What decides whether you need a new license
Two things: whether Illinois is a compact state, and whether your own license is multistate rather than single-state. Compact privilege only exists between compact states, and only a multistate license carries it. Run your exact home/assignment pairing through the compact state checker.
Practicing in Illinois on assignment
Because Illinois requires its own license, build board processing into your start date. See the Illinois endorsement guide for the route. If any of the assignment is telehealth, remember licensure generally follows the patient’s location — see the Illinois telehealth guide.
The law that governs this in Illinois
Taking an assignment in Illinois is practice in Illinois, so it is Illinois’s own nurse practice act that defines what you may do and the Illinois Board of Nursing (IDFPR) that applies it. That act is 225 ILCS 65 (Nurse Practice Act).
There is no compact statute to cite for Illinois, which is the substantive point rather than a gap in our research: Illinois has not adopted the compact, so the practice act above is the whole of the law that applies to you here.
Before you sign
We are an independent licensing reference — we do not list assignments, agencies, or pay rates, and nothing here is a job offer. For the wider pre-assignment checklist (contract terms, credentialing, housing), see what to check before accepting a travel assignment. Confirm licensure with the Illinois Board of Nursing (IDFPR).
Why compact privilege does not reach Illinois
Illinois has not adopted the compact. Either way the practical answer for taking an assignment in Illinois is the same today: a multistate license from another state does not authorize it, and you generally need an Illinois license from the Illinois Board of Nursing (IDFPR). Re-check before a start date rather than assuming — this is precisely the fact that changes.