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The short answer
The NCLEX is delivered only at Pearson VUE test centers approved for it, and NCSBN's testing-locations page does not include Nigeria. If you trained in Nigeria and want a U.S. nursing license, you apply to a U.S. board of nursing as usual, then travel to write the exam in one of the listed countries or in the United States.
You can't take it from home either. NCSBN is developing NCLEX Online for domestic and international candidates, but its own page says it is not launching in 2026 and gives no launch date. Until that changes, every NCLEX is written in person at a test center.
NCSBN's wording says international locations 'include' the countries below, and its lists of center addresses change over time. Confirm the exact center in Pearson VUE's locator before you pay for flights.
Where you can write the NCLEX outside the U.S.
NCSBN's testing-locations page lists these international locations, grouped here by region:
Canada works differently: for Canadian candidates, centers in the provinces, territories and mainland U.S. count as domestic. Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory but follows international ID rules. NCSBN says the only acceptable identification at international centers, including Puerto Rico, is a passport book or card.
Check yourself
4 quick questions on this topic
Question 1 of 4
When delegating client care, which task is appropriate for the nurse to assign to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) for a client on contact precautions?
Answer: B. UAP can perform stable, routine tasks within their scope, such as taking and recording vital signs while following contact precautions. Assessing wound infection, teaching about isolation, and evaluating the response to medication require nursing judgment and cannot be delegated. Delegation must match the task to the worker's scope and the client's stability.
Question 2 of 4
A registered nurse is delegating tasks to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP). Which task is appropriate to delegate?
Answer: B. The five rights of delegation guide the RN to delegate tasks that are routine, standardized, and within the UAP's role, such as measuring and recording vital signs on a stable client. Assessment, teaching, evaluation, and judgment about unstable clients cannot be delegated because they require the nurse's clinical reasoning.
Question 3 of 4
A nurse is delegating tasks to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) for a client with diabetes. Which task is appropriate to delegate?
Answer: B. Obtaining a routine fingerstick blood glucose using a point-of-care glucometer is within the UAP scope in many facilities once trained and competency-validated. Administering insulin, teaching about a new regimen, and assessing or interpreting a hypoglycemic client all require the judgment and licensure of the nurse and cannot be delegated to a UAP.
Question 4 of 4
A nurse is delegating tasks for a stable postpartum client to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP). Which task is appropriate to delegate to the UAP?
Answer: A. UAP may perform tasks that are routine, standardized, and do not require nursing assessment or judgment, such as measuring and recording vital signs on a stable client and assisting with hygiene and ambulation. Assessing the fundus and lochia, teaching about danger signs, and evaluating the perineum require nursing assessment, judgment, and education and cannot be delegated to UAP.
Keep the streak going with more questions like these, each with a full rationale.
What it costs to write the NCLEX abroad
The NCLEX registration fee for U.S. licensure is $200. Testing at an international center adds a $150 international scheduling fee, plus value-added tax where it applies, charged when you schedule. Neither fee is refunded for any reason. If you move to another international center you keep the scheduling fee, but moving to a U.S. center forfeits it.
Plan around the fee change. NCSBN will raise the U.S. registration fee to $350 effective Feb. 1, 2027, and the date you register, not your exam date, decides which fee applies. The international scheduling fee is not changing. A candidate who registers in December 2026 pays $200 + $150 = $350 in exam fees; one who registers in February 2027 pays $350 + $150 = $500, before VAT, flights, visa and hotel.
Changing your board of nursing or switching between RN and PN after registering costs $50 each.
How to register and book, step by step
The order matters, because you can't schedule an appointment until you hold an Authorization to Test (ATT):
- Apply for licensure with the U.S. board of nursing you want to be licensed by, and meet its requirements for internationally educated nurses.
- Register and pay for the NCLEX with Pearson VUE.
- Wait for the board to declare you eligible; Pearson VUE then emails your ATT.
- Note your ATT dates. The board sets them, the average is about 90 days, and they cannot be extended for any reason.
- Schedule your international appointment online or by phone, paying the $150 fee at this step.
- Bring your passport on exam day. It is the only ID accepted at international centers.
Practical checks before you pick a country
Because your ATT window is fixed and averages about 90 days, travel paperwork is the biggest risk. Research visa processing times for your target country before you register, not after the ATT arrives. Check that the name on your passport matches your NCLEX registration exactly, and book early so you have a choice of dates.
If plans change, NCSBN says changes to international appointments can only be made by calling Pearson Candidate Services. For Tuesday to Friday exams, call at least 24 hours before your appointment; for Saturday to Monday exams, call no later than the Friday before and at least 24 hours ahead. Missing that window means losing your fees.
The exam is the same wherever you write it
Your test center changes nothing about the exam itself. Candidates in Nairobi, London or Chicago take the same computerized adaptive NCLEX: 85 to 150 items in up to five hours, including three six-item clinical judgment case studies. The 2026 test plans, effective April 2026, apply everywhere.
The content follows U.S. nursing practice, so give extra time to U.S. conventions: delegation to unlicensed assistive personnel, U.S. drug names and the measurement units shown in items. Of the 4,033 questions in the CinnaRN bank, 932 are pharmacology and 472 are management of care, two areas worth extra practice if your training followed a different system. The quiz on this page starts there.
Frequently asked questions
Can I write the NCLEX in Nigeria?
No. Nigeria is not on NCSBN's list of NCLEX testing locations as of October 2026. You can write it at an approved Pearson VUE center in another listed country, such as Kenya, South Africa, the United Kingdom or India, or in the U.S.
Is the NCLEX written in India?
Yes. India is one of the international locations where the NCLEX is offered. You pay the $150 international scheduling fee on top of the registration fee.
Can I take the NCLEX online from home?
No. NCSBN is developing NCLEX Online but says it is not launching in 2026. All candidates test in person at a Pearson VUE center.
How much does it cost to write the NCLEX abroad?
$200 registration for U.S. licensure plus a $150 international scheduling fee and any VAT, none of it refundable. Registrations completed on or after Feb. 1, 2027 pay $350 instead of $200.
How long is the NCLEX ATT valid?
Your board sets the dates, and the average is about 90 days. NCSBN says ATT validity dates cannot be extended for any reason, so line up travel before you register.
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Sources
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