The law that governs this in Maryland
Getting licensed in Maryland happens under Maryland’s own nurse practice act — the same act that defines what practice means here — administered by the Maryland Board of Nursing. That act is Md. Code, Health Occupations, tit. 8 (Nurses).
The compact itself is separate law. Maryland adopted it at Md. Code, Health Occupations §§ 8-7A-01 to 8-7A-05 (Nurse Licensure Compact); board authority at § 8-205(a)(1), which is what allows a multistate license issued elsewhere to reach Maryland at all — the practice act still decides what you may do once it does.
How verification works in Maryland
An endorsement application rests on Maryland receiving verification of the license you already hold, and that step is where these applications stall. What we found reading Maryland Board of Nursing’s own material:
Maryland runs its own lookup through CHART, separate from Nursys, and it is primary-source verification updated daily — printable for the facility file. What makes Maryland unusual is that the board argues AGAINST paper: it warns that paper licenses are only accurate at the moment they are printed, are easy to forge, and are used for identity fraud, and it treats a paper verification form as the fallback for the rare employer who will not accept the online result. That is the opposite instruction to North Carolina, which asks you to print the confirmation because the printout IS your proof. Both are right about their own systems, which is precisely why “just get a copy of the verification” is not portable advice.
Its own lookup is Maryland CHART license lookup. Confirm what the receiving board wants before you pay for anything — a printout of a public lookup is rarely the document a board means by “verification”. See the two things called verification.
What licensure by endorsement means
Endorsement is applying for Maryland’s own license based on an existing license in good standing. You end up holding a Maryland license. It is different from a compact license, which is one multistate license covering all compact states.
Applying through the Maryland Board of Nursing
Applications go through the Maryland Board of Nursing. Requirements and fees are set by the board and change over time, so we point you to the official source rather than listing specifics that could go stale.
Endorsement vs the compact here
Since Maryland is a compact state, moving your residence here can make you eligible for a multistate license instead of a plain endorsement. See moving to a compact state.
Can applying by endorsement in Maryland get you a multistate license?
Yes — if Maryland is genuinely your primary state of residence and you meet the compact’s uniform licensure requirements. The Maryland Board of Nursing has issued multistate licenses since January 19, 2018. Say so on the application: an endorsement application and a multistate license request are not automatically the same thing, and boards issue what you asked for.
The compact statute in Maryland: Maryland gives the compact its own subtitle (8-7A) within the Health Occupations Article, with the operating detail in regulation at COMAR 10.27.22. Worth knowing for anyone tracing the history: Maryland joined the original compact in 1999, before the enhanced NLC existed, so its compact law long predates the 2018 rewrite that most states are working from.