Is Oregon a nursing compact state?

What Oregon’s compact status means

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

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

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

What Oregon residents should know

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

What nurses coming to Oregon should know

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

Why Oregon has no compact adoption date

There is no date to give, because Oregon has never enacted the Nurse Licensure Compact. This is not a delay or a pending implementation — no Oregon 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. Oregon is not among them, and a nurse practicing here needs a Oregon 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 Oregon’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 Oregon, so you can check our answer against the law rather than taking our word for it.

Compact statute

None in force.

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

ORS ch. 678 (Nurse Practice Act) ↗

Oregon’s own license lookup

Oregon State Board of Nursing primary source verification ↗

The most detailed verification in the cohort: alongside license type, number, issue, renewal and expiry dates, it reports whether the license has EVER been disciplined and names the action — reprimand, civil penalty, probation, suspension, revocation, or voluntary surrender. Most state lookups return a yes/no discipline flag, so a clean Oregon record is a stronger statement than a clean record elsewhere.

Board of nursing

Oregon State 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 Oregon

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 Oregon. See the APRN and the compact guide, and confirm specifics with the Oregon State 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 Oregon, which is why neither credential carries privilege here.

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

Verifying a Oregon nursing license

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

Travel assignments and telehealth in Oregon

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

Renewal and continuing education

Renewal cycles, fees, and continuing-education requirements are set by the Oregon State 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 Oregon renewal guide.