Arizona CNA Certification — Renewal, Lapse & Transfer Rules

The Arizona facts

Credential	Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
Registry	Arizona Nurse Aide Registry (Arizona State Board of Nursing, AZBN) · (602) 771-7800
Training required	120 hours
Exam	Headmaster — $130 (written $35 · skills $95)
How renewal works	A calendar renewal and a paid-work rule both apply. Renewal fee: $0.
Keep-active work rule	CNA registration renews every 2 years on the last day of your birth month (A.R.S. 32-1642(E)). You must file a renewal application with a verified statement that you performed nursing or nursing-related services for at least 8 hours in the previous 24 consecutive months and that your registry listing has no documented findings. CNA renewal fee is $0 (AZBN fee schedule). Late renewal costs $10 per year since last renewed. Do not confuse CNA with LNA: a Licensed Nursing Assistant renews for $50 and must document 160 hours of work.
Continuing education	No continuing education required for CNA registry renewal.
Who reports your work	You do — nobody files it for you

If your Arizona certification has lapsed

The cheaper route — while it lasts

If your certificate is expired less than 2 years and you can document the required paid work in the past 24 months, apply for late renewal/reinstatement through the AZBN Nurse Portal and pay the $10-per-year late fee.

Past that line

If you cannot document qualifying work in the past 24 months, or the lapse is extended, you must re-establish competency - retake and pass the Headmaster competency exam, and if the Board requires it, complete a new AZBN-approved 120-hour training program before testing.

Two-tier trap: Arizona has BOTH a free CNA (registry) and a paid LNA (license) from the same 120-hour course and same exam. Work rule differs sharply - 8 hours for CNA vs 160 hours for LNA. Headmaster audio knowledge test is $45 instead of $35, making the total $140 for the audio route.

Transferring INTO Arizona

Application fee: $50. Listed in good standing on another state's nurse aide registry, no findings, lawful presence in the U.S. AZBN fee schedule lists CNA/LNA Endorsement at $50. LNA endorsement adds a $50 background check and fingerprints (CNA endorsement does not require fingerprints). Work-history requirement: Must have worked as a CNA for pay in the past 24 months - at least 8 hours for the CNA route (160 hours for LNA endorsement). Some secondary sources also require an equivalent training program; confirm hours equivalence with AZBN if your program was under 120 hours.. Apply online through the AZBN Nurse Portal.

The table below is computed for an active aide in good standing, trained to the origin state's standard hours. Your own hours or status can change your row — run the transfer checker with your real facts.

Certified in	Verdict for Arizona	Fee	Why
Alabama	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Alaska	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Arizona	Same state — no transfer needed
Arkansas	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
California	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Colorado	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Connecticut	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Delaware	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
District of Columbia	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Florida	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Georgia	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Hawaii	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Idaho	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Illinois	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Indiana	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Iowa	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Kansas	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Kentucky	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Louisiana	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Maine	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Maryland	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Massachusetts	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Michigan	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Minnesota	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Mississippi	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Missouri	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Montana	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Nebraska	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Nevada	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
New Hampshire	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
New Jersey	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
New Mexico	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
New York	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
North Carolina	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
North Dakota	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Ohio	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Oklahoma	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Oregon	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Pennsylvania	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Rhode Island	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
South Carolina	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
South Dakota	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Tennessee	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Texas	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Utah	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Vermont	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Virginia	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Washington	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
West Virginia	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Wisconsin	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.
Wyoming	Accepted — with conditions	$50	Arizona accepts active certifications with a $50 application fee, a work-history requirement.

Included in the $39 CNAStatusCheck Kit

The kit carries Arizona's full recovery path — the forms, the order to file them, the phone scripts — plus transfer checklists for every destination. See the kit →

Arizona CNA certification: stay active, lapse, and transfer rules

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