Reminder: Registered Nurses License Renewals Due by January 31st in Georgia

In 2011, Georgia law was amended to require applicants for initial licensure or renewal to submit secure and verifiable documentation of US citizenship/qualified alien status. The Georgia Board of Nursing and the Secretary of State’s Office worked diligently to make licensees aware of the new requirements and included information on the Board’s website, throughout the renewal site and through communication with applicable associations and publications.

If a licensee submitted a renewal application on or before January 31, 2013, the license status should change to “Active-Renewal Pending” while the staff awaits the submission of the required renewal documentation. “Active-Renewal Pending” does not mean that the license has lapsed, is inactive or invalid. O.C.G.A. §50-13-18(b) states the following:

- (b) When a licensee has made timely and sufficient application for the renewal of a license or for a new license with reference to any activity of a continuing nature, the existing license does not expire until the application has been finally determined by the agency and, in case the application is denied or the terms of the new license limited, until the last day for seeking review of the agency order or at a later date fixed by order of the reviewing court.

Please note that all renewal documentation (for licensees who submitted a renewal application prior to January 31, 2013) must be submitted/postmarked by February 8, 2013. Any documents received/postmarked after that date will not be reviewed, the license will be lapsed and the licensee will be required to complete the reinstatement process.

Brian Kemp has been Secretary of State since January, 2010. Among the office’s wide-ranging responsibilities, the Secretary of State is charged with conducting efficient and secure elections, the registration of corporations, and the regulation of securities and professional license holders. The office also oversees the Georgia Archives.

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