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Key Takeaways
- If you look at the official map from the NCSBN, as of October 2026, 41 U.S. states have fully implemented the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC).
- The NLC only covers RN and LPN/LVN licenses. It doesn’t cover the work of APRNs. In every state where they work, nurse practitioners still need a different license.
- Your multistate license comes from the state where you live most of the time (PSOR). To hold one officially, you must live in a small state.
- If you have an NLC in another state, you need a single-state license by endorsement in non-compact states.
Compact nursing states are the U.S. states that are part of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC). RNs and LPNs/LVNs can work in person or via telehealth in all member states with a single multistate license, instead of applying for multiple licenses. Knowing which nursing compact states are on the map, and which aren’t, is crucial for nurses who want to build a multi-state practice, manage travel assignments, or see telehealth patients in other states. Nurse licensing services can help you get licensed in multiple states without worrying about the paperwork.
What Is the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC)?
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) oversees the Nurse Licensure Compact, which is an agreement between states. Member states honor each other’s nursing licenses, so an RN who lives in one compact state can work in any other compact state without applying again. It works like a driver’s license across state lines: all member states recognize the same document.
The compact was first made public in 1999, and states started to join in 2000. In 2018, it was reorganized and made stronger. The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact for physicians is a separate agreement with different rules and a different governing body.
NLC vs. eNLC
The Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact (eNLC) replaced the first compact in 2018. The improved version added uniform licensing requirements for all participating states. These requirements include federal fingerprint-based background checks and standard discipline rules. These days, when people talk about the NLC, they mean the improved version. The eNLC system is used by all participating member states.
What Is a Compact Nursing License?
A compact nursing license, also known as a multistate nursing license, is issued by the nurse’s home state and lets them work in all other fully implemented NLC states. To practice in another compact state, you don’t have to pay extra or submit a separate application. The license looks like a license for a single state, but it has multistate rights that come into effect when you enter another partner state.
Scope is what makes this license different from a single-state license. A single-state license only lets you work in the state that issued it. With a multistate license, that power is spread across the whole NLC network. The board that issues your license is always your home state, and it will always be tied to your main home state.
Compact Nursing States: Full 2026 List
The official NCSBN compact plan as of October 27, 2026, can be seen in the table below. As states pass or implement new laws, statuses change, so always check nursecompact.com for the most up-to-date information before deciding to license or assign someone.
Fully Implemented NLC States
| States (per NCSBN map) | Implementation (at nursecompact.com) |
| Alabama | Fully implemented |
| Arizona | Fully implemented |
| Arkansas | Fully implemented |
| Colorado | Fully implemented |
| Connecticut | Fully implemented (October 1, 2025) |
| Delaware | Fully implemented |
| Florida | Fully implemented |
| Georgia | Fully implemented |
| Idaho | Fully implemented |
| Indiana | Fully implemented |
| Iowa | Fully implemented |
| Kansas | Fully implemented |
| Kentucky | Fully implemented |
| Louisiana | Fully implemented |
| Maine | Fully implemented |
| Maryland | Fully implemented |
| Mississippi | Fully implemented |
| Missouri | Fully implemented |
| Montana | Fully implemented |
| Nebraska | Fully implemented |
| New Hampshire | Fully implemented |
| New Jersey | Fully implemented |
| New Mexico | Fully implemented |
| North Carolina | Fully implemented |
| North Dakota | Fully implemented |
| Ohio | Fully implemented |
| Oklahoma | Fully implemented |
| Pennsylvania | Fully implemented (July 7, 2025) |
| Rhode Island | Fully implemented |
| South Carolina | Fully implemented |
| South Dakota | Fully implemented |
| State | Status |
| Tennessee | Fully implemented |
| Texas | Fully implemented |
| Utah | Fully implemented |
| Vermont | Fully implemented |
| Virginia | Fully implemented |
| Washington | Fully implemented |
| West Virginia | Fully implemented |
| Wisconsin | Fully implemented |
| Wyoming | Fully implemented |
Enacted, Awaiting Implementation
| Jurisdiction | Status |
| Massachusetts | Passed in November 2024; being used now. The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing says that the NLC is not yet up and running. Nurses licensed in other NLC states can’t work there until the program is fully operational. |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | Enacted and awaiting implementation. |
| Guam | Partially put into place. Nurses from any compact state who have an NLC multistate license can work in Guam. People who live in Guam can’t get a locally issued multistate license yet. |
States with Pending Legislation (as of October 2026)
These include Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Washington, and D.C., which have passed laws or are working to become compact partners. A legislator’s status can change quickly. Before making tasks, check out nursecompact.com to see how things are going right now.
