Maryland Nurse Practitioner license renewal and CE requirements
Maryland nurse practitioners must complete 30 CEUs every two years to renew their license with the Maryland Board of Nursing.
Certification as a nurse practitioner expires at the same time as the nurse practitioner's registered nursing license, and both are renewed every two years. A nurse with an odd-numbered birth year always renews in an odd-numbered year, and one with an even-numbered birth year in an even-numbered year, in either case no later than the 28th day of the birth month. The board sends a renewal notice at least three months before expiration and cannot guarantee that an application arriving later than 30 days before expiration will be processed in time. Renewing the nurse practitioner certification requires documentation of every current national certification that was the basis of the initial Maryland certification.
Summary
Maryland nurse practitioners must complete 30 CEUs every two years to renew their license with the Maryland Board of Nursing. Certification as a nurse practitioner expires at the same time as the nurse practitioner's registered nursing license, and both are renewed every two years. A nurse with an odd-numbered birth year always renews in an odd-numbered year, and one with an even-numbered birth year in an even-numbered year, in either case no later than the 28th day of the birth month. The board sends a renewal notice at least three months before expiration and cannot guarantee that an application arriving later than 30 days before expiration will be processed in time. Renewing the nurse practitioner certification requires documentation of every current national certification that was the basis of the initial Maryland certification. Maryland also mandates specific subjects. Implicit bias and structural racism training: a one-time requirement (every applicant for renewal of a license or certificate issued by a Maryland health occupations board, at the applicant's first renewal after April 1, 2026). Hours do not carry over between cycles.
Maryland 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 | Tied to the licensee's birth month |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 30 CEUs |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | No |
| First renewal exempt | Not stated |
| Other accepted activities | 1,000 hours of active nursing practice within the 5 years immediately preceding the renewal application, in place of continuing education; Satisfactory completion of all requirements for a diploma or degree from a board approved nursing education program within the preceding 5 years; Qualifying college or university coursework related to nursing practice, credited at 15 CEUs per semester hour with a grade of C or higher, documented by official transcript |
Maryland does not add an hour count for the nurse practitioner. What the nurse practitioner owes is the registered nurse renewal requirement plus current national certification. For the RN license, COMAR 10.27.01.13G lets the applicant show any one of three things: 1,000 hours of active nursing practice in the preceding 5 years, completion of a board approved nursing education program in the preceding 5 years, or 30 continuing education units within the 2 years immediately preceding the renewal application. For the nurse practitioner certification, COMAR 10.27.07.04 requires documentation of every current national certification from a board recognized certifying body that was the basis of the initial Maryland certification, and the certification in a specialty is deemed lapsed if the board has no record of a current active national certification in that specialty. Practicing on an expired national certification is prohibited and disciplinable. CEUs may not be carried forward into the next renewal period, and they must be earned in the 2 years before the renewal application. A nurse who meets none of the three routes must complete a board approved refresher or preceptorship program before renewal.
Required CE topics for Maryland nurse practitioners
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Implicit bias and structural racism trainingThe applicant attests in the renewal application to having completed an implicit bias and structural racism training program approved by the Cultural and Linguistic Health Care Professional Competency Program under Health-General section 20-1306. The statute states no hour count, and it lets each health occupations board decide by regulation whether the training also earns continuing education credit. | Not stated | One time | Every applicant for renewal of a license or certificate issued by a Maryland health occupations board, at the applicant's first renewal after April 1, 2026 | Md. Code, Health Occupations, section 1-225 |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 6 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | CEUs must be awarded or approved by one of the entities the board lists: Area Health Education Centers at any level, the American Nurses Association, the American Nurses Credentialing Center, professional organizations offering CEUs for renewing a national advanced practice registered nursing certification, a local, state or national professional nursing association that provides educational programs, the Maryland Nurses Association, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, or the National League for Nursing. College coursework is the one exception. CEUs used for renewal are subject to random audits by the board or its designee; the licensee must retain evidence for 6 years after the license is renewed and produce it within 30 days of a request. The nurse practitioner separately must keep the board's record of national certification current, including any certification that expires before the RN license renewal date. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Maryland NP need to renew?
