Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) · rules checked October 22, 2026
Document at least 8 hours of paid CNA employment in the past 24 months and renew online through the BOUNDS portal. Renewals open 90 days before expiration, are processed automatically, and are no longer accepted by email or paper.
If you have never worked for pay since certifying, use your certification date.
Checked in part: most of Montana's rules were confirmed on primary sources on October 22, 2026, but a few details could only be confirmed in part. Where a figure is marked "not published," use the registry link on this page to confirm — we would rather show you the gap than fill it with a guess.
| Credential | Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) |
|---|---|
| Registry | Montana Nurse Aide Registry (Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Certification Bureau) · (406) 444-4980 |
| Training required | 75 hours |
| Exam | Headmaster (D&SDT-Headmaster) — $97 (written $20 · skills $77) |
| How renewal works | Stays active through paid work inside the window — no calendar expiry while you keep working. Renewal fee: $0. |
| Keep-active work rule | Document at least 8 hours of paid CNA employment in the past 24 months and renew online through the BOUNDS portal. Renewals open 90 days before expiration, are processed automatically, and are no longer accepted by email or paper. |
| Continuing education | No continuing education requirement for CNA renewal; paid work is the requirement. |
| Who reports your work | You do — nobody files it for you |
Changing soon: Montana moved all CNA applications to the BOUNDS portal and stopped accepting paper/PDF and email renewals; anyone holding an old email/access.gov endorsement that does not appear in verification must reapply.
Montana's registry publishes no lapsed-specific recovery route: the Certification Bureau's application list (Renewal, Interstate Endorsement, CNA by Exam, Nursing Student) contains no reactivation application, and the candidate handbook has no lapsed section. The published doors back are the standard ones — the CNA by Exam application (the exam may be challenged once without training) or a new approved training program and both exams. Secondary guides describe the retrain route as if it were a lapse rule; DPHHS does not publish it as one — call the Bureau at (406) 444-4980 before paying for anything.
DPHHS does not publish a retest-only recovery route on its registry page. Secondary guides state that if certification lapses you must complete a new approved training program and retake both exams. Confirm with the Certification Bureau (cna@mt.gov) before relying on any retest-only route.
All CNA applications, including renewal and endorsement, are online-only through BOUNDS; PDF and paper applications are no longer accepted, and each CNA needs an individual email address for a portal account.
Application fee: $0 · typical processing: About 10-14 days per secondary guides. DPHHS: those with a current CNA registration in at least one US state or territory can apply for Interstate Endorsement through the BOUNDS portal; you must enter at least one current CNA certificate number. The endorsement application is a two-step process (portal activation email, then the application). No application fee. If you previously applied by email or the old access.gov form and cannot find yourself in online verification, you must reapply through BOUNDS. Montana does not accept Home Health Aide interstate endorsements.
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 Montana | Fee | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Alaska | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Arizona | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Arkansas | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| California | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Colorado | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Connecticut | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Delaware | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| District of Columbia | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Florida | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Georgia | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Hawaii | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Idaho | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Illinois | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Indiana | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Iowa | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Kansas | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Kentucky | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Louisiana | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Maine | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Maryland | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Massachusetts | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Michigan | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Minnesota | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Mississippi | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Missouri | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Montana | Same state — no transfer needed | ||
| Nebraska | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Nevada | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| New Hampshire | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| New Jersey | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| New Mexico | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| New York | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| North Carolina | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| North Dakota | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Ohio | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Oklahoma | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Oregon | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Pennsylvania | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Rhode Island | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| South Carolina | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| South Dakota | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Tennessee | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Texas | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Utah | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Vermont | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Virginia | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Washington | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| West Virginia | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Wisconsin | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Wyoming | Accepted as-is | $0 | Montana endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
The kit carries Montana's full recovery path — the forms, the order to file them, the phone scripts — plus transfer checklists for every destination. See the kit →