States with No Active Compact Membership or Pending Legislation
California, Nevada, and Oregon have no active NLC members or bills currently being worked on. Nurses who work in these states must have a license valid in only one state.
Non-Compact Nursing States
Nursing licenses from other states that are not compact are not recognized in non-compact states. If an RN from Texas has an NLC multistate license, they can’t use it to work in California. To work in California, they must apply for a license by endorsement. This means sending a separate application to the California Board of Registered Nursing, paying state fees, and then waiting for approval.
For nurses who work in non-compact states regularly, tracking multiple licenses from a single state is constant administrative work. Multi-state license renewals across different boards, on different expiration schedules, get complicated without proper tracking.
Need licenses in non-compact states too?
Credex Healthcare handles single-state applications alongside your multistate license.
How a Multistate Nursing License Works
Your multistate license comes from your main state of residence (PSOR). This is the only rule the NLC system uses. Your PSOR is the state where you can legally live, vote, and pay your state taxes. It’s not related to where you work or where most of your customers are.
When you work as a nurse in a compact state, you must follow the laws of the state where the patient is located, not the laws of your home state. That’s also true for healthcare. If you are in Kansas and your patient is in Missouri, you must follow Missouri’s rules. Kansas and Missouri are both members of the NLC, so they don’t need an extra license. You still have to follow the receiving state’s rules, though.
Moving to Another Compact State
To get a new multistate card, you need to let your new home board know you moved to a compact state and update your main state of residence. At that point, your home-state license becomes a single-state license. NCSBN says that this process should be finished within 90 days of moving to a new state, but you should check with the board in your new state to be sure of the exact time frame, as requirements can change.
If you move to a non-compact state, you lose your multistate rights. Once you move, the license is only good in your new home state. If you want to work in other states, you will need to get separate licenses for each one.
Who Qualifies? The Uniform Licensure Requirements
A nurse who wants to work in more than one state must meet the uniform licensing requirements that all NLC member states have agreed to. Based on the standards set by NCSBN, these are:
- Getting their diploma from an approved program to become a nurse
- Getting through the NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN
- Having a valid, unrestricted RN or LPN/LVN license
- Getting a criminal background check with fingerprints from both the federal and state governments
- No convictions for felonies
- No minor charges that are linked to nursing work
- Not enrolled in a monitoring program for drug abuse or alternative-to-discipline in any state at this time
- A Social Security number that is on file with the board in your home state
A nurse facing license discipline in any state cannot have privileges in more than one state until the issue is resolved. The home board always decides who is eligible. When you’re not sure, call them.
How to Get a Compact Nursing License
There is a simple process to get a compact nursing license, but each state board has its own paperwork.
- Confirm your PSOR is a compact state. You can’t get a multistate license if you live in a state that is less than a compact.
- Apply through your home state board. New graduates apply for their first license and choose multistate status. In a compact state, nurses who already have a single-state license can apply to the same board to make it multistate.
- Complete fingerprint-based background checks. You must complete both federal and state checks again. The exact steps will be given to you by your home board.
- Respond to any board requests. In this case, delays add weeks to the timeline if the board needs more paperwork.
- Receive your multistate license. Once it’s sent, it works right away in all fully implemented NLC states; no other steps are needed.
Nurses in non-compact states can’t bypass this process. Compact privileges only flow from a compact-state PSOR.
How to Verify a Multistate License
Employers and staffing agencies use Nursys QuickConfirm, a free primary-source verification tool run by NCSBN, to check a person’s license status, active privileges, and any disciplinary history. All NLC states can use it, and it is the usual way to check original sources for building credentials.
Does the NLC Cover APRNs? The APRN Compact
No. RN and LPN/LVN licenses are the only ones covered by the Nurse Licensure Compact. In every state where they work, nurse practitioners, CRNAs, certified nurse midwives, and clinical nurse specialists need to have an APRN license. The NLC lets an NP practice as an RN in compact states, but only in the state that issued the license. It does not give the NP advanced practice authority in other states.
The NCSBN made a separate APRN Compact to fill this gap. As of October 2026, five states, including Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming, have passed laws that are part of the APRN Compact. The compact won’t work until seven states sign it, so there aren’t any multistate APRN privileges yet. NPs who work in more than one state will need separate licenses in each state for a while.
