Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) · rules checked October 22, 2026

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

Certification may be renewed only until you allow 24 consecutive months to pass with NO nursing-related services for monetary compensation (F.S. 464.203(5)). Florida does not set a minimum hour count - any paid nursing-related work in the window keeps you renewable, which is why work_hours_per_window is null. You must also complete 24 hours of in-service training each biennium (F.S. 464.203(7)). Renewal fees: $55 on time, $105 if expired, $160 if notified delinquent (fees include the $5 unlicensed-activity fee).

Is my certification still active?

If you have never worked for pay since certifying, use your certification date.

The Florida facts

CredentialCertified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
RegistryFlorida Nurse Aide Registry (Florida Board of Nursing, Department of Health) · (850) 245-4125
Training required120 hours
ExamPrometric — $155 (written $35 · skills $120)
How renewal worksA calendar renewal and a paid-work rule both apply. Renewal fee: $55.
Keep-active work ruleCertification may be renewed only until you allow 24 consecutive months to pass with NO nursing-related services for monetary compensation (F.S. 464.203(5)). Florida does not set a minimum hour count - any paid nursing-related work in the window keeps you renewable, which is why work_hours_per_window is null. You must also complete 24 hours of in-service training each biennium (F.S. 464.203(7)). Renewal fees: $55 on time, $105 if expired, $160 if notified delinquent (fees include the $5 unlicensed-activity fee).
Continuing education24 hours of in-service training per biennium covering required topics including bloodborne pathogens/infection control, domestic violence, medical record documentation and legal aspects, resident rights, communication with cognitively impaired clients, CPR, and medical error prevention. Keep your own documentation - the Board does not collect it at renewal.
Who reports your workYou do — nobody files it for you

The Florida renewal walkthrough

Portal, forms, the steps in order, the exact fee, and the trap that lapses Florida aides — our guide How to renew your CNA license in Florida walks the renewal end to end.

If your Florida certification has lapsed

The cheaper route — while it lasts

Delinquent (expired less than 2 years and you have not gone 24 consecutive months without paid work): renew through the MQA portal, attest to work and in-service, and pay the higher delinquent renewal fee ($105, rising to $160 in notified-delinquent status).

Past that line

Null and void: once 24 consecutive months pass without paid nursing-related work, the certificate cannot be renewed at all. You must reapply as a new applicant, complete Level II Live Scan background screening, and retake both Prometric exams. The statute (464.203(5)) phrases the comeback as completing a new training and competency evaluation program OR a new competency evaluation program - in practice the Board treats null-and-void as reapply + retest as new.

Florida is the challenge-exam state: training is NOT legally required to sit the exam - anyone 18+ (or with a diploma/GED) may challenge it directly, though approved programs are 120 hours (80 classroom + 40 clinical). Failing the exam 3 times forces an approved training program before a 4th attempt (464.203(2)).

Transferring INTO Florida

Application fee: $0 · typical processing: About 10-30 business days after a complete application and screening (secondary-source estimate).. MOBILE Act endorsement (s. 456.0145): hold an active, unencumbered out-of-state CNA certification, meet the statutory practice-history and good-standing requirements, pass a national exam/certification check, and complete Florida Level II background screening via Live Scan (ORI EDOH4420Z). No separate Board endorsement fee - you pay only the Live Scan provider (about $80-$100). If you do not meet MOBILE criteria, you must use the examination pathway instead. Work-history requirement: Practice-history requirement is stated inconsistently in secondary sources - 2 years of active practice in the past 4 years in some Board-based summaries, 3 years in the past 4 in others. Verify the current MOBILE Act figure on floridasnursing.gov before relying on either number.. Background screening is mandatory even though the Board fee is $0 - budget for Live Scan and keep your Transaction Control Number.

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 inVerdict for FloridaFeeWhy
AlabamaAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
AlaskaAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
ArizonaAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
ArkansasAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
CaliforniaAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
ColoradoAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
ConnecticutAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
DelawareAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
District of ColumbiaAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
FloridaSame state — no transfer needed
GeorgiaAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
HawaiiAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
IdahoAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
IllinoisAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
IndianaAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
IowaAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
KansasAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
KentuckyAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
LouisianaAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
MaineAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
MarylandAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
MassachusettsAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
MichiganAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
MinnesotaAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
MississippiAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
MissouriAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
MontanaAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
NebraskaAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
NevadaAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
New HampshireAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
New JerseyAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
New MexicoAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
New YorkAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
North CarolinaAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
North DakotaAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
OhioAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
OklahomaAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
OregonAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
PennsylvaniaAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
Rhode IslandAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
South CarolinaAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
South DakotaAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
TennesseeAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
TexasAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
UtahAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
VermontAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
VirginiaAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
WashingtonAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
West VirginiaAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
WisconsinAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.
WyomingAccepted — with conditions$0Florida accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file.

Included in the $39 CNAStatusCheck Kit

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

Sources — checked October 22, 2026