The Nurse Licensure Compact
- The publishing body stated in the sources
- The Nurse Licensure Compact is administered by the Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators. "The Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators (ICNLCA) is comprised of one commissioner from each NLC jurisdiction." "The commissioners function as the governing body of the agency and work collaboratively to carry out its mission." — NLC Commission page, retrieved Aug 26, 2026. The commission's Final Rules define the body in the same terms and define the compact itself as the one "that became effective on July 20, 2017 and implemented on January 19, 2018."
- Participating jurisdictions in these sources
- The commission's own roster document lists jurisdictions and implementation dates and states, on the same page, both "43 states have enacted the NLC" and "43 jurisdictions have enacted the NLC". Guam, Massachusetts, and the U.S. Virgin Islands appear with the date "TBD" under a footnote reading "Compact license not available until full implementation is complete." The document carries the line "Revised: Sept. 6, 2023" while listing implementation dates in 2024 and 2025; both are reproduced as published and the discrepancy is recorded in the change log. This row carries the commission's roster only. What a given state's own board publishes about its participation is quoted on that state's page, and neither statement is reconciled against the other.
- Offices in these sources
- "Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators", "PO Box 5300", "Scranton, PA 18505" — Contact page, retrieved Aug 26, 2026. The same page routes questions through an inquiry form. The commission publishes no telephone number in the sources reviewed. On applications, the commission directs nurses elsewhere: "License application questions must be directed to your BON."
- Sources last checked
- Aug 29, 2026
Reproduced from the commission's own pages and documents quoted below: potentially relevant official sources, not a determination of eligibility or of which pathway applies to any situation.
This page assembles what the Nurse Licensure Compact's own commission publishes: the routes to a multistate license as the commission describes them, what its rules state about practice while an application is pending, about license verification, and about criminal background checks, and where the original documents live. The fullest single source is the commission's Final Rules, effective January 2, 2024, alongside the uniform licensure requirements and the participating-jurisdictions roster. The commission's vocabulary is worth carrying: the primary state of residence (PSOR) is the state that issues a nurse's multistate license, a party state is a jurisdiction that has enacted the compact, and a remote state is any other party state where the nurse then practices. A state board's own statements govern that state's page; this page never substitutes for them. Confirm applicability with the board itself. Any amount quoted on this page is quoted from the sources, not a total calculated for you.
The pathways, as the commission describes them
The multistate license. "Nurses holding a multistate license can practice in other NLC states/territories, without obtaining additional licenses, while maintaining their primary state of residence (PSOR)." "The multistate license is issued in a nurse’s PSOR, but is recognized across state lines, like a driver’s license." (How it Works) Eligibility, as the commission frames it: "Nurses are eligible for a multistate license if their PSOR is a member of the NLC and they meet the uniform licensure requirements (ULR). The PSOR refers to the home state."
Where the application is made. "Applying for a multistate license must be done through your board of nursing (BON). Multistate licensure applications are available from your BON's website." (Applying for Licensure) The commission lists the application types that may carry a multistate license, including "License by Exam (new graduates seeking to take NCLEX)", "License by Endorsement (when you need a license in another state", "Renewal", "Upgrading/converting a single state license into a multistate/compact license", and "License for graduates of an international nursing program".
What the primary state of residence is. "PSOR is the state where you can prove you legally reside." The commission's guidelines: "It is the state from which you have your driver’s license, voter registration card and state declared on your federal tax filing." "It does not pertain to home or property ownership." "There can only be one PSOR." The rules add what a board may ask for: a party state "may require an applicant to provide evidence of residence in the declared primary state of residence", including a current driver's license with a home address, voter registration card, federal income tax return, "military form no. 2058 (state of legal residence certificate)", or W2 form.
The single state license. The rules keep the two license types distinct and require them to be labeled: "A party state shall clearly identify a license as either a single state license or a multistate license." Where an applicant does not qualify for a multistate license, "An applicant for licensure who is determined to be ineligible for a multistate license shall be notified by the home state of the qualifications not met." "The home state may issue a single state license pursuant to its laws." And in the other direction: "A remote party state shall not issue a single state license to a nurse who holds a multistate license."
The uniform licensure requirements. The commission publishes eleven, quoted below where they bear on the hoisted rows. The list opens: "An applicant for licensure in a state that is part of the eNLC will need to meet the following uniform licensure requirements" — the PDF's own abbreviation, which differs from the web version's; both are reproduced as published.
