Living in Guam, working in California
Can a Guam nurse work in California?
Guam has special compact implementation status. Do not rely on compact privilege for this pair until official implementation is confirmed. Treat the affected jurisdiction(s) as non-compact for now and verify directly.
Guam vs California at a glance
| Guam (home) | California (work) | |
|---|---|---|
| Compact status | Partial | Non-compact |
| Multistate license for residents | No | No |
| Compact nurses can practice here | Yes | No |
| Board of nursing | Guam board ↗ | California board ↗ |
Status shown as of 2026-06-17. Compact law changes — confirm anything that affects your license with the state board.
Recommended next step
Contact the California Board of Registered Nursing and the Guam Board of Nurse Examiners to confirm current implementation before practicing.
Verify before you rely on this
Whether you can practice comes down to your actual license type, not just the two states’ status. Look your license up on Nursys to confirm it is single-state or multistate, then check California’s current requirements with the California Board of Registered Nursing.
Things to keep in mind
- Guam cannot yet issue multistate licenses to its residents, so you may need a single-state or endorsement license for California.
- Always confirm your individual eligibility with the state board of nursing and check your license type in Nursys before you practice.
Frequently asked questions
Related pages
Sources & last reviewed
- NLC frequently asked questions— NCSBN / NurseCompact (nursecompact.com)
Covers multistate licenses, primary state of residence, the 60-day rule, telehealth, and license type coverage.
- NLC member states map & status— NCSBN / NurseCompact (nursecompact.com)
Identifies full members, partial implementation (Guam), and enacted/awaiting implementation (Massachusetts, U.S. Virgin Islands).
- Nursys QuickConfirm license verification— NCSBN / Nursys (nursys.com)
Recommended destination to verify whether a license is single-state or multistate.
Facts on this page were last reviewed against official sources on 2026-06-17. Compact law changes — always verify with your state board of nursing.