What compact privilege is
A multistate license from your primary state of residence carries compact privilege — the authority to practice in other compact states without licensing separately in each. It only exists between states that are live in the Nurse Licensure Compact.
Why privilege does not reach District of Columbia
Since District of Columbia is not part of the compact, there is no District of Columbia compact privilege to grant. See non-compact states and working in a non-compact state with a compact license.
The law that governs this in District of Columbia
Working in District of Columbia on another state’s license is practice in District of Columbia, so it is District of Columbia’s own nurse practice act that defines what you may do and the District of Columbia Board of Nursing that applies it. That act is District of Columbia nursing licensure law (Board of Nursing, DC Health).
There is no compact statute to cite for District of Columbia, which is the substantive point rather than a gap in our research: District of Columbia has not adopted the compact, so the practice act above is the whole of the law that applies to you here.
Confirm before you rely on it
License status changes and the compact evolves. Confirm your own license type on Nursys and check District of Columbia’s current rules with the District of Columbia Board of Nursing. CompactStates.com is an independent guide, not a licensing authority.
Why compact privilege does not reach District of Columbia
District of Columbia has not adopted the compact. Either way the practical answer for working in District of Columbia on a license from another state is the same today: a multistate license from another state does not authorize it, and you generally need a District of Columbia license from the District of Columbia Board of Nursing. Re-check before a start date rather than assuming — this is precisely the fact that changes.