How to Get Licensed as a Nurse Practitioner in California (2026 Guide)

California does not issue a nurse practitioner license. It issues a California RN license and then adds an NP certificate to it, followed by a separate furnishing number that permits prescribing. Each is a distinct application with its own fee and queue at the Board of Registered Nursing (BRN), and the order is fixed: RN license first, NP certificate second, furnishing number with or after the certificate. Since 2023 the state has also offered two further certifications under Assembly Bill 890, the 103 NP and the 104 NP, that free an experienced NP from the standardized-procedure requirement.

Who regulates NPs in California

The BRN, a board within the Department of Consumer Affairs, licenses RNs and certifies NPs under the Nursing Practice Act (Business and Professions Code sections 2834 to 2837.105) and Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations. Prescribing of controlled substances also involves the DEA and the California Department of Justice, which runs the CURES prescription monitoring database. Applications go through the BreEZe online system.

Step one: the California RN license

The BRN states that you "must first have a California registered nurse license before obtaining the certificate." If you hold an RN license in another state, the fee schedule lists the RN endorsement application at $350 ($750 for internationally educated RNs), and the processing-times page currently shows 10 to 12 weeks for endorsement. California is not a Nurse Licensure Compact state, so a compact multistate license does not substitute.

Step two: NP certification

Apply online through BreEZe and pay the $500 Nurse Practitioner application fee. The documents depend on where you trained:

• Graduates of a California BRN-approved NP program: the school sends an official sealed transcript showing the graduation date to the BRN's transcript mailbox, and program verification comes from the school.
• Graduates of programs not approved by the BRN (most out-of-state graduates): the program director completes and signs the Verification of Nurse Practitioner Academic Program form and the Nurse Practitioner Advanced Pharmacology Course Verification form; the school sends the official transcript; and the national certifying organization sends verification of national certification. The BRN requires all forms and transcripts to come from the school or organization, electronically, not from the applicant.

Answer "yes" to the furnishing question on the application if you want the furnishing number issued at the same time; otherwise it is a second application later. A temporary NP certificate application is $150. The BRN's processing-times page lists NP certification at "4 Weeks (Mandatory Timeframe)".

Which exam results California accepts

For certification itself, California accepts national certification from the certifying national organization for your population focus; for FNP and AGPCNP graduates that is the Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (NPCB, formerly AANPCB) or ANCC. For the 103 NP and 104 NP categories the statute is specific: certification must come from a body accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies or the American Board of Nursing Specialties and recognized by the Board. NPCB holds both accreditations and ANCC holds NCCA accreditation, so either credential qualifies. If national certification lapses, a 103 or 104 NP must immediately return to practicing under standardized procedures until recertified.

Level of practice authority

Standardized procedures (the default)

Under Business and Professions Code 2836.1 an NP furnishes drugs and devices under standardized procedures or protocols developed and approved by the supervising physician, the NP and the facility administrator. The protocol must specify which NPs may furnish, which drugs, under what circumstances, the extent of physician supervision and how the NP's competence is periodically reviewed, including peer review. Supervision "shall not be construed to require the physical presence of the physician": the physician must collaborate on and approve the procedure and be available by telephone when the NP is examining a patient. A physician may supervise no more than four NPs at one time for furnishing. Schedule II and III furnishing requires a patient-specific protocol approved by the treating or supervising physician. This arrangement fits the American Association of Nurse Practitioners' definition of restricted practice, since supervision through the standardized procedure is a condition of furnishing.

103 NP: practice without standardized procedures in a group setting

AB 890 (Statutes of 2020, amended by SB 1451 in 2024) created the 103 NP certification. Requirements on the BRN's page:

• current BRN NP certification and national certification from an NCCA- or ABSNC-accredited body;
• a transition to practice of 4,600 hours or three full-time equivalent years of direct patient care, completed in California after BRN NP certification and within the five years before the application;
• attestation of those hours by a physician, osteopathic physician, 103 NP or 104 NP with no familial or financial relationship to the applicant, signed under penalty of perjury;
• practice in a group setting with at least one physician and surgeon: clinics, health facilities (excluding correctional treatment centers and state hospitals), medical group practices, home health agencies and hospices qualify; nursing corporations do not.

