Where your license lets you work
Last verified . Sources: NCSBN, emscompact.gov, and each state board.
One question, answered from board sources: given the license you hold, where can you legally work tomorrow, and what does it take to work anywhere else?
The eligibility checker
Answer three things and the checker reads the board data on this page for you. Nothing is saved — no account, no storage, no tracking of what you type. The result is a shareable link.
What you enter
- Your home state — the primary state of residence that issued your license.
- Your license type — RN or LPN/LVN, multistate or single-state, or EMT, AEMT, or Paramedic.
- The destination state, and whether you are moving there or just working shifts.
What you get back
- Whether you can work there today, or need a license by endorsement first.
- The earliest realistic start date, based on the board’s published processing time.
- The application fee when the board publishes one, and temporary-permit availability.
- The next concrete step, with a link straight to the board.
Your Texas multistate license already authorizes practice in Texas.
- No Texas application, fee, or verification is required.
- You practice under Texas's nurse practice act while your patient is located there.
- Keep your Texas license active and unencumbered; a restriction in any state suspends the multistate privilege everywhere.
- Earliest start
- Today
- Fee
- $0
Data as of September 2, 2026.
Nothing you enter here is stored. Trust keeps credentials on your phone, not on our servers.
How the compact works
A multistate license is one license with a privilege to practice in every other implemented compact state. It is issued by your primary state of residence — your home state — and renewed there. You do not hold 40 licenses; you hold one, and it travels.
Practice is deemed to occur where the patient is located, so you follow the destination state’s nurse practice act on every shift and every telehealth call. A multistate license lets you practice, in person or by telehealth, in every compact state that has implemented the NLC. You follow the nurse practice act of the state where the patient is located.
A nurse who holds a multistate license and moves their primary state of residence to another compact state must apply for licensure by endorsement in the new home state within 60 days of relocating. The nurse may keep practicing on the former home state's multistate license during those 60 days. The former multistate license is deactivated when the new one is issued. That is NLC Rule 402(2), effective January 2, 2024.
A restriction or discipline in any state suspends the multistate privilege everywhere until it is resolved.
The 11 uniform licensure requirements
- Meets the home state's requirements for licensure
- Graduated from a board-approved RN or LPN/VN program (or a foreign program verified by an independent credentials review agency)
- Passed an English proficiency exam if the program was not taught in English
- Passed the NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN (or a predecessor exam)
- Holds or is eligible for an active, unencumbered license
- Submitted to state and federal fingerprint-based criminal background checks
- No felony convictions
- No misdemeanor convictions related to nursing practice (reviewed case by case)
- Not currently enrolled in an alternative-to-discipline program
- Has a valid U.S. Social Security number
- Self-disclosed any current participation in an alternative program
Every jurisdiction, one table
43 jurisdictions participate in the Nurse Licensure Compact: 40 states have fully implemented it, Guam honors other states' multistate licenses but cannot yet issue its own, and Massachusetts and the U.S. Virgin Islands have enacted it but not implemented it. Massachusetts targets May 2027. Connecticut, on October 1, 2025, was the most recent state to implement. No state joined or implemented in 2026.
| Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Member (implemented) | January 1, 2020 | Member (operational) | |
| Alaska | Bill pending | — | Enacted, not operational | No NLC enactment. 2026 compact omnibus HB 110 covered other professions, not nursing. Law effective 2026-09-20. As of the 2026-10-01 check, Privilege to Practice is not live. The Commission states the Compact is in force in Alaska as of 2026-10-09. The participating-states map already says Participating; prefer the dated in-force language until that date. |
| Arizona | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Member (operational) | In force 2026-09-12 with Privilege to Practice recognized. Commissioner Gail H. Bradley seated the same day. NEMSCD integrated per the Arizona commissioner page. |
| Arkansas | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Member (operational) | |
| California | Not a member | — | Not a member | No active NLC bill in the 2025-26 session. |
| Colorado | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Member (operational) | |
| Connecticut | Member (implemented) | October 1, 2025 | Enacted, not operational | Most recent state to implement. Many third-party sites still list Connecticut as non-compact. Public Act 26-13 / HB 5514. Enacted, not yet operational. In force no earlier than one year after Massachusetts, New York, or Rhode Island enacts REPLICA. No such enactment as of 2026-10-01, so the clock has not started. Commissioner appointment pending. |
| Delaware | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Member (operational) | |
| District of Columbia | Bill pending | — | Not a member | B26-0069 introduced; not moving. |
| Florida | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Not a member | |
