ID at international centers, name-match and reregistration rule, domestic versus international definitions for US and Canadian candidates, Canadian fees.

Texas Board of Nursing: licensure by examination. Texas documents for internationally educated applicants: CES report, English score when the program was not in English, verification of licensure sent directly, four-year eligibility rule.

8 CFR 214.6: Canadian and Mexican citizens seeking temporary entry (TN), via Cornell LII. Registered Nurse is a listed TN profession, qualifying with a state or provincial license or a licenciatura degree.