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Is a Missouri APRN license a compact license?

The compact covers RNs and LPNs/LVNs — but not advanced practice. Here is exactly how APRN authority works in Missouri and why it is handled state by state.

Is a Missouri APRN license a compact license?

No. The Nurse Licensure Compact does not cover APRN roles — nurse practitioners (NPs), certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), clinical nurse specialists (CNSs), and certified nurse-midwives (CNMs). This is true everywhere, including Missouri. Even though Missouri is a compact state and your underlying RN license can be multistate, your APRN authorization is separate and does not travel with it — you generally need APRN authorization in each state where you practice as an APRN. A separate APRN Compact exists but is not yet operational.

Last reviewed 2026-06-17

The act that defines APRN practice in Missouri

The compact decides whether you may practice in Missouri. What APRN practice actually means here — scope, titles, what you may do and delegate — is set by Missouri’s own nurse practice act, RSMo ch. 335 (Nurses), §§ 335.011–335.096, and interpreted by the Missouri State Board of Nursing. Two states can both recognize your license and still differ on what you may do with it.

Where Missouri stands on the APRN Compact

We have found no APRN compact law on Missouri’s books. Read that as a floor rather than a census: our own research turned up two jurisdictions that the published member lists we checked had omitted, so “we have not found it” is the honest claim rather than “it is not there”. Either way no APRN is practicing across state lines on that compact today, Missouri included.

The compact does not cover APRN roles

The Nurse Licensure Compact covers RN and LPN/LVN licenses. It does not cover APRN authorization — NPs, CRNAs, CNSs, and CNMs. That has been the case since the compact began and applies in every state.

What that means in Missouri

Missouri is a compact state, so your underlying RN license can be a multistate license. But your APRN authority sits on top of that RN license and is not part of the compact — to practice as an APRN in another state, you generally need that state’s APRN authorization, granted by its board. Confirm specifics with the Missouri State Board of Nursing.

The separate APRN Compact

A distinct APRN Compact has been drafted to do for advanced practice what the NLC does for RNs and LPNs/LVNs, but it is not yet operational. Until enough states join and it is implemented, APRN privileges do not cross state lines automatically.

Next-step checklist

  • Confirm your RN license type (single-state or multistate) on Nursys (nursys.com).
  • Treat your APRN authorization as separate from your RN license.
  • For APRN practice in another state, obtain that state's APRN authorization.
  • Confirm current APRN requirements with the Missouri State Board of Nursing.

What to do with that answer

Frequently asked questions

No. The NLC covers RN and LPN/LVN licenses only. APRN roles (NP, CRNA, CNS, CNM) are not covered, so an APRN needs separate authorization in each state where they practice — and that is true in Missouri regardless of its compact status.