The BRN states that there is currently no fee to apply for 103 NP certification. A 103 NP who furnishes still needs the furnishing number. Both 103 and 104 NPs must post a notice in at least 48-point Arial type stating that NPs are licensed and regulated by the BRN, with the Board's phone number and website, and must verbally tell every new patient, in a language the patient understands, that an NP is not a physician and surgeon. Employers may still require standardized procedures as a condition of employment.

104 NP: independent practice

A 104 NP may practice outside a group setting, within the population focus of the national certification, after three full-time equivalent years or 4,600 hours of direct patient care as a 103 NP in good standing (an active, unrestricted license with no probation, suspension or public reproval). DNP graduates may count doctoral clinical hours in the certification area that were not already counted toward a master's degree. Because the first 103 NPs were certified in 2023, 104 NP certification became available in 2026. A 104 NP must consult, collaborate with and refer to other providers based on patient needs. No fee for the 104 NP application appears on the fee schedule; confirm with the board.

Prescriptive authority and controlled substances

Prescribing in California is "furnishing," and it requires the furnishing number. The application fee is $400, and the BRN must certify under section 2836.3 that you completed a pharmacology course covering the drugs and devices you will furnish; for non-approved programs the school sends the pharmacology verification form and a transcript showing the course. Processing is listed at 4 weeks, the same queue as certification.

Controlled substances add three layers:

1. Schedule II eligibility at the BRN. To furnish Schedule II you must have completed pharmacology content that includes the risks of addiction, submit the advanced pharmacology verification form, and register with the DEA. The BRN notes that continuing education cannot be used to obtain Schedule II authority initially; if the combined application already meets the requirement, Schedule II may be granted when the certification is approved.
2. DEA registration, applied for with the California practice address after the furnishing number issues.
3. CURES. Health and Safety Code 11165.1 requires every California prescriber authorized for Schedules II through V to register for CURES access upon issuance of the DEA registration certificate, and section 11165.4 sets the mandatory consultation rules. The BRN collects a CURES fee at renewal: $15 per year for licenses expiring on or after July 1, 2025, or $30 per two-year renewal.

To keep Schedule II privileges, the BRN requires a minimum 3-hour continuing education course on Schedule II controlled substances and addiction risks by each renewal.

Renewal and continuing education

Everything renews on the two-year RN cycle. The fee schedule lists RN renewal at $190 ($280 delinquent), NP certificate renewal at $150 ($225 delinquent) and furnishing number renewal at $180 ($255 delinquent), plus the CURES fee for prescribers. Continuing education is 30 contact hours every two years from a BRN-approved provider. Two targeted rules apply to NPs: if more than 25% of your primary care population is aged 65 or older, at least 6 of the 30 hours must be in gerontology, dementia care or care of older patients; and licensees in their first two years after initial licensure complete one hour of direct participation in an implicit bias course.

Typical timeline

An out-of-state graduate should expect roughly four months from RN endorsement filing to a usable furnishing number if every document arrives on time, since the queues run in sequence.

Key numbers at a glance

Key points

Fees and processing times were read from the Board of Registered Nursing's fee schedule and processing-times page in November 2026 and the Board updates both regularly, so confirm every figure with the BRN before you apply.

Related NPPace guides

• How to Get Licensed as a Nurse Practitioner in Florida (2026 Guide)
• How to Get Licensed as a Nurse Practitioner in New York (2026 Guide)
• How to Get Licensed as a Nurse Practitioner in Texas (2026 Guide)
• AANP vs ANCC: Which NP Certification Exam Should You Take?