| Georgia | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Member (operational) | |
| Guam | Partial implementation | — | Not a member | Honors multistate licenses from other compact states; Guam residents cannot yet obtain one. |
| Hawaii | Bill pending | — | Not a member | 2026 bills HB 2285 / SB 3104 did not reach a floor vote. |
| Idaho | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Member (operational) | |
| Illinois | Bill pending | — | Not a member | HB 4369 re-referred to Rules Committee March 27, 2026; stalled. |
| Indiana | Member (implemented) | July 1, 2020 | Member (operational) | |
| Iowa | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Member (operational) | |
| Kansas | Member (implemented) | July 1, 2019 | Member (operational) | |
| Kentucky | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Not a member | |
| Louisiana | Member (implemented) | July 1, 2019 | Member (operational) | |
| Maine | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Not a member | |
| Maryland | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Not a member | |
| Massachusetts | Enacted, not implemented | — | Not a member | Enacted November 20, 2024. The Board targets implementation in May 2027. Until then a multistate license does not authorize practice in Massachusetts. NLC target 2027-05. |
| Michigan | Bill pending | — | Not a member | HB 4246 passed the House June 11, 2025; no Senate action since. |
| Minnesota | Bill pending | — | Not a member | HF 1925 / SF 2608 have not advanced. Not a member. |
| Mississippi | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Member (operational) | |
| Missouri | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Member (operational) | |
| Montana | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Not a member | |
| Nebraska | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Member (operational) | |
| Nevada | Not a member | — | Member (operational) | No bill pending. Nevada is an EMS Compact member; do not conflate the two. |
| New Hampshire | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Not a member | |
| New Jersey | Member (implemented) | November 15, 2021 | Not a member | |
| New Mexico | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Not a member | |
| New York | Bill pending | — | Not a member | S3916 / A4524 in committee. The Governor's FY2025 and FY2026 budget proposals to join were rejected by the Legislature. |
| North Carolina | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Not a member | |
| North Dakota | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Member (operational) | |
| Ohio | Member (implemented) | January 1, 2023 | Not a member | |
| Oklahoma | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Member (operational) | Enacted, implementing. Privilege to Practice is recognized. Not yet submitting data to NEMSCD (participating-states page, checked 2026-10-01). |
| Oregon | Bill pending | — | Not a member | SB 966 listed as pending by secondary sources; no enactment. |
| Pennsylvania | Member (implemented) | July 7, 2025 | Member (operational) | Fully implemented July 7, 2025. Pennsylvania has honored out-of-state multistate licenses since September 2023 and now issues its own. Enacted, implementing. Privilege to Practice is recognized. Not yet submitting data to NEMSCD (participating-states page, checked 2026-10-01). |
| Rhode Island | Member (implemented) | January 8, 2024 | Not a member | |
| South Carolina | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Member (operational) | |
| South Dakota | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Member (operational) | |
| Tennessee | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Member (operational) | |
| Texas | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Member (operational) | |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | Enacted, not implemented | — | Not a member | Enacted December 6, 2021; implementation date not set. |
| Utah | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Member (operational) | |
| Vermont | Member (implemented) | February 1, 2022 | Not a member | |
| Virginia | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Member (operational) | |
| Washington | Member (implemented) | January 31, 2024 | Not a member | |
| West Virginia | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Member (operational) | |
| Wisconsin | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Not a member | |
| Wyoming | Member (implemented) | January 19, 2018 | Member (operational) |
Five statuses: Member (implemented) issues and honors multistate licenses. Partial implementation honors other states’ multistate licenses but cannot issue its own. Enacted, not implemented has a law but no operating date yet. Bill pending has legislation in progress. Not a member has none. Column headers sort the table.
States that are not in the compact
In these jurisdictions a multistate license buys you nothing. You need their license before you take a shift, including telehealth into the state.
- Alaska — Bill pending. No NLC enactment. 2026 compact omnibus HB 110 covered other professions, not nursing.
- California — Not a member. No active NLC bill in the 2025-26 session.
- District of Columbia — Bill pending. B26-0069 introduced; not moving.
- Hawaii — Bill pending. 2026 bills HB 2285 / SB 3104 did not reach a floor vote.
- Illinois — Bill pending. HB 4369 re-referred to Rules Committee March 27, 2026; stalled.
- Massachusetts — Enacted, not implemented, target 2027-05. Enacted November 20, 2024. The Board targets implementation in May 2027. Until then a multistate license does not authorize practice in Massachusetts.
