Who provides the academic records, license validation and other documents required for the evaluation?

Academic records/transcripts and license/registration/diploma must come directly from the issuing authority or, if it no longer exists, the organization authorized to store the documents. You submit other kinds of documents asked for in the application, such as secondary school diplomas, photos and marriage certificates to document a name change.

NOTE: For the Certification Program, Credentials Evaluation Service and VisaScreen^®, you must fill out the top parts of the Request for Academic Records / Transcripts form and the Request for Validation of Registration / License / Certification form and send one to each of your schools and licensing authorities.

For the Credential Verification Service for New York State please fill out the top part of the authorization forms located in the handbook at http://www.cgfns.org/files/pdf/apps/CVS_Handbook.pdf, sign it and send it to CGFNS, so that we can send them to your schools and licensing authorities.

It is very difficult for me to obtain documents from my country. Is it possible for me to send CGFNS photocopies of my transcripts or licenses?

No. CGFNS must receive the information directly from schools and licensing authorities in order to verify authenticity. Please see the NOTE in the first question above regarding the forms.

What should I do if my school or the agency that issued my license has closed or no longer exists?

CGFNS only accepts certain documentation from source agencies (such as academic records/transcripts and validation of license/registration/diploma). You will need to contact the organization authorized to store documents for them (such as a ministry of health or the national, provincial or state licensing authority in that country). If you are uncertain about whom to contact, please contact our CGFNS Customer Center through one of the methods shown at https://www.cgfns.org/cerpassweb/processContactUs.do.

What should I do if my school no longer has my transcripts?

Determine whether there is another organization — such as a Ministry of Health or a national provincial licensing authority — in the country where your school is located that has taken over your school’s records. Contact that organization for your transcripts. If you have any trouble or need more information, please contact our CGFNS Customer Care Center through one of the methods shown at https://www.cgfns.org/cerpassweb/processContactUs.do.

Before my nursing course, I took a non-health care degree program, but was not able to finish it. Do I request certification that I took that course?

We do not require transcripts from your non-health care post-secondary (tertiary) degrees or courses. Having said that, you may want us to evaluate the courses you took, as they may impact the general studies in your nursing degree.

I live in the United States. Do I have to get the forms sealed or stamped from the school I went to in another country or can I just gather all the documents I have, translate them and send them to you?

Official documents and forms, stamped and sealed, must be sent directly to us from your school. If they need translation, you school is requested to do so on the form, or we can translate them for the fee listed at www.cgfns.org/sections/apply/fees.shtml#5. Please see the NOTE in the first question regarding the form.

I mailed my sealed school transcripts together with my photo. When I checked my status, my photo, but not my documents, was received. Why?

We cannot accept transcripts, even sealed ones, sent in the mail from you. Please ask your school to send them directly to CGFNS at 3600 Market Street, Suite 400, Philadelphia, PA 19104-2651 USA. We can only accept official documents from the issuing source.

I still need to send the academic records form to my schools. Where do I get the form?

www.cgfns.org/files/pdf/forms/Academic_Records_form.pdf. Please see the NOTE in the first question above regarding the forms. Also, please remember that sending these forms as early as possible helps you to have your documents evaluated expediently.

I received my university transcripts. How do I send them to you?

We cannot accept transcripts, even sealed ones, sent in the mail from you. Please ask your school to send your documents directly to CGFNS at 3600 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-2651 USA. We can only accept official documents from the issuing source.

Do I need to submit the documents from secondary schools and college to CGFNS again if they were submitted two years ago?

When you order another CGFNS service after having previously applied, the documents in your application would have to be reviewed to determine if any additional information or documents are necessary to meet the requirements of the CGFNS service you are applying for.

How do I forward copies of my academic records to state boards or schools?

Login to your online account at https://www.cgfns.org/cerpassweb/login.jsp and click on Place Order in the navigation menu. On the screen with the services, there is a radio button to select next to Additional Services. Follow instructions from there. Or write to us via postal mail and specify the details where you want your records to be sent. Include your name, CGFNS ID number, birth date and sign the letter. Be sure to pay the fee listed under Other fees at www.cgfns.org/sections/apply/fees.shtml#5.

Can I ask my school and license authority to send you the required documents?

Applicants may not request documents. The Credential Verification Service for New York State is the only service we offer that is different in this way. CGFNS makes direct request to issuing authorities due to New York State requirements.

Why does my school tell me that they have already sent everything for my Credential Verification Service for New York State, but CGFNS say that I’m still lacking the transcript validation form?

We are not lacking the authorization form you sent us, just to be clear. We may not have received the documents from your school because of the mail. Or we have received the documents, and we are processing them to match them to your application. If more than 6 weeks, please contact our CGFNS Customer Care Center through one of the methods listed at https://www.cgfns.org/cerpassweb/processContactUs.do

For the Authorization for Validation of Registration/License, do I fill out the “Licensing authority’s name” with my name or just leave it blank?

The licensing authority’s name is of the name of the service that does licensing for a particular region. Please write the name of the service that issued you your license on that line.

Do I need to have validation for all licenses I have held to complete my Credentials Evaluation Service application?

No. The fee for the Credentials Evaluation Service covers validation of only the initial and current licenses you hold outside of the United States.