- Maryland nurse practitioners must complete 30 CEUs every two years to renew their license with the Maryland Board of Nursing. Maryland does not add an hour count for the nurse practitioner. What the nurse practitioner owes is the registered nurse renewal requirement plus current national certification. For the RN license, COMAR 10.27.01.13G lets the applicant show any one of three things: 1,000 hours of active nursing practice in the preceding 5 years, completion of a board approved nursing education program in the preceding 5 years, or 30 continuing education units within the 2 years immediately preceding the renewal application. For the nurse practitioner certification, COMAR 10.27.07.04 requires documentation of every current national certification from a board recognized certifying body that was the basis of the initial Maryland certification, and the certification in a specialty is deemed lapsed if the board has no record of a current active national certification in that specialty. Practicing on an expired national certification is prohibited and disciplinable. CEUs may not be carried forward into the next renewal period, and they must be earned in the 2 years before the renewal application. A nurse who meets none of the three routes must complete a board approved refresher or preceptorship program before renewal.
- How often does a Maryland NP license need to be renewed?
- Nurse Practitioner licenses in Maryland renew every two years. Certification as a nurse practitioner expires at the same time as the nurse practitioner's registered nursing license, and both are renewed every two years. A nurse with an odd-numbered birth year always renews in an odd-numbered year, and one with an even-numbered birth year in an even-numbered year, in either case no later than the 28th day of the birth month. The board sends a renewal notice at least three months before expiration and cannot guarantee that an application arriving later than 30 days before expiration will be processed in time. Renewing the nurse practitioner certification requires documentation of every current national certification that was the basis of the initial Maryland certification.
- What specific CE topics are required for Maryland nurse practitioners?
- Implicit bias and structural racism training: a one-time requirement (every applicant for renewal of a license or certificate issued by a Maryland health occupations board, at the applicant's first renewal after April 1, 2026). Citations: implicit bias and structural racism training (Md. Code, Health Occupations, section 1-225).
- Do Maryland 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 6 years. CEUs must be awarded or approved by one of the entities the board lists: Area Health Education Centers at any level, the American Nurses Association, the American Nurses Credentialing Center, professional organizations offering CEUs for renewing a national advanced practice registered nursing certification, a local, state or national professional nursing association that provides educational programs, the Maryland Nurses Association, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, or the National League for Nursing. College coursework is the one exception. CEUs used for renewal are subject to random audits by the board or its designee; the licensee must retain evidence for 6 years after the license is renewed and produce it within 30 days of a request. The nurse practitioner separately must keep the board's record of national certification current, including any certification that expires before the RN license renewal date.
Sources
Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- COMAR 10.27.07.04 Renewal of Certification, Practice of the Nurse PractitionerStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- COMAR 10.27.01.13 Renewal of License, Board of NursingStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- COMAR 10.27.07.06 Education, Practice of the Nurse PractitionerStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Md. Code, Health Occupations, section 1-225, implicit bias and structural racism training attestation at license renewalStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Online Renewal, Maryland Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Maryland Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
Maryland treats the nurse practitioner as a certification layered on the registered nurse license, and COMAR 10.27.07 is written for nurse practitioners specifically rather than for advanced practice nurses in general, so this is a nurse practitioner rule rather than a shared APRN rule. Maryland regulates nurse midwives and nurse anesthetists in separate chapters. The hours, the three alternative routes, the biennial birth month schedule, the no carryover rule and the 6 year retention were read in the official COMAR text on the Department of Legislative Services regulations site; the certification requirement and the expiration linkage in COMAR 10.27.07.04. The unit is recorded as ceu because the regulation literally counts continuing education units; the rule's own conversion of 15 CEUs per semester hour of college coursework tracks the usual contact hour conversion, but the board states no CEU to contact hour ratio, so contact_hour_equivalent is null. No pharmacology hour count and no other subject mandate appears in the nurse practitioner chapter; the only subject requirement found is the implicit bias attestation in Health Occupations section 1-225, which reaches every Maryland health occupations licensee at the first renewal after April 1, 2026. Prescriptive authority in Maryland runs through the nurse practitioner certification itself rather than a separate credential with its own continuing education.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Maryland Board of Nursing before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.