APRN and RN licensing services handle the state-by-state application work that remote nurse practitioners and groups that work in more than one state have to do all the time. For more information on the nurse practitioner side of things, read nurse practitioner credentialing requirements. It covers what you need to do after getting a license.
Practicing as an NP in several states?
Get help with APRN licenses state by state.
Learn more about advanced practice nurse licensing
Compact Licenses for Telehealth, Travel Nursing and Staffing Agencies
The NLC was designed to handle situations like those made possible by travel nursing and telehealth. A flight nurse with a multistate license can work in 41 states without having to wait for a new license. A telehealth platform that helps people in compact states can hire RNs more quickly because they don’t have to go through the lengthy process of getting licensed in each state.
But the rules are important. Non-compact states, such as California, Nevada, and Oregon, still require individual applications, and they’re all major markets. APRNs who work with telehealth have to keep track of completely different license files in each state. And licensing vs. credentialing are two different processes. A nurse can legally work after getting licensed, but hospital privileges and payer registration are two different steps that still apply to all facility relationships.
For hiring companies, the hardest part of their job is telenursing licensing, ensuring all their nurses are licensed to work remotely. This is especially true when they have nurses from both compact and non-compact states on their list. The medical licensing companies for telenursing have grown to handle large-scale situations involving multiple states and providers. After nurses get their license, they must complete separate processes for home health credentialing and nurse practitioner credentialing with facilities and payers.
How Credex Healthcare Helps with Nurse Licensing
Credex Healthcare handles renewals, multistate license upgrades, single-state licenses for states that aren’t compact, and APRN licenses. A coordinator handles each nurse file. That is important when a nurse is adding several states at once or when a staffing agency is bringing on board a lot of workers at different times. Once nurses are licensed, the same team handles enrolling payers and verifying credentials. This means that nurses don’t have to switch vendors when they go from being licensed to being able to bill.
Let Credex Healthcare handle your nursing licenses so you can focus on the clinical side. For a full look at what’s available, medical licensing services cover every specialty and state.
FAQs
How many states are in the Nurse Licensure Compact?
An official map from NCSBN shows that as of October 2026, 41 U.S. states have fully implemented the NLC. Other states, such as Massachusetts, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, have signed the agreement, but they haven’t fully implemented it yet. The full list by status can be found in the table above.
What are compact nursing states?
The states that are part of the Nurse Licensure Compact are called nursing compact states. RNs and LPNs/LVNs can work in person or via telehealth with the same multistate license, so they don’t have to apply for separate state licenses. You must live in a compact state and have a multistate license from your home state to use those rights.
Is California a compact state for nursing?
No. As of October 2026, California is not part of the Nurse Licensure Compact and has no compact legislation in the works. Nurses who want to work in California must apply for and receive a single-state California license by endorsement from the California Board of Registered Nursing.
Is New York a compact state for nursing?
Not yet. As of October 2026, New York had proposed NLC legislation but had not yet made it law. Nurses can work in New York only if they have a license that allows them to do so. Check nursecompact.com for the most up-to-date information.
Can I get a multistate license if I live in a non-compact state?
No. The state where you live must be a fully implemented compact member in order to give you a multistate nursing license. You can’t have an NLC multistate license if you live in California, Nevada, or Oregon until those states join the compact and run it.
Does a compact nursing license cover nurse practitioners?
No. You can only get an RN or LPN/LVN license through the NLC. In every state where you see patients as a nurse practitioner, you need an APRN license. The APRN Compact is real, but it hasn’t been implemented yet because it requires seven states to join, and as of October 2026, only five had.
What happens to my compact license if I move?
If you move to a compact state, you should apply for a new multistate license through the board in your new home state as soon as possible, preferably within 90 days of moving there. Your old home-state license changes to a single-state license. Moving to a state that isn’t part of a compact ends your ability to drive in more than one state. Your license will then only allow you to drive in your new home state.
How do I verify a multistate nursing license?
Go to nursys.com and use Nursys QuickConfirm. It is free, run by NCSBN, and is the standard tool companies, hiring agencies, and licensing organizations use to verify original sources.
Conclusion
As of October 2026, 41 NLC members are fully implemented, meaning most of the country is now covered. The things that catch nurses and employers off guard are non-compact states, APRN practice, and the difference between “enacted” and “implemented” status. Always check NCSBN’s map first, make sure your information is up-to-date, and never trust a competing blog’s count more than the official source.
Need licenses in compact and non-compact states?
Talk to a nurse licensing specialist at Credex Healthcare to get every state handled in one place.
