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The Nurse Licensure Compact and Nurse Practitioners

Nurse practitioners are often surprised to learn that a multistate registered nurse license and advanced practice authority are separate things.

Last reviewed November 1, 2026. General information, not legal or compliance advice.

What the Nurse Licensure Compact does

The Nurse Licensure Compact lets eligible registered nurses and licensed practical or vocational nurses hold one multistate license from their home state and practice in other compact states. It concerns the nursing license itself.

Advanced practice is separate

A nurse practitioner generally also needs advanced practice authority in each state, and that authority, including prescriptive authority and any collaboration or supervision rules, is set state by state. A multistate RN license does not by itself grant it.

The APRN Compact

A separate compact for advanced practice registered nurses has been proposed. As of our last review it needed enough states to enact it before it could take effect. Check the National Council of State Boards of Nursing site for its current status.

What to track

• Your RN license and whether it is multistate.
• Each state's APRN authority and its renewal date.
• Prescriptive authority and the state's CME requirements, which our state pages record where known.
• National certification, described in the recertification basics guide.

Limits of this guide

Rules and fees change, and this guide is general information, so confirm the details with the relevant board or agency before you act.