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CompactStates

Nursing license by endorsement, by state

Licensure by endorsement is how an already-licensed nurse gets licensed in a new state. Pick your state below — and note when the compact is the better route.

How do I get a nursing license by endorsement in another state?

You apply to that state’s board of nursing based on your existing license. In a non-compact state, endorsement is the main route. In a compact state, if you are moving there you may qualify for a multistate license instead. Pick your state for its board link; the board sets the requirements and fees.

Choose your state

AlabamaFull compact stateAlaskaNon-compact stateAmerican SamoaNon-compact stateArizonaFull compact stateArkansasFull compact stateCaliforniaNon-compact stateColoradoFull compact stateConnecticutFull compact stateDelawareFull compact stateDistrict of ColumbiaNon-compact stateFloridaFull compact stateGeorgiaFull compact stateGuamPartial implementationHawaiiNon-compact stateIdahoFull compact stateIllinoisNon-compact stateIndianaFull compact stateIowaFull compact stateKansasFull compact stateKentuckyFull compact stateLouisianaFull compact stateMaineFull compact stateMarylandFull compact stateMassachusettsEnacted — awaiting implementationMichiganNon-compact stateMinnesotaNon-compact stateMississippiFull compact stateMissouriFull compact stateMontanaFull compact stateNebraskaFull compact stateNevadaNon-compact stateNew HampshireFull compact stateNew JerseyFull compact stateNew MexicoFull compact stateNew YorkNon-compact stateNorth CarolinaFull compact stateNorth DakotaFull compact stateNorthern Mariana IslandsNon-compact stateOhioFull compact stateOklahomaFull compact stateOregonNon-compact statePennsylvaniaFull compact statePuerto RicoNon-compact stateRhode IslandFull compact stateSouth CarolinaFull compact stateSouth DakotaFull compact stateTennesseeFull compact stateTexasFull compact stateU.S. Virgin IslandsEnacted — awaiting implementationUtahFull compact stateVermontFull compact stateVirginiaFull compact stateWashingtonFull compact stateWest VirginiaFull compact stateWisconsinFull compact stateWyomingFull compact state

More states use the same process — start with the general verification guide or your state page.

Where a multistate license does not reach

If you hold a multistate license, endorsement is not something you need for most of the country — privilege already covers every fully implemented compact jurisdiction. These are the ones it does not, which makes them the complete list of places a compact nurse still applies to a board.

Never in the compact (13)

No multistate license reaches these, and none is issued to their residents. Endorsement is the route, today and for as long as they stay out.

Enacted, but not yet issuing or honouring (2)

The subtlety most sources miss. These have passed the compact into law, which reads like membership — but until implementation, privilege does not reach them and endorsement is still the route. A law on the books is not a license in your hand.

Partial implementation (1)

Neither in nor out. Check the jurisdiction directly before assuming either route — what is recognized and what is issued can be two different answers.

Everywhere else, a multistate license already covers you and endorsement would buy a second license you do not need — though there are reasons some nurses hold one anyway. If you are moving rather than visiting, the question changes: privilege follows your primary state of residence, so a move means applying in the new home state rather than endorsing into it.

Frequently asked questions

No. Endorsement gives you that state’s own single-state license. A compact license is one multistate license covering all compact states. See our endorsement vs compact guide.

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