The published process
- Practice while the application is pending
- For a nurse moving between two party states, the rules state that practice continues on the old license: a nurse who changes primary state of residence from one party state to another "may continue to practice under the existing multistate license while the nurse’s application is processed and a multistate license is issued in the new primary state of residence." Then: "Upon issuance of a new multistate license, the former primary state of residence shall deactivate its multistate license held by the nurse and provide notice to the nurse." The provision that most often surprises: a state-issued temporary permit is not a compact privilege. "A temporary permit, license, or similar temporary authorization to practice issued by a party state to an applicant for licensure shall not grant multistate licensure privileges." A move to a non-party state is treated differently again: "If a party state verifies that a licensee who holds a multistate license changes primary state of residence to a non-party state, the party state shall convert the multistate license to a single state license within fifteen (15) calendar days". — Final Rules 403 and 404, effective January 2, 2024, retrieved Aug 26, 2026
- Verification of the existing license
- The commission does not publish a verification form. It requires party states to participate in a shared system: all party states shall participate in a coordinated licensure information system, and that participation includes "Participation in the license verification service for endorsement." On application, "with the exception of renewal by a nurse, a party state shall query the Coordinated Licensure Information System to ascertain the applicant’s current licensure status, previous disciplinary action(s), and member board notifications related to current participation in an alternative program or current significant investigative information." The uniform data set the states furnish includes "the nurse’s name", "jurisdiction of licensure", "license expiration date", and "status of multistate licensure privileges", and states must report it "within fifteen (15) calendar days of the date on which the action is taken." What form a particular board requires of an individual nurse is stated by that board, not here.
- Fingerprints and the background check
- The sixth uniform licensure requirement is that the applicant "Has submitted to state and federal fingerprint-based criminal background checks". Two further requirements bear on the same record: "Has not been convicted or found guilty, or has entered into an agreed disposition, of a felony offense under applicable state or federal criminal law" and "Has no misdemeanor convictions related to the practice of nursing (determined on a case-by-case basis)". The rules limit what may then be shared: communication between party states about a nurse's eligibility "shall not include any Criminal History Record Information (CHRI) received from the Federal Bureau of Investigation relating to a federal criminal records check performed by a member board under Public Law 92-544." The commission directs questions about an individual record to the board: "Criminal background check (CBC), including past criminal history or disciplinary action".
The three rows above answer the questions an experienced adviser raises first, from the commission's own published documents, or record that a question is not answered in them.
Fees, as stated in the sources
All quoted; none totaled. No fee payable by a nurse — for a multistate license, for an upgrade from a single state license, or for anything else — is stated anywhere in the commission sources reviewed. That absence is a finding, not an omission: the commission publishes fees only as an assessment on the states themselves. "The Commission shall determine the annual assessment to be paid by party states. The assessment formula is a flat fee per party state." Notice of a change to it runs "at least ninety (90) calendar days prior to the Commission meeting to consider the proposed revision."
Fees a nurse pays are set and published by the board of nursing, and the commission says so, listing "Application fees" among the questions that "must be directed to your BON." What any of this means for a particular application is for the board to determine.
Timelines, as stated in the sources
All quoted; none calculated. From the Final Rules effective January 2, 2024 except where noted.
On moving between party states: "A multistate licensee who changes primary state of residence to another party state shall apply for a multistate license in the new party state within 60 days." The commission states the same rule on its home page: "Nurses moving from one compact state to another must apply for licensure in their new primary state of residence within 60 days."
On moving to a non-party state: the party state "shall convert the multistate license to a single state license within fifteen (15) calendar days, and report this conversion to the Coordinated Licensure Information System."
On disclosure of an alternative program: an applicant "shall disclose current participation in an alternative program to any party state, whether upon initial application or within ten (10) calendar days of enrollment in the program."
On reporting to the shared system: "A party state shall report the items in the uniform data set to the Coordinated Licensure Information System within fifteen (15) calendar days of the date on which the action is taken."
On a new state joining: "The Executive Director shall notify party states within fifteen (15) calendar days after a new party state enacts the Compact." "The new party state shall establish an implementation date within twelve (12) months from enactment, or as specified in the enabling language". Before that date: "At least ninety (90) calendar days prior to the new party state implementation date, party states shall notify any active single state licensee with an address in the new party state that the licensee may only hold one multistate license in the primary state of residence."
