NCLEX Acceptable ID: What to Bring and What Must Match

Which ID the NCLEX accepts, what must match your Pearson registration, how domestic and international centers differ, and who to contact if your name does not match.

The requirements, one at a time

The official page lists the same set of requirements for every candidate. Here they are broken apart so you can check your own ID against each one.

Physical, non-expired and government-issued

These three requirements work together. Check each one on the card or booklet in your hand.

1. Physical (non-digital): You present the actual document. The requirement is stated as physical and non-digital, so an image of your ID or a digital version does not meet it as written.
2. Non-expired: Look at the expiry date today, not the night before. An ID that has lapsed does not meet the requirement.
3. Government-issued: The ID must come from a government. The accepted types are listed in the next section, and they differ by the kind of test center you book.

Name in Roman characters

Your name must appear on the ID in Roman characters. The first and last names printed on the ID must match exactly the first and last name you registered with Pearson. The name-matching section below covers what that means in practice.

Recent photograph and signature

The ID must include a recent photograph and a signature. The official page does not define how recent a photograph has to be, so if your photo is old or you are unsure, ask your nursing regulatory body or check the Acceptable ID page rather than guessing.

What if your ID has no signature?

If your ID does not contain a signature but meets every other requirement, you need a secondary form of identification. Three details apply to that second ID:

1. Signature present: The secondary ID must contain a signature in Roman characters.
2. Exact match to the primary ID: The signature must match exactly the first and last name on your primary ID.
3. Exact match to registration: The signature must also match the names you provided when you registered.

The sources do not list which documents count as a secondary ID. Confirm that on the official Acceptable ID page, or with your nursing regulatory body, before test day.

Domestic versus international test centers

The type of center you book decides which IDs are accepted. You can take the NCLEX year-round at any Pearson Professional Testing location, regardless of where you are applying for licensure or registration. So a candidate licensing in one place may still book a center elsewhere, and the ID rule follows the center you book.

Accepted ID at domestic centers

The official list of examples for domestic test centers is:

1. Passport books and cards: Both the booklet and the card form are listed.
2. Driver's license: Listed as acceptable.
3. Provincial/territorial or state identification card: The state or provincial ID card, not only a license.
4. Permanent residence card: Listed as acceptable.
5. Military identification card: Listed as acceptable.

Any of these still has to meet every requirement above: physical, non-expired, recent photograph, signature and an exact first and last name match.

Accepted ID at international centers, including Puerto Rico

The rule is narrower. The only identification acceptable at international test centers, including Puerto Rico, is a passport book or card. A driver's license that works at a domestic center is not on the international list.

The international locations listed on the official FAQ are Australia, Brazil, France, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Türkiye and the United Kingdom. If you paid the additional international scheduling fee and are turned away for ID, that fee is forfeited as well.

Which kind of center will you be at?

"Domestic" depends on where you are seeking licensure. For candidates seeking licensure in the U.S., domestic centers are those within the U.S. and American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For candidates seeking licensure or registration in Canada, domestic centers are those within Canadian provinces and territories and the mainland U.S., not including territories.

That means the same building can be domestic for one candidate and international for another. When you book, check which category your chosen center falls into for your licensure jurisdiction, then check your ID against that list.

Matching your name to your registration

Name mismatch is the situation that worries most candidates, and the rule is more contained than it sounds.

First and last names only

The official FAQ says only the first and last names need to match between your ID and your Authorization to Test (ATT). The ATT is the email you receive once your nursing regulatory body (NRB) has made you eligible, and you need it to schedule your appointment. The ID page states the matching standard as exact: the first and last names on your ID must match exactly the first and last name you registered in the Pearson system.

What does not need to match

The address on your ID does not need to match the address on your ATT. The sources do not say anything about middle names or initials, so if yours differ between your ID and your registration, ask your NRB or check the official page instead of assuming.

One small clarification: the candidate identification number is printed on your ATT, along with your authorization number and an expiration date. It is a separate thing from your photo ID, and it does not replace it.

