Which countries accept the NCLEX for nurse licensure?

The three countries on NCSBN's list

NCSBN's NCLEX FAQ names the jurisdictions that use the exam: the United States, including American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the US Virgin Islands, plus Canada and Australia. The 2026 Candidate Bulletin reflects the same three, with a separate fee column for candidates seeking US, Canadian or Australian licensure.

Outside those three, NCSBN does not list any country that uses the NCLEX for its own licensure. If you plan to work somewhere else, such as the Gulf states or Europe, check that country's nursing regulator directly instead of assuming an NCLEX pass carries over.

United States: the exam behind every state license

Every US nursing regulatory body uses the NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN. You apply to one board, the board makes you eligible, and you register with Pearson. As of November 2026, NCSBN lists the US registration fee as $200, rising to $350 on February 1, 2027.

The license comes from the board, not the exam. Switching to a different board after you register costs $50, according to NCSBN's fee table, so choose the state before you pay rather than after.

Canada: same NCLEX-RN, different rules around it

NCSBN states that the same NCLEX-RN is used for Canadian and US entry to practice. The National Nursing Assessment Service calls it the mandatory entry-to-practice exam for RN registration across Canada, and its pathways tool covers nine provinces. Quebec is not part of those pathways, so applicants there should contact Quebec's nursing order.

Practical nurses are the exception. Since January 4, 2022, British Columbia and Ontario have used the REx-PN, a separate exam developed with NCSBN, rather than the NCLEX-PN. Canadian candidates pay $360 CAD for the NCLEX-RN as of November 2026, rising to $570 CAD on February 1, 2027.

Australia: one step for internationally qualified nurses

NCSBN lists Australia as an NCLEX jurisdiction and publishes a separate fee for candidates seeking Australian licensure, $200 USD as of November 2026. Which Australian applicants must sit it is set by Australian regulators, not NCSBN.

NCSBN's own pages say nothing about the rest of the Australian process, so confirm your pathway and any other steps with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia before you register and pay.

Testing abroad is not licensure abroad

A common mix-up is reading the list of international test centers as a list of countries that accept the NCLEX. NCSBN offers the exam in places such as India, the Philippines, Kenya and the United Kingdom, but a candidate testing there is still applying to a US, Canadian or Australian regulator.

The reverse also applies. Passing as an applicant to one regulator does not register you with another. Ask the second regulator whether it accepts an existing NCLEX result before you plan a move, and expect its own separate application, credential review and fees.

Sources

NCLEX Frequently Asked Questions (NCSBN). NCLEX used in the US and its territories, Canada and Australia; same NCLEX-RN for Canada and the US; international test center countries.

2026 NCLEX Examination Candidate Bulletin (NCSBN, rev. April 2026). Fee columns for US, Canadian and Australian licensure; $50 fee to change regulatory body.

NCLEX Fees and Payment (NCSBN). Registration fees by country and the February 1, 2027 increases.

NNAS Pathways Project (National Nursing Assessment Service). NCLEX-RN as the mandatory RN exam across Canada; nine provinces in the pathways tool, Quebec absent.

REx-PN now the practical nursing regulatory exam in B.C. (BCCNM). REx-PN is the practical nursing entry exam in British Columbia and Ontario from January 4, 2022.