On the compact's own dates: "The Compact was implemented on January 19, 2018."
What any of this means for a particular application is for the board to determine.
Source map
| Document | Location | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Final Rules, Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators (PDF) | nursecompact.com | effective January 2, 2024; retrieved Aug 26, 2026 |
| NLC States — participating jurisdictions map and roster (PDF) | nursecompact.com | document states Revised: Sept. 6, 2023; retrieved Aug 26, 2026 |
| Uniform Licensure Requirements for a Multistate License (PDF) | nursecompact.com | no date published on the document; retrieved Aug 26, 2026 |
| Applying for Licensure | nursecompact.com | no date published; retrieved Aug 26, 2026 |
| How it Works | nursecompact.com | no date published; retrieved Aug 26, 2026 |
| About the NLC | nursecompact.com | no date published; retrieved Aug 26, 2026 |
| NLC Commission | nursecompact.com | no date published; retrieved Aug 26, 2026 |
| Contact Us | nursecompact.com | no date published; retrieved Aug 26, 2026 |
| Uniform Licensure Requirements (NCSBN) | ncsbn.org | no date published; retrieved Aug 26, 2026 |
| NLC Commission bylaws (PDF) | nursecompact.com | listed; capture pending |
| Key Provisions (PDF) | nursecompact.com | listed; capture pending |
| Model Legislation (PDF) | nursecompact.com | listed; capture pending |
| 60-Day Rule FAQs for Nurses (PDF) | nursecompact.com | listed; capture pending |
| NLC Definitions (PDF) | nursecompact.com | listed; capture pending |
| Commissioners Directory (PDF) | nursecompact.com | listed; capture pending |
| NLC FAQs | nursecompact.com | listed; capture pending |
| NLC Map (interactive) | nursecompact.com | renders its roster in JavaScript; capture pending |
Change log
Aug 26, 2026 · Page created. Captured first-party and appended mechanically: the full text layer of the commission's Final Rules effective January 2, 2024; the roster PDF NLC_Map.pdf; the uniform licensure requirements PDF; and the main content of the commission's How it Works, Applying for Licensure, About, Commission, and Contact pages, plus NCSBN's Uniform Licensure Requirements page — all retrieved Aug 26, 2026. Findings recorded rather than smoothed: (1) the roster PDF carries the revision line "Revised: Sept. 6, 2023" while listing implementation dates of Oct. 1, 2025 for Connecticut, July 7, 2025 for Pennsylvania, Jan. 8, 2024 for Rhode Island, and Jan. 31, 2024 for Washington, so the document's own revision line is older than its own contents; (2) the same document states "43 states have enacted the NLC" in one line and "43 jurisdictions have enacted the NLC" in another, and its list includes Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which are territories rather than states; (3) the uniform licensure requirements PDF opens with the abbreviation "eNLC" where the commission's own web version of the same list reads "NLC"; (4) NCSBN's Uniform Licensure Requirements page states the list "was updated in 2011" while linking a file named 2023_NLC_ULRs.pdf, and the file itself publishes no date; (5) Rule 404 states that a state-issued temporary permit "shall not grant multistate licensure privileges", which is the least-known and most consequential provision in these sources for a nurse practicing on a permit while an application is pending; (6) no fee payable by a nurse appears anywhere in the commission sources reviewed, and the commission routes fee questions to the boards; (7) the interactive map page renders its roster in JavaScript and returned no roster text on the transport used, so the roster here is taken from the commission's own NLC_Map.pdf rather than from the map page, and the map page remains capture-pending; (8) the ULR PDF's text layer drops a space in "independentcredentials", and that artifact is preserved verbatim inside the quotation; (9) two NCSBN addresses formerly used for compact material, ncsbn.org/nurse-licensure-compact.page and ncsbn.org/nlc/nlc-member-states.page, returned empty bodies on the transport used and are not cited as sources; the live commission site is nursecompact.com. Capture pending: the commission bylaws, Key Provisions, Model Legislation, the 60-day rule FAQs, the NLC definitions sheet, the commissioners directory, the FAQs page, and the interactive map page. Internet Archive captures: to be added. Reviewer: Carrie Schluter, reviewed Aug 31, 2026. Corrections on the record in this log: hello@fieldassembly.net.