Is Alaska a nursing compact state?

What Alaska’s compact status means

Because Alaska has not joined the compact, there is no Alaska multistate license. Alaska residents hold a single-state license that is valid only in Alaska.

To work in Alaska with an out-of-state license, you generally apply for licensure by endorsement directly with the Alaska Board of Nursing. A compact license from another state does not cover you in Alaska.

If you move your primary residence to a compact state later, you may then become eligible for a multistate license through that state.

What Alaska residents should know

If you live in Alaska, your license is single-state — valid in Alaska only. Alaska residents can’t get a multistate license unless Alaska joins the compact. To work in another state, you’d apply there.

What nurses coming to Alaska should know

You’ll need an Alaska license — usually by endorsement — even if you hold a compact license elsewhere. Compact privilege doesn’t reach Alaska.

The law behind Alaska’s status

Compact status is not an opinion or a listing — it is a statute. These are the primary sources that actually govern licensure in Alaska, so you can check our answer against the law rather than taking our word for it.

Compact statute

None in force.

Alaska has not enacted the Nurse Licensure Compact, which is precisely why a multistate license issued elsewhere does not authorise practice here, and why Alaska residents cannot obtain one. Bills are introduced in some sessions; introduction is not enactment, and we only record a statute once it is law.

Nurse practice act

Alaska nursing statutes & regulations (Board of Nursing) ↗

Alaska’s own license lookup

Alaska online licence verification ↗

Alaska is the mirror image of Nevada: it has abolished the request-and-fee route entirely, and its online search tool IS the primary source verification. Nothing to submit, nothing to pay, nothing to wait for. If you have budgeted time for a verification request from Alaska, you do not need it.

Board of nursing

Alaska Board of Nursing ↗

Statutory citations reviewed 2026-07-31. Citations change far more slowly than fees or processing times — which is why we publish these and not those.

RN, LPN/LVN, and APRN coverage in Alaska

The Nurse Licensure Compact covers RN and LPN/LVN licenses. It does not, on its own, cover APRN roles — nurse practitioners, CRNAs, CNSs, and CNMs generally need separate APRN authorization in each state, including Alaska. See the APRN and the compact guide, and confirm specifics with the Alaska Board of Nursing.

Coverage is the same for both credentials, so the state lists are the same: every RN compact state and every LPN/LVN compact state both exclude Alaska, which is why neither credential carries privilege here.

By credential: Alaska RN & the compact, Alaska LPN, and Alaska APRN.

Primary state of residence, moving, and endorsement

Your primary state of residence (PSOR) drives multistate eligibility — you can hold it in only one state at a time. Because Alaska is not a compact state, making it your PSOR means holding a single-state Alaska license; a compact license from your former state does not transfer to Alaska. Coming from another state, you generally apply to the Alaska Board of Nursing by endorsement. If you are relocating, the 60-day rule governs the timing.

Verifying a Alaska nursing license

Look any Alaska license up on Nursys QuickConfirm — it shows whether the license is single-state or multistate, its status, and its expiration. For anything Nursys does not show, use the Alaska Board of Nursing. See the full Alaska verification guide. CompactStates is an independent reference, not a verification service, and holds no license records.

Travel assignments and telehealth in Alaska

Because Alaska does not currently grant compact privilege, a Alaska travel assignment — or telehealth to patients located in Alaska — generally needs an Alaska license by endorsement. Telehealth licensure generally follows the patient’s location. See the Alaska travel and telehealth guides.

Renewal and continuing education

Renewal cycles, fees, and continuing-education requirements are set by the Alaska Board of Nursing and change over time, so we link you to the official source rather than list figures that could go stale. Nursys shows your expiration date and license type. See the Alaska renewal guide.