Is District of Columbia a nursing compact state?

What District of Columbia’s compact status means

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

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

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

What District of Columbia residents should know

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

What nurses coming to District of Columbia should know

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

Why District of Columbia has no compact adoption date

There is no date to give, because District of Columbia has never enacted the Nurse Licensure Compact. This is not a delay or a pending implementation — no District of Columbia license has ever carried compact privilege, and none does today.

For context on what it has not joined: the original compact dates from 2000, and the rewritten enhanced NLC took effect on January 19, 2018. 40 jurisdictions are now issuing and honouring multistate licenses. District of Columbia is not among them, and a nurse practicing here needs a District of Columbia license regardless of what they hold elsewhere.

See the full NLC adoption timeline for when every other jurisdiction enacted and implemented, each with its source — or the jurisdictions still outside the compact for who else is in the same position.

The law behind District of Columbia’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 District of Columbia, so you can check our answer against the law rather than taking our word for it.

Compact statute

None in force.

District of Columbia has not enacted the Nurse Licensure Compact, which is precisely why a multistate license issued elsewhere does not authorize practice here, and why District of Columbia 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

District of Columbia nursing licensure law (Board of Nursing, DC Health) ↗

District of Columbia’s own license lookup

DC Health license lookup ↗

Free lookup drawn from the Health Regulation and Licensing Administration database, refreshed daily. Outbound verification splits by CREDENTIAL rather than by destination: an RN or LPN verification to another board goes through Nursys, but an APRN verification to any recipient requires a paper form and a $34 fee. So an APRN leaving D.C. faces a slower, paid, manual route that an RN beside them does not — a concrete instance of the pattern this site keeps flagging, where advanced practice sits outside the infrastructure everyone else uses.

Board of nursing

District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia

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 District of Columbia. See the APRN and the compact guide, and confirm specifics with the District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia, which is why neither credential carries privilege here.

By credential: District of Columbia RN & the compact, District of Columbia LPN, and District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia does not issue multistate licenses to its residents, making it your PSOR means holding a single-state District of Columbia license; a compact license from your former state does not transfer to District of Columbia. Coming from another state, you generally apply to the District of Columbia Board of Nursing by endorsement. If you are relocating, the 60-day rule governs the timing.

Verifying a District of Columbia nursing license

Look any District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia Board of Nursing. See the full District of Columbia verification guide. CompactStates is an independent reference, not a verification service, and holds no license records.

Travel assignments and telehealth in District of Columbia

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

Renewal and continuing education

Renewal cycles, fees, and continuing-education requirements are set by the District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia renewal guide.