Georgia Nurse Practitioner license renewal and CE requirements
Georgia nurse practitioners must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Georgia Board of Nursing.
A Georgia nurse practitioner holds a registered professional nurse license plus Board authorization to practice as a nurse practitioner, and Rule 410-11-.03(6) sets the renewal of that authorization to coincide with the registered nurse license period. Registered nurse licenses expire January 31 of even or odd years depending on the licensee's assigned cycle under the Joint Secretary's rules, and a late renewal application may be filed during the one month after expiration, ending the last day of February. A nurse may not practice after the expiration date even during that late window. Authorization to practice as a nurse practitioner is administratively revoked if it is not renewed, and the nurse must then apply for reinstatement.
Summary
Georgia nurse practitioners must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Georgia Board of Nursing. A Georgia nurse practitioner holds a registered professional nurse license plus Board authorization to practice as a nurse practitioner, and Rule 410-11-.03(6) sets the renewal of that authorization to coincide with the registered nurse license period. Registered nurse licenses expire January 31 of even or odd years depending on the licensee's assigned cycle under the Joint Secretary's rules, and a late renewal application may be filed during the one month after expiration, ending the last day of February. A nurse may not practice after the expiration date even during that late window. Authorization to practice as a nurse practitioner is administratively revoked if it is not renewed, and the nurse must then apply for reinstatement.
Georgia Nurse Practitioner renewal and continuing education rules
"Not stated" means the board's pages and rules we read do not address it. We do not fill in typical values.
| Renewal cycle | Two-year (24 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Same date for every licensee, 01/31 each cycle |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 30 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | Not stated |
| Other accepted activities | Maintenance of certification or recertification by a national certifying body recognized by the Board, in place of the 30 hours; Completion of an accredited academic program of study in nursing or a related field recognized by the Board; Verification of competency by a licensed health care facility or entity, or by a physician's office that is part of a health system, together with at least 500 hours practiced, certified by the employer on a Board form; Other activities prescribed and approved by the Board that show competency in the nursing field |
Georgia does not set a separate advanced practice hour count. The nurse practitioner's continuing education obligation is the registered nurse continuing competency requirement in Rule 410-13-.01, which is satisfied by any one of five options, the first being 30 continuing education hours from a Board approved provider and the second being maintenance of a national certification recognized by the Board. Because every Georgia nurse practitioner must already hold current national certification to be authorized, most satisfy the requirement by certification rather than by counting hours, and Rule 410-11-.10 lets the Board discipline an APRN who fails to maintain national certification or continuing competency. Renewal of the nurse practitioner authorization itself asks for four things and none of them is an hour count: renew the RN license, submit the advanced nursing practice renewal application, attest to APRN practice in accordance with Georgia law and rules, and pay the fee. Worth noting that the parallel rules for certified nurse-midwives, nurse anesthetists and psychiatric clinical nurse specialists do require a copy of current national certification at renewal, while the nurse practitioner rule does not list that document. Work related certifications such as ACLS, PALS, TNCC and PEARS may not be used to satisfy the certification option. A nurse renewing for the first time is not held to the continuing competency requirement until the second renewal if the initial license period was six months or less.
Required CE topics for Georgia nurse practitioners
The Georgia Board of Nursing pages and rules we read do not mandate specific subject areas for this license type. Hours may be in any approved subject.
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 4 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Continuing education hours must be completed through a Board approved provider. The Board has adopted CE Broker as the online reporting and recording system, at no cost to licensees for basic reporting, and every licensee is deemed to consent to Board access to those records for auditing. Documentation must be kept at least four years from the date of licensure renewal and produced if the licensee is audited during renewal or during an investigation; failure to produce it is grounds for denial, revocation or immediate suspension. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Georgia NP need to renew?
- Georgia nurse practitioners must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Georgia Board of Nursing. Georgia does not set a separate advanced practice hour count. The nurse practitioner's continuing education obligation is the registered nurse continuing competency requirement in Rule 410-13-.01, which is satisfied by any one of five options, the first being 30 continuing education hours from a Board approved provider and the second being maintenance of a national certification recognized by the Board. Because every Georgia nurse practitioner must already hold current national certification to be authorized, most satisfy the requirement by certification rather than by counting hours, and Rule 410-11-.10 lets the Board discipline an APRN who fails to maintain national certification or continuing competency. Renewal of the nurse practitioner authorization itself asks for four things and none of them is an hour count: renew the RN license, submit the advanced nursing practice renewal application, attest to APRN practice in accordance with Georgia law and rules, and pay the fee. Worth noting that the parallel rules for certified nurse-midwives, nurse anesthetists and psychiatric clinical nurse specialists do require a copy of current national certification at renewal, while the nurse practitioner rule does not list that document. Work related certifications such as ACLS, PALS, TNCC and PEARS may not be used to satisfy the certification option. A nurse renewing for the first time is not held to the continuing competency requirement until the second renewal if the initial license period was six months or less.
- How often does a Georgia NP license need to be renewed?
- Nurse Practitioner licenses in Georgia renew every two years. A Georgia nurse practitioner holds a registered professional nurse license plus Board authorization to practice as a nurse practitioner, and Rule 410-11-.03(6) sets the renewal of that authorization to coincide with the registered nurse license period. Registered nurse licenses expire January 31 of even or odd years depending on the licensee's assigned cycle under the Joint Secretary's rules, and a late renewal application may be filed during the one month after expiration, ending the last day of February. A nurse may not practice after the expiration date even during that late window. Authorization to practice as a nurse practitioner is administratively revoked if it is not renewed, and the nurse must then apply for reinstatement.
- Does Georgia require specific CE topics for nurse practitioners?
- The Georgia Board of Nursing does not list mandated subject areas for NP renewal on the pages we verified; the 30 contact hours may be in any approved subject.
- Do Georgia nurse practitioners have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates, the board audits a sample of renewals and asks for documentation, and records must be kept for 4 years. Continuing education hours must be completed through a Board approved provider. The Board has adopted CE Broker as the online reporting and recording system, at no cost to licensees for basic reporting, and every licensee is deemed to consent to Board access to those records for auditing. Documentation must be kept at least four years from the date of licensure renewal and produced if the licensee is audited during renewal or during an investigation; failure to produce it is grounds for denial, revocation or immediate suspension.
Sources
Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 410-11, Regulation of Advanced Practice Registered NursesStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 410-13, Continuing CompetencyStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 410-5, Licensure RenewalStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
The Georgia Secretary of State rules host returns 403 to every automated client, so Chapters 410-5, 410-11 and 410-13 were read in full in a rendered browser. The repository's link exceptions file already covers 410, 410-1, 410-5 and 410-13; 410-11 will need an entry before the online link check passes. Chapter 410-13 sets continuing competency for registered nurses and licensed practical nurses only and contains no advanced practice provision, and Chapter 410-11 sets no hour count for nurse practitioner renewal, which is why the record carries the registered nurse figure with the certification alternative explained. Georgia's Board of Nursing mandates no continuing education subjects for nurses, so mandatory_topics is empty. One gap to flag: the Composite Medical Board's physician assistant rule requires one extra hour every renewal period for prescribers of hydrocodone, oxycodone or compounds thereof, and third party summaries report the same duty for APRN prescribers, but no such requirement appears in Chapter 410-11 or 410-13, so none is recorded here; a nurse practitioner prescribing those drugs should confirm with the Board of Nursing. Prescribing by a Georgia nurse practitioner runs through a written nurse protocol agreement with a delegating physician, reviewed and updated annually, which is a practice authorization and not continuing education.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Georgia Board of Nursing before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.