- Michigan — Bill pending. HB 4246 passed the House June 11, 2025; no Senate action since.
- Minnesota — Bill pending. HF 1925 / SF 2608 have not advanced. Not a member.
- Nevada — Not a member. No bill pending. Nevada is an EMS Compact member; do not conflate the two.
- New York — Bill pending. S3916 / A4524 in committee. The Governor's FY2025 and FY2026 budget proposals to join were rejected by the Legislature.
- Oregon — Bill pending. SB 966 listed as pending by secondary sources; no enactment.
- U.S. Virgin Islands — Enacted, not implemented. Enacted December 6, 2021; implementation date not set.
The EMS Compact
As of October 1, 2026, Privilege to Practice is recognized in 26 states, including Arizona since September 12, 2026. The Commission homepage says 28 states have enacted the Compact and 27 are operational. Alaska’s stated in-force date is October 9, 2026, so it is not live on this check. Connecticut is enacted and not yet operational.
- Hold a current, unrestricted EMT, AEMT, or Paramedic license issued by a Home State where Privilege to Practice is recognized (EMRs are not covered)
- Be at least 18 years old
- Affiliate with an EMS agency authorized in the remote state that provides EMS medical direction
- Follow the Commission's Professional Code of Conduct
- No Compact application, approval, or fee. In a remote state, follow that state's laws and the local agency's protocols. Your home-state license still controls inside the Home State
- The privilege is suspended while any license restriction or discipline is in effect
The privilege covers cross-border work, not relocation. A clinician who moves to a new home state must obtain a license there.
NREMT certification is not required to use the privilege. Member states must use the NREMT exam for new licensure at the EMT and Paramedic levels.
Endorsement, state by state
25 states verified against the board’s own pages, cheapest application first.
- Illinois$50Temporary permit: YesAllow 6 weeks before inquiring about status.
- Indiana$50 (+$25 for multistate, +$10 for a temporary permit)Temporary permit: YesNot stated; applications not completed within one year are abandoned. (not a board figure)
- Georgia$75 (+$50 to add multistate)Temporary permit: UnclearApplications are processed in order received; anything needing Board review must arrive 15 days before a Board meeting. Licensing guides report roughly 20 business days (secondary estimate). (not a board figure)
- Ohio$75Temporary permit: YesThe board publishes no timeline; licensing guides report 7–10 business days after all documents arrive (secondary estimate). Applications incomplete after one year are void. (not a board figure)
- Minnesota$105 (+$32 background check = $137 due at application)Temporary permit: YesNot stated by the board. (not a board figure)
- Missouri$105Temporary permit: YesNot stated for endorsement. (not a board figure)
- Florida$110Temporary permit: NoUp to 10 business days for initial review; license issued within 7 days once all requirements are met. Florida law requires an initial review within 30 days.
- Tennessee$115Temporary permit: UnclearAllow six weeks for processing. Only military personnel and spouses may be expedited.
- Pennsylvania$120Temporary permit: YesThe board publishes phase-based status timelines, not an overall estimate. (not a board figure)
- Alabama$125 single-state · $225 multistate (+$3.50 transaction fee)Temporary permit: YesThere is no timetable for issuing licenses. A license will only be issued when all requirements are completed.
- Washington$138 single-state · $203 multistateTemporary permit: YesAbout 7 business days for a complete application.
- New York$143Temporary permit: NoNYSED publishes no timeline. Licensing guides report roughly 6–8 weeks after all materials arrive (secondary estimate). (not a board figure)
- Texas$150 (confirm on the BON fee schedule)Temporary permit: YesBoard targets 15 business days from receipt of the last required item.
- North Carolina$150Temporary permit: YesNo timeline stated; track status in the Nurse Portal checklist. (not a board figure)
- Arizona$150 (+ up to $50 background check; $50 optional temporary license)Temporary permit: YesAdministrative completeness review within 30 business days; overall 150 business days without an investigation, 270 with one. Temporary licenses: allow 30 business days.
- Connecticut$180Temporary permit: YesNo overall timeline stated; the temporary permit is the board's stated 15-business-day path. (not a board figure)
- Virginia$190Temporary permit: NoApproximately 30 business days to complete.
