Licensing/Registration for Canadian Nursing School Graduates

To work as a Registered Nurse (RN), Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RPN) or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) in British Columbia, registration with the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) is required.

Applying for BCCNM Registration

As a newly graduated nurse from a Canadian nursing school, your first step to obtaining registration with the BC College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM), will be to open a BCCNM account and begin an application for practising registration.

You can begin this process immediately following graduation.

Submitting Required Documents and Information

As part of your BCCNM application for practising registration, you may be asked to:

Consent to a Criminal Record Check
Provide Proof of English Language Proficiency
Provide Information on your Fitness to Practice, Character & Nursing Education
Submit Notarized Identity Documents.

For more information on what you will need to submit as part of your application to BCCNM, visit the BCCNM website:

Registration Decisions

Once you have completed your BCCNM application for practising registration, and your post-secondary institution has provided confirmation, BCCNM will review your application and issue a registration decision.

If you are deemed eligible for registration, you will be able to pay the BCCNM registration fee and will receive an email invitation to schedule your registration exam.

For information on BCCNM fees, visit:

Registration Exam

BCCNM will refer you to take the registration exam for your nursing designation after you have submitted your application for registration. Exams include the:

National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX) for Registered Nurses (RN),
Registered Psychiatric Nurses of Canada Exam (RPNCE) for Registered Psychiatric Nurses (RPN), or
Regulatory Exam – Practical Nurse (REx-PN) for Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN).

Provisional BCCNM Registration (Optional)

Provisional registration may be granted to eligible applicants who want to work while meeting their outstanding registration requirements (like writing and passing your NCLEX-RN or RPNCE). When these requirements are met, your provisional registration is automatically converted to practising registration. If you are not planning to practice nursing before gaining full registration, you do not need provisional registration.

Practising (Full) BCCNM Registration

After meeting all the BCCNM application requirements, passing the NCLEX (RN), RPNCE (RPN), or REx-PN (LPN) exam, and paying the annual BCCNM practising registration fee, BCCNM will grant you practising registration, and your name will be listed in the online directory as a practising registrant.