If your name has changed

If the name you registered with is different from the name on your identification, bring a marriage license, divorce decree or court action legal name change document to the test center on the day of the test. All documents must contain the name change in Roman characters, and they must be original copies. Photocopies do not meet the stated requirement.

While you sort out logistics, it can help to keep the rest of your preparation moving. The 2026 NCLEX-RN® test plan explained and the NCLEX-PN test plan guide cover what the exam itself asks of you, so ID admin does not crowd out study time.

Who to contact if something does not match

Three organizations are involved, and each has a different job. NCSBN ensures the fair and secure delivery of the exam. Pearson VUE registers and schedules candidates and administers the exam. Nursing regulatory bodies determine and provide candidate eligibility and release results.

Fixing a registration detail before test day

Legal name, address and email changes go through your nursing regulatory body. The official page is explicit that this cannot be done at the test center.

The FAQ describes two paths for a registration correction:

1. If your NRB has declared you eligible: Contact your NRB to make the necessary corrections. Once the correction is confirmed, contact Pearson for a revised ATT if needed.
2. If your NRB has not yet made you eligible: Contact Pearson to report the corrections.

The sources do not give a specific deadline for fixing a mismatch. So the calmest approach is to act the moment you spot one, and to check with your NRB about timing. Remember that you must test within the validity dates of your ATT. The average length is 90 days, and those dates cannot be extended for any reason.

What the test center cannot do

The test center is not where you fix a registration problem. If your ID and registration do not match and you have no qualifying name-change document, there is nothing the staff can edit on the spot, and the stated outcome is being turned away. That is why the work happens beforehand, with your NRB and Pearson.

Lost or missing ATT

Call Pearson Candidate Services at 866.496.2539, or one of the international telephone numbers in the NCLEX Candidate Bulletin, to report a lost ATT. Use the same route if your NRB has made you eligible and you have not received your ATT. If you have not received an ATT email at all and are not sure why, the FAQ suggests contacting your NRB to check that all materials were submitted and received.

Eligibility questions, such as what else might keep you from testing, belong with your NRB. Each NRB has its own eligibility requirements, and NCSBN does not keep a list of them.

Sanctioned-country and exception situations

Sanctioned (embargoed) country ID

Due to U.S. trade restrictions, candidates living in a sanctioned country are not allowed to take the NCLEX. This is a federal requirement set by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of Treasury. Candidates using a passport from a sanctioned country as identification must also present proof of residency, in the form of government-issued identification, from a non-sanctioned country.

Why this page does not give a universal checklist

If your situation involves a sanctioned country or anything unusual, there is no single checklist that fits everyone, and guessing is risky. Read the official Acceptable ID page and contact your NRB for anything beyond the rules above. Nothing here should be read as a promise that an exception exists or applies to you.

A calm pre-travel ID check

This is a short sequence you can run in a few minutes. It is built from the requirements above, not from an official checklist, so treat the official page as the final word.

Two weeks out

1. Compare names: Put your ID next to your ATT. Check that the first and last names match exactly.
2. Check the expiry date: Confirm the ID is non-expired, and look at the photograph and signature too.
3. Confirm your center type: Work out whether your booked center is domestic or international for your licensure jurisdiction, then check that your ID type is on that list.
4. Plan for a name change: If your registered name differs from your ID, locate the original marriage license, divorce decree or court action document now.
5. Act early on a mismatch: Contact your NRB straight away instead of waiting.

The night before

1. Pack the physical ID: Put it where you will not forget it. A phone image will not do.
2. Pack originals: Include any name-change document, as an original copy.
3. Have a secondary ID ready if needed: This applies if your primary ID has no signature.

At check-in

Present your ID and any name-change document. The official page covers other exam-day procedures, so give the Exam Day page on nclex.com a read as well. This guide covers ID only.

If you want to keep going with preparation once your logistics are settled, our more NCLEX guides cover the test plan and study strategy. ID rules are logistics, and a study aid is a separate thing: it can help you prepare, but it cannot change what happens at check-in.

PreceptIQ, an NCLEX® coach that studies your mistakes, is coming to iPhone and Android at preceptiq.app. It is a study aid, not a guarantee.

Common questions

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