How to renew your Georgia RN license
Georgia RN licenses renew every two years, expiring January 31 — check your license for whether yours falls in an even or odd year. Renewal costs $65 through the GOALS portal and requires one of five competency options: 30 CE hours, 500 practice hours, a national certification, an academic program, or a re-entry program.
How to renew your Georgia RN license
- Cycle
- 2 years — expires January 31 (two cohorts: even-year and odd-year — check your license)
- Eligibility
- Active GA RN; met a competency option during the biennium; no unresolved discipline
- Competency
- Any ONE of five options (see requirements)
- Fee
- $65 + $5 online processing · Late (February) $75 · Reinstatement $90
- Renewal window
- Opens ~90 days before January 31; late window is February 1–28 only
- Portal
- GOALS — goals.sos.ga.gov
- CE reporting
- CE Broker (basic free)
- Documentation retention
- 4 years — CE certificates, employer verification, cert cards, transcripts
- Compact
- eNLC state — renewing auto-renews the multistate
- Confirm your cohort and expiration yearGeorgia has two cohorts — even-year and odd-year expirations. Go by the date printed on your wall license, not internet folklore. Your renewal window opens roughly 90 days before January 31.
- Choose ONE of five competency options30 CE hours, 500 practice hours, a qualifying national certification, an accredited academic program (≥2 credit hours), or a board-approved re-entry program. Pick the cheapest path you already qualify for.
- Gather documentation before you renewCE certificates (provider, date, hours, approval number), employer verification letter for practice hours, national cert card, or academic transcript. Georgia is attestation-based but audits — keep records for 4 years.
- Report competency via CE BrokerA basic CE Broker account is free. Georgia uses CE Broker as its official CE registry (same as Florida). Uploads should occur before you attest in GOALS to avoid audit mismatches.
- Renew in GOALSRenew at goals.sos.ga.gov. Have your license number, SSN last 4, and payment ready. Answer the character/discipline questions honestly — a Yes answer triggers a manual review, not an automatic denial.
- Pay $65 + $5 processingOnline renewal: $65 + $5 processing. Late renewal (February only): $75. Payment by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express. Print or save the receipt PDF.
- Save everything to TrustStore the new wall card, receipt, and competency documentation. Renewing Georgia auto-renews your multistate license if Georgia is your primary state of residence — no separate action needed.
Requirements
Eligibility to renew: you must hold an active Georgia RN license, have met one of the five competency options during the current biennium, and have no unresolved disciplinary matter that would bar renewal. If you answer Yes to any character question in GOALS, the application moves to manual review rather than being auto-denied.
Pick ONE of five competency options — Georgia's flexibility is the story:
- 30 CE contact hours from a board-approved provider (employer-sponsored CE capped at 50% unless separately accredited; courses under 30 minutes don't count).
- Maintenance of a national certification (CCRN, CEN, OCN, CNOR, etc.) — ACLS, PALS, and TNCC explicitly do not count.
- 500 practice hours during the biennium, verified by a licensed facility on the employer form.
- Accredited academic program in nursing or a related field (minimum 2 credit hours completed in the biennium).
- Board-approved re-entry program, or graduation from a nursing program within the biennium.
Mandatory topics: none. Georgia prescribes no required subjects — unusual among large states. First-renewal exemption applies only if your initial license period was 6 months or less.
Documentation to keep for 4 years: CE certificates (each with provider name, course title, date, hours, and approval number), employer verification letter on facility letterhead for the practice-hours option, current certification card, official transcript for academic programs, or program completion letter for re-entry. Audits are random; digital copies stored in Trust satisfy retention.
How to renew, step by step
- 01Confirm your cohort and expiration yearGeorgia has two cohorts — even-year and odd-year expirations. Go by the date printed on your wall license, not internet folklore. Your renewal window opens roughly 90 days before January 31.
- 02Choose ONE of five competency options30 CE hours, 500 practice hours, a qualifying national certification, an accredited academic program (≥2 credit hours), or a board-approved re-entry program. Pick the cheapest path you already qualify for.
- 03Gather documentation before you renewCE certificates (provider, date, hours, approval number), employer verification letter for practice hours, national cert card, or academic transcript. Georgia is attestation-based but audits — keep records for 4 years.
