Nurse Licensure Compact states: who is in and how it works
The Nurse Licensure Compact has 43 members; in 40 states, eligible residents can get a multistate license. Which states, who qualifies, and moving rules.
At a glance
As of October 22, 2026, the Nurse Licensure Compact has 43 member jurisdictions, its own site says. They are 41 states, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands. In 40 of those states, a resident who meets the requirements can hold a multistate license as of October 22, 2026. Massachusetts and the Virgin Islands are awaiting implementation, and Guam's is partial. The compact covers registered nurse (RN) and licensed practical or vocational nurse licenses, not advanced practice licenses.
- As of October 22, 2026, residents of the 40 states with an implementation date can hold a multistate license if they qualify. Massachusetts, the US Virgin Islands, and Guam do not issue it yet.
- The license comes from your primary state of residence: the state of your driver's license, voter registration, and federal tax return.
- If you hold a multistate license, apply by endorsement within 60 days of a permanent move to another compact state that has implemented the compact. A license by endorsement is a license based on the one you already hold. If you will not practice there, tell your former board instead; it makes your license single-state in your former state.
Which states are in the Nurse Licensure Compact?
Nursecompact.com, the compact's own site, says 43 jurisdictions are currently part of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC). The National Council of State Boards of Nursing publishes the site. Its map and implementation list give each member's status and the date each implemented the compact.[1][2]
| Jurisdiction | Status | Date implemented (residents may apply from this date) |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | NLC state | January 1, 2020 |
| Arizona | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| Arkansas | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| Colorado | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| Connecticut | NLC state | October 1, 2025 |
| Delaware | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| Florida | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| Georgia | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| Guam | Enacted, partial implementation | Not yet: date to be determined |
| Idaho | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| Indiana | NLC state | July 1, 2020 |
| Iowa | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| Kansas | NLC state | July 1, 2019 |
| Kentucky | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| Louisiana | NLC state | July 1, 2019 |
| Maine | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| Maryland | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| Massachusetts | Enacted, awaiting implementation | Not yet: date to be determined |
| Mississippi | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| Missouri | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| Montana | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| Nebraska | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| New Hampshire | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| New Jersey | NLC state | November 15, 2021 |
| New Mexico | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| North Carolina | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| North Dakota | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| Ohio | NLC state | January 1, 2023 |
| Oklahoma | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| Pennsylvania | NLC state | July 7, 2025 |
| Rhode Island | NLC state | January 8, 2024 |
| South Carolina | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| South Dakota | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| Tennessee | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| Texas | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| US Virgin Islands | Enacted, awaiting implementation | Not yet: date to be determined |
| Utah | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| Vermont | NLC state | February 1, 2022 |
| Virginia | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| Washington | NLC state | January 31, 2024 |
| West Virginia | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| Wisconsin | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
| Wyoming | NLC state | January 19, 2018 |
The 43 are the 40 states that show "Enacted NLC." on the map, Massachusetts, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands. In Guam, nurses with an active compact license from another member may practice, but Guam residents cannot get a multistate license until implementation is complete. In Massachusetts and the Virgin Islands, the list says nurses cannot yet practice on a compact license from elsewhere.[1][2]
Check the map on nursecompact.com before you rely on any count, including this page's.[1]
- Pending legislation, per the map: Michigan (House Bill 4246) and the District of Columbia (Bill B69).
- No pending legislation, per the map: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, and Oregon.
- American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands: listed as not original compact territories, with no pending legislation.
How a multistate nursing license works
A multistate license lets an RN or licensed practical or vocational nurse practice on 1 license. Your home state, the state where you legally live, issues it. It covers every member where the compact's list lets compact nurses practice: all but Massachusetts and the US Virgin Islands. The compact's frequently asked questions (FAQ) say "compact license" and "multistate license" mean the same thing.[6][2]
Your home state is your primary state of residence (PSOR): the state where you can prove you legally reside. It is the state of your driver's license, voter registration, and the state declared on your federal tax return. It has nothing to do with owning a home, and you can have only 1.[3]
A nurse must be licensed in the state where the patient is located when care is given, in person or by telehealth. A multistate license meets that rule in every other member where compact nurses may practice. The compact calls any compact state other than your home state a remote state.[4][6]
With a multistate license and the same home state, there is no time limit on practice in the other members that allow compact nurses. In compact states that have implemented the NLC, you do not need to notify or register with the board where you work temporarily.[9]
Living in a compact state does not make your license multistate automatically. Check it for free with QuickConfirm at nursys.com.[9][6]
Who qualifies for a multistate license
To get a multistate license you must meet the compact's 11 uniform licensure requirements (ULRs), the same standards in every member state. The compact's application page lists them:[6][5]
- Meet the licensure requirements of your home state.
- Graduate from a board-approved education program, or from an international program approved in its country and verified by an independent credentials review agency.
- Pass an English proficiency exam, if your international program was not taught in English or English is not your native language.
- Pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for registered or practical nurses, or a predecessor exam.
- Be eligible for, or hold, an active license without active discipline.
- Submit to state and federal fingerprint-based criminal background checks.
