Is Vermont a nursing compact state?

What Vermont’s compact status means

Because Vermont is a full compact state, a single multistate license issued by Vermont lets you practice in Vermont and in other compact states without applying for a separate license in each one.

If you live in another compact state and hold an active multistate license there, you can generally practice in Vermont under compact privilege — but you still have to follow Vermont's laws and scope-of-practice rules while you work here.

Compact privilege only works if your license is the multistate type, not single-state. Check this before you rely on it.

What Vermont residents should know

If Vermont is your primary state of residence and you hold an active Vermont multistate license, you can practice in Vermont and in other compact states. If your Vermont license is single-state, ask the Vermont Board of Nursing about converting it to multistate.

What nurses coming to Vermont should know

Coming from another compact state with an active multistate license? You can generally practice in Vermont under compact privilege — just follow Vermont’s practice rules. Coming from a non-compact state? You’ll apply for a Vermont license by endorsement.

When Vermont joined the Nurse Licensure Compact

Vermont signed the Nurse Licensure Compact into law on June 7, 2021 — signed by Gov. Phil Scott (2021 Act 64).

The compact became usable in Vermont on February 1, 2022, 7 months after the law was signed. From that date, nurses holding an active multistate license issued by another compact state could practise in Vermont under compact privilege.

Vermont was the 36th jurisdiction to implement the compact.

Sourced from ncsbn.org, ncsbn.org, sos.vermont.gov. See the full NLC adoption timeline for every jurisdiction’s dates and methodology, or the Nursing Compact States Report 2026 for how far the compact reaches overall.

The law behind Vermont’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 Vermont, so you can check our answer against the law rather than taking our word for it.

Compact statute

In force — citation not yet confirmed.

Vermont has adopted the compact, but neither its board nor its code publishes a clean compact-specific citation we have been able to confirm. We would rather say so than print a section number that looks authoritative and is wrong. The Vermont Board of Nursing is the authority in the meantime, and if you have the citation we will add it.

Nurse practice act

Vermont nursing statutes & rules (OPR, Secretary of State) ↗

Vermont’s own license lookup

Vermont OPR — Find a Professional ↗

Unusually generous: the free online lookup is itself the OFFICIAL verification, and it is primary source for education, training and examination history — detail most states charge for or omit. A mailed hard copy still costs a fee, but Vermont publishes a turnaround of 3–5 business days for it, making Vermont the second state found to commit to a figure at all (after Montana). Vermont regulates nursing through the Secretary of State’s Office of Professional Regulation rather than a standalone board.

Board of nursing

Vermont 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. Enactment is not the same as implementation: check the dates above before relying on the compact here.

RN, LPN/LVN, and APRN coverage in Vermont

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 Vermont. See the APRN and the compact guide, and confirm specifics with the Vermont 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 include Vermont.

By credential: Vermont RN & the compact, Vermont LPN, and Vermont 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 Vermont is a compact state, if you make it your PSOR you may qualify for a multistate license issued by Vermont — often more useful than a plain single-state license. Coming from another state, you generally apply to the Vermont Board of Nursing by endorsement. If you are relocating, the 60-day rule governs the timing.

Verifying a Vermont nursing license

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

Travel assignments and telehealth in Vermont

Because Vermont recognizes compact privilege, an active multistate license from your compact home state generally covers a Vermont travel assignment, and telehealth to patients located in Vermont, without a separate Vermont license. Telehealth licensure generally follows the patient’s location. See the Vermont travel and telehealth guides.

Renewal and continuing education

Renewal cycles, fees, and continuing-education requirements are set by the Vermont 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 Vermont renewal guide. If your Vermont license is multistate, keeping it renewed is what keeps your compact privilege active in every other compact state.