- 04Report competency via CE BrokerA basic CE Broker account is free. Georgia uses CE Broker as its official CE registry (same as Florida). Uploads should occur before you attest in GOALS to avoid audit mismatches.
- 05Renew in GOALSRenew at goals.sos.ga.gov. Have your license number, SSN last 4, and payment ready. Answer the character/discipline questions honestly — a Yes answer triggers a manual review, not an automatic denial.
- 06Pay $65 + $5 processingOnline renewal: $65 + $5 processing. Late renewal (February only): $75. Payment by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express. Print or save the receipt PDF.
- 07Save everything to TrustStore the new wall card, receipt, and competency documentation. Renewing Georgia auto-renews your multistate license if Georgia is your primary state of residence — no separate action needed.
If you're late
Timeline overview. January 31: license expires. February 1–28: late renewal window at $75 — you may not practice during this window. March 1 and after: license is considered lapsed and the statute treats failure to renew "the same as a revocation."
February late renewal ($75): submit the standard renewal in GOALS with the $75 late fee. CE Broker reporting and competency documentation still required. Any shifts worked between January 31 and reinstatement are practicing without a license.
Reinstatement (March+): $90 fee, new application, fingerprint-based background check, citizenship documentation, plus one of — 500 RN practice hours in another state during the lapse + a competency option, nursing program graduation within the last 4 years, or a board-approved re-entry program (40 didactic + 160 clinical hours). Reinstatement is discretionary; the board can require additional evidence.
One month of grace, then a revoked-equivalent license — Georgia punishes forgetting harder than most states we cover. Trust reminders start at 90 days.
Frequently asked questions
- Does every Georgia RN renew in even-numbered years?
- No — that's a common myth. There are even-year and odd-year cohorts; your license shows which one you're in.
- Do I need 30 CE hours?
- Only if that's the option you choose. 500 practice hours, a national certification, an academic program, or a re-entry program each work instead.
- Does my ACLS or PALS card count as the certification option?
- No — work-related certs like ACLS, PALS, and TNCC are explicitly excluded. Specialty board certs like CCRN, CEN, OCN, CNOR count.
- What happens if I miss January 31?
- February: renew late at $75, no practicing. March onward: reinstatement — $90, fingerprints, and competency proof — and the statute treats a lapsed license as revocation-equivalent.
- Does renewing cover my multistate license?
- Yes — renewing the Georgia license automatically renews the multistate at no extra fee, as long as Georgia is your primary state of residence.
- Am I exempt from CE on my first renewal?
- Only if your initial license period was 6 months or shorter. Otherwise, first renewal follows the same rules as every other renewal.
- Can employer-sponsored CE cover all 30 hours?
- No — employer-sponsored CE is capped at 50% (15 hours) unless the employer's program is separately accredited by an approved body.
- How long do I keep documentation?
- Four years from the date of renewal. The board can audit at any point in that window. Digital copies stored in Trust satisfy the retention requirement.
Last verified against Georgia Board of Nursing sources:
Georgia vs Illinois vs Pennsylvania
Quick reference for the three state RN renewals we cover in depth. Verify at the board's official portal before you renew.
| Requirement | Georgia | Illinois | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cycle | 2 yr — Jan 31 (even/odd cohorts) | 2 yr — May 31 (all RNs) | 2 yr — Apr 30 (odd years) |
| Fee | $65 + $5 | $80 | $122 |
| Late fee | $75 (Feb only) | $10/mo up to $50 | $5/mo, capped |
| CE hours | 30 hrs OR 1 of 4 alternatives | 20 hrs (incl. mandatory topics) | 30 hrs (incl. child abuse, opioids) |
| Mandatory topics | None | Sexual harassment, implicit bias, Alzheimer's | Child abuse (2 hr), opioids (2 hr), organ donation (1 hr, 2026) |
| CE audit retention | 4 years | 5 years | 5 years |
| Reporting | CE Broker | Nurse Portal attestation | PALS attestation |
| Compact (NLC) | Yes — eNLC | No | Yes — implementing 2026 |
Trust tracks this renewal for you.
Trust reminds you at 90, 60, 30, and 7 days before January 31 — and tracks which of Georgia's five competency options you're using so you don't over-CE.
Keep exploring renewals
Adjacent boards, specialties, and states most often renewed alongside Georgia RN license renewal.