Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) · rules checked October 22, 2026
Work for pay as a nurse aide performing nurse aide duties under the supervision of a licensed or registered nurse for at least 8 hours during the previous 24-month certification period. Submit the renewal request in TMU starting 30 days before expiration (up to 30 days after); once your employer verifies the employment, certification reinstates for another two years. If your employer will not complete the verification, you can submit a W-2 or pay stub instead.
If you have never worked for pay since certifying, use your certification date.
| Credential | Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) |
|---|---|
| Registry | New Mexico Nurse Aide Registry (New Mexico Health Care Authority, Division of Health Improvement) · (505) 861-9680 |
| Training required | 75 hours |
| Exam | Headmaster (Headmaster LLP) — $140 (written $40 · skills $100) |
| How renewal works | Stays active through paid work inside the window — no calendar expiry while you keep working. Renewal fee: $25. |
| Keep-active work rule | Work for pay as a nurse aide performing nurse aide duties under the supervision of a licensed or registered nurse for at least 8 hours during the previous 24-month certification period. Submit the renewal request in TMU starting 30 days before expiration (up to 30 days after); once your employer verifies the employment, certification reinstates for another two years. If your employer will not complete the verification, you can submit a W-2 or pay stub instead. |
| Continuing education | The HCA registry page lists 12 hours of in-service/continuing education per year (24 per renewal cycle) alongside the 8-hour work rule. In-service is normally provided and documented by the employer in certified facilities. |
| Who reports your work | You do — nobody files it for you |
Changing soon: Agency and vendor both changed on July 1, 2024: the registry moved from the Department of Health to the new Health Care Authority, and testing/registry moved from Prometric to Headmaster/TMU. Any Prometric form or DOH address for NM CNAs is outdated.
Renew in TMU up to 30 days past your expiration date with employer verification. Past that 30-day grace period, HCA states you will need to retake the state competency exam to renew your certification.
For a lapse of more than 24 months, TMU offers a Reactivation by Exam waiver route: secondary registry guidance states you can still retest if you have worked in a nursing-related field for at least 24 months (with an employer letter); otherwise you must complete a state-approved training program and pass the exam again.
Old Prometric-era forms still circulating say renewal is free if your qualifying work was in a Medicaid-approved nursing facility and $26.25 otherwise. The current HCA page states a flat $25.00 renewal fee and that all applications are now online in TMU only - Prometric no longer manages the registry and mail/fax/email applications are not accepted. The state pays exam fees for candidates employed by, or with an offer from, a Medicaid-certified nursing facility (employer must verify in TMU first).
Application fee: $0 · typical processing: Follow up with the registry within 2-3 weeks per HCA verification guidance. HCA reciprocity: complete the Reciprocity application on the New Mexico TMU website with a government-issued photo ID, your Social Security card, and your current out-of-state nurse aide certification. There is no fee for reciprocity in New Mexico and no additional exam. Reciprocity grants dual certification; each state's certification must be maintained independently. Free per the primary HCA registry page, confirming the fee-table anchor.
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 New Mexico | Fee | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Alaska | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Arizona | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Arkansas | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| California | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Colorado | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Connecticut | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Delaware | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico 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 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Florida | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Georgia | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Hawaii | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Idaho | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Illinois | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Indiana | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Iowa | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Kansas | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Kentucky | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Louisiana | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Maine | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Maryland | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Massachusetts | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Michigan | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Minnesota | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Mississippi | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Missouri | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Montana | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Nebraska | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Nevada | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico 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 | New Mexico 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 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| New Mexico | Same state — no transfer needed | ||
| New York | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico 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 | New Mexico 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 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Ohio | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Oklahoma | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Oregon | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Pennsylvania | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico 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 | New Mexico 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 | New Mexico 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 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Tennessee | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Texas | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Utah | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Vermont | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Virginia | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Washington | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico 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 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Wisconsin | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Wyoming | Accepted as-is | $0 | New Mexico endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
The kit carries New Mexico's full recovery path — the forms, the order to file them, the phone scripts — plus transfer checklists for every destination. See the kit →