- Oregon$195 per OAR 851-002-0010 (confirm in the portal)Temporary permit: NoOSBN publishes no timeline. Licensing guides report roughly 4–8 weeks after all materials arrive (secondary estimate). (not a board figure)
- New Jersey$200 totalTemporary permit: NoNot stated by the board. Licensing guides report roughly 8–12 weeks after all documents arrive (secondary estimate). (not a board figure)
- Michigan$212.90Temporary permit: UnclearNot stated by LARA. Licensing guides report roughly 6–8 weeks after all documents arrive (secondary estimate). (not a board figure)
- Maryland$230Temporary permit: YesNot stated by the board. (not a board figure)
- Massachusetts$275Temporary permit: NoNot stated by the board; expedited processing exists only for declared public-health emergencies. (not a board figure)
- California$350Temporary permit: YesEndorsement: 10–12 weeks. Temporary license: 2–3 weeks.
- ColoradoShown only inside the online application — DORA publishes no fee scheduleTemporary permit: UnclearBoard review typically takes a minimum of three weeks; final correspondence within 14 days after the Board meeting.
- WisconsinNot published on a current DSPS page — the LicensE portal shows the fee at checkoutTemporary permit: YesNot stated; applications are processed in order received. (not a board figure)
Questions people ask
Can I work in another state with my RN license?
If your primary state of residence issued a multistate license under the Nurse Licensure Compact, that license authorizes practice in every other implemented compact state with no second application and no extra fee. For a non-compact state — California, New York, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Nevada, Alaska, Hawaii, or the District of Columbia — you apply for a license by endorsement before you work there.
How many states are in the Nurse Licensure Compact in 2026?
43 jurisdictions participate: 40 states have fully implemented the compact, Guam honors other states' multistate licenses but cannot issue its own, and Massachusetts and the U.S. Virgin Islands have enacted it without implementing it. No state joined or implemented during 2026.
Is Massachusetts a compact state?
Massachusetts has enacted the Nurse Licensure Compact but has not implemented it, with a target of May 2027. Until then a multistate license does not authorize practice in Massachusetts, and out-of-state nurses apply for a Massachusetts license by endorsement.
Is Connecticut a compact state?
Yes. Connecticut fully implemented the Nurse Licensure Compact on October 1, 2025 and is the most recent state to do so. Many third-party sites still list it as non-compact.
If I move to another compact state, how long can I work on my old multistate license?
A nurse who holds a multistate license and moves their primary state of residence to another compact state must apply for licensure by endorsement in the new home state within 60 days of relocating. The nurse may keep practicing on the former home state's multistate license during those 60 days. The former multistate license is deactivated when the new one is issued. (NLC Rule 402(2), effective January 2, 2024.)
Do I need a new license to travel-nurse in a compact state?
No, provided your home state issued a multistate license and it is active and unencumbered. You practice under the nurse practice act of the state where the patient is located. A restriction in any state suspends the multistate privilege everywhere.
Which state is cheapest to endorse into?
Among the 25 states Trust verifies, Illinois and Indiana are the cheapest at $50 for the application. California is the most expensive at $350. Colorado and Wisconsin publish no current fee schedule — the amount appears at checkout in the state portal.
Can a paramedic work across state lines?
Yes, between operational EMS Compact member states. A current, unrestricted EMT, AEMT, or Paramedic license from an operational home state carries a privilege to practice in other operational member states with no application and no fee, as long as you are 18 or older, work under a physician medical director, and are affiliated with an agency authorized in that state. The privilege covers cross-border work, not relocation, and EMRs are not covered.
Keep reading
Sources
- https://www.nursecompact.com/
- https://www.nursecompact.com/files/NLC_Map.pdf
- https://www.ncsbn.org/news/connecticut-fully-implements-the-nurse-licensure-compact
- https://www.ncsbn.org/news/interstate-commission-of-nurse-licensure-compact-administrators-adopts-new-residency-rule
- https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dos/department-and-offices/bpoa/boards-commissions/nursing/nlc
- https://www.mass.gov/info-details/the-nurse-licensure-compact-nlc
- https://www.emscompact.gov/
- https://www.emscompact.gov/the-compact/participating-states/
- https://www.emscompact.gov/privilege-to-practice/
- https://www.emscompact.gov/verify/
- https://www.emscompact.gov/the-commission/news/three-states-enact-ems-compact-legislation/
- https://www.emscompact.gov/the-commission/news/arizona-appoints-dr-gail-bradley-as-commissioner/
- https://www.emscompact.gov/the-commission/news/alaska-implementation-of-the-ems-compact-is-delayed/
- https://www.emscompact.gov/the-commission/news/alaska-appoints-todd-mcdowell-as-commissioner/
- https://www.emscompact.gov/the-commission/commissioners/connecticut/