Nurse Licensure Compact states, and whether yours crosses the line.

Worked example

A nurse who lives in Texas takes a 13-week contract in Florida. Texas has issued compact licences since Jan. 19, 2018 and Florida also joined on Jan. 19, 2018, so a Texas multistate licence covers the Florida assignment with no second application, provided she meets the 11 uniform licensure requirements.

If she later moves her permanent home to Florida on March 15, 2026, the 60-day rule applies: 16 days remain in March, 30 in April and 14 in May, so the apply-by date is May 14, 2026. A colleague who lives in New York works in the same hospital on a single-state licence. New York is not in the compact, so he applied to the Florida board by endorsement.

How this is worked out

The tool applies three facts from the NLC. First, a compact licence is only available if you declare residency in a compact state that has fully implemented. Second, a holder may practise in other NLC jurisdictions without another licence, except where the NLC marks practice as not yet available (Massachusetts and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Third, anyone moving to another compact state applies for licensure in the new home state within 60 days, and the tool counts those 60 calendar days forward from the move date. APRNs are excluded because the NLC covers RN and LPN/VN licences only. It does not check the 11 uniform licensure requirements, discipline history or alternative-to-discipline participation, which can each bar a compact licence.

All 43 jurisdictions on the NLC list

Implementation date is the date the NLC lists. “Compact licence available” asks whether residents can be issued one today; “Practice here on a compact licence” asks whether a nurse from another member state may work there. Not on the list: Alaska, California, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Oregon.

Sources, all opened on October 26, 2026

• NurseCompact.com: NLC map and implementation dates (PDF) (two pages, file dated August 2026, footer reads Revised Sept. 6, 2023)
• NurseCompact.com home page (43 jurisdictions are part of the NLC)
• NurseCompact.com: About the NLC and the 60-day rule
• NurseCompact.com: FAQs (residency, eligibility, APRN, endorsement)
• NurseCompact.com: Nurses and the NLC (travel nurses, patient location)

As-of date: October 26, 2026. The map PDF’s footer says “Revised: Sept. 6, 2023” while its table carries 2025 dates, so the file’s footer is out of date even though its dates are current. Legislatures and boards change status; confirm with the state board of nursing before you accept a placement.