- Have no felony conviction, finding of guilt, or agreed disposition of a felony offense under state or federal law.
- Have no misdemeanor conviction related to the practice of nursing, decided case by case.
- Not be a current participant in an alternative to discipline program.
- Self-disclose any current participation in an alternative to discipline program.
- Have a valid US Social Security number.
If your home state has not implemented the compact, you cannot hold a multistate license. You can hold as many single-state licenses as you need, each applied for by endorsement with that state's board.[6][9][2]
You apply through your own board of nursing, and fees vary by state. The board also answers questions about application status, continuing education, and background checks.[5][6]
What happens to your license when you move
If you hold a multistate license, apply by endorsement within 60 days of a permanent move to another compact state that has implemented the compact. The 60 days start when you physically move to the new state intending to make it your primary residence. The rule requires you to apply within 60 days, not to have the new license issued by then.[7][9][2]
The exception: if you will not practice in the new state, you need not apply there. Tell your former board your new address. It will make your license single-state, valid only in your former state. That license no longer lets you practice in other compact states.[7]
| Your move | What you do | What happens to your license |
|---|---|---|
| With a multistate license: a compact state to another compact state that has implemented the compact | Apply by endorsement in the new state within 60 days, with proof of residency if the board asks for it | You may practice on the old license until the new multistate license is issued; then the old one is deactivated |
| With a multistate license: a compact state to a noncompact state | Tell your former board your new address, and apply by endorsement in the new state | Your multistate license becomes a single-state license in the former state |
| Noncompact state to a compact state that has implemented the compact | Apply by endorsement in the new state | A multistate license may be issued if you meet the requirements; your old single-state license is not affected |
| With a multistate license: a travel assignment, keeping your home state | Nothing new to apply for in a compact state that has implemented the compact | You keep practicing on your multistate license |
A travel assignment longer than 60 days does not trigger the rule, because you keep your primary state of residence. Getting a driver's license or registering to vote in the temporary state would change your home state. The compact's travel FAQ suggests renewing your home driver's license and voting by absentee ballot instead.[7][9]
The advanced practice nurse compact is a separate agreement
The Nurse Licensure Compact does not cover advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) licenses. To practice as an APRN in a state, you need that state's own APRN license. The compact's FAQ points to aprncompact.com for information about the APRN Compact.[6]
A different agreement, the APRN Compact, would give APRNs licensure mobility across the states that join it. A Texas Board of Nursing report for its July 2026 meeting listed the states that had enacted it. They were North Dakota, Delaware, Utah, and South Dakota. The report said 7 states must pass it to trigger implementation.[10][11]
For the APRN path itself, read the nurse practitioner career guide, or browse the healthcare career guides.
How to check your own license before you take a job
Have your license number and your home-state documents at hand before you start.
- Look up your license with QuickConfirm on nursys.com.
- Open the result's map of the states where you have authority to practice.
- Compare the job's state with the member table on this page and the map on nursecompact.com.
- Find your board's contact details by clicking your state on the nursecompact.com map.
- Contact your board if your license shows as single-state while you live in a compact state that has implemented the compact.
The result: you know whether your license covers the job's state, or which board to apply to.
Sources & approach
Scope: Covers the Nurse Licensure Compact for registered nurse and licensed practical or vocational nurse licenses, as nursecompact.com, run by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, listed it on October 22, 2026. Does not cover APRN licenses, state fees or processing times, or federal-employee exemptions. Membership changes as states pass laws. Not legal advice: for your own license, contact your state board of nursing.
Drafted with AI assistance from the public sources cited below. Stan Sedberry checked every figure and citation against its source and edited this page on October 22, 2026.
- Nurse Licensure Compact home page and participating jurisdictions mapNational Council of State Boards of Nursing (nursecompact.com) · Accessed October 22, 2026
- NLC states map and implementation dates (PDF)National Council of State Boards of Nursing (nursecompact.com) · Accessed October 22, 2026
- How it works (Nurse Licensure Compact)National Council of State Boards of Nursing (nursecompact.com) · Accessed October 22, 2026
- Nurses and the NLCNational Council of State Boards of Nursing (nursecompact.com) · Accessed October 22, 2026
- Applying for licensure (uniform licensure requirements)National Council of State Boards of Nursing (nursecompact.com) · Accessed October 22, 2026
- Frequently asked questions (Nurse Licensure Compact)National Council of State Boards of Nursing (nursecompact.com) · Accessed October 22, 2026
- Frequently asked questions regarding the amended NLC residency rule (60-day rule)National Council of State Boards of Nursing (nursecompact.com) · Accessed October 22, 2026
- Moving scenarios: relocating to another stateNational Council of State Boards of Nursing (nursecompact.com) · Accessed October 22, 2026
- Travel nurse frequently asked questionsNational Council of State Boards of Nursing (nursecompact.com) · Accessed October 22, 2026
- APRN Consensus ModelNational Council of State Boards of Nursing · Accessed October 22, 2026
- Nurse Licensure Compact update, agenda item 6.1, July 23 to 24, 2026 board meetingTexas Board of Nursing · Accessed October 22, 2026
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