Nurse Licensure Compact · Nurse · 2026

Compact nursing license states in 2026: the NLC list

Quick answer · verified September 21, 2026

As of September 21, 2026, the compact's official table lists 43 jurisdictions; 40 of the 50 states plus D.C. have implemented the NLC, 1 has enacted it without an implementation date (Massachusetts), and 10 are outside it (Alaska, California, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Oregon), with bills pending in District of Columbia (B69) and Michigan (HB 4246). The license covers RN and LPN/VN; each board sets its own fee.

States implemented: 40
Enacted, no date: 1
Not in the compact: 10
Licenses covered: RN and LPN/VN

The NLC is one multistate license, issued by the board of the state where a nurse lives, that is valid for practice — in person or by telehealth — in every other implemented compact state. This page is the roster from the compact's official table: which states have implemented it and when, which one has enacted it without a date, and the route for a nurse whose state has neither.

Which compact nursing license states can I work in?

Check two states: where you live and where your patient is. Your primary state of residence must have implemented the NLC to issue your multistate license. The patient's state must also have implemented it for that license to cover care there, including telehealth. A single-state license is not a multistate license.

Source: NCSBN: Nurses and the NLC. The state list below was verified September 21, 2026.

Implemented the NLC (40)

A nurse whose primary state of residence is one of these states can apply to its board for a multistate license, and a multistate license from any of them is valid in all the others. Each row shows the implementation date from the official table.

Enacted, implementation date to be determined (1)

The law is on the books but the official table lists no implementation date: no multistate license is issued there yet, and a multistate license from another state is not honored there yet.

Nurse Licensure Compact in MassachusettsImplementation date to be determined

Not in the compact (10)

A multistate license does not authorize practice in these states, and a nurse who lives in one cannot hold a multistate license. The route is a single-state license from that state's board; each state page says how. Where the compact's map lists a pending bill, the row says so — a bill is not membership.

How the Nurse Licensure Compact route works

Nurse Licensure Compact multistate license

1Confirm that your primary state of residence is an implemented NLC state and that you meet the uniform licensure requirements.
2Apply to that state's board of nursing for a multistate license (by exam, by endorsement, or by upgrading a single-state license).
3Before practicing in another state, in person or by telehealth, confirm that the state is an implemented NLC state on the official list.

What this route does not do

The multistate license turns on your primary state of residence, not on where you work: only the home state issues it, and only if the home state has implemented the compact.
A nurse must be licensed where the patient is located, in person or by telehealth — the multistate license covers implemented NLC states and nothing else.
Informational only. Boards of nursing and the NLC Commission control eligibility, fees, timing, and scope; verify with the board before practicing.

Nurse Licensure Compact FAQ

Does living in a compact nursing state automatically give me a multistate license?

No. Living in an implemented NLC state is a requirement, but you must apply to your home-state board and meet the uniform licensure requirements. A single-state license does not become a multistate license just because the state has joined the compact.

How many states are in the Nurse Licensure Compact?

The official table lists 43 jurisdictions as of September 21, 2026, including territories. Of the 50 states plus D.C., 40 have implemented the compact and 1 has enacted it without an implementation date.

Which states are not compact states for nurses?

Alaska, California, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Oregon are outside the NLC as of September 21, 2026. Massachusetts has enacted it but not implemented it.

How much does a multistate nursing license cost?

The compact does not publish a fee. Each board of nursing sets its own application and renewal fees for the multistate license; the state page links the board directory.

Can I use a multistate license for telehealth?

Yes, into any implemented NLC state. A nurse must be licensed in the state where the patient is located at the time of care, and the multistate license satisfies that in every implemented compact state.

How do I get a compact (multistate) nursing license?

Through the board of nursing of your primary state of residence, and only if that state has implemented the NLC: apply by exam, by endorsement, or by upgrading a single-state license to multistate, and meet the uniform licensure requirements (fingerprint-based background checks, an unencumbered license, a U.S. Social Security number, among others). "Compact license" and "multistate license" are the same document; each state page above says whether that state issues it.

I hold a multistate license and I am moving. What happens to it?

Moving to another compact state: apply for licensure in the new primary state of residence within 60 days, and the old home-state multistate license does not travel with you. Moving to a state outside the compact: the multistate license converts to a single-state license of the old home state, and the new state needs its own license.

Sources

Every status on this page comes from these pages. Ruleset last verified September 21, 2026.

NLC (NCSBN): participating jurisdictions, accessed September 21, 2026https://www.nursecompact.com/NLC map and implementation-date table (PDF), accessed September 21, 2026https://www.nursecompact.com/files/NLC_Map.pdf NLC map data (status and pending bills by state), accessed September 21, 2026https://www.nursecompact.com/maps/NewNurseCompactData.txt NLC: applying for a multistate license (ULRs), accessed September 21, 2026https://www.nursecompact.com/how-it-works/applying-for-licensure.page NLC: nurses and the NLC (residence, telehealth, 60-day rule), accessed September 21, 2026https://www.nursecompact.com/how-it-works/nurses-and-the-nlc.page NLC moving-scenarios fact sheet (PDF), accessed September 21, 2026https://www.nursecompact.com/files/moving-scenarios.pdf NCSBN directory of boards of nursing (names and websites below come from it), accessed September 21, 2026https://www.ncsbn.org/membership/us-members/contact-bon.page