What it actually takes for a state to join
Joining the compact is a legislative act, not an administrative one. A board of nursing cannot opt a state in on its own. The state legislature has to pass the NLC model law, and the state then has to implement it — build the systems, adopt the rules, and begin issuing multistate licenses.
That two-step distinction is why some states sit in a middle category. Massachusetts and the U.S. Virgin Islands, for example, have enacted the compact but were not yet issuing multistate licenses as of our last review. California is not in that middle category — it has not enacted the compact at all. You can see where every jurisdiction stands on the compact states map.
Reasons commonly raised in the debate
Legislation to join the compact has been introduced in California more than once without being enacted. We do not attribute a single cause, and we would rather tell you plainly that reasonable people disagree than pretend there is one tidy answer. Factors commonly raised in public debate include:
- Whether a multistate license would interact with California’s own nurse staffing ratio requirements, which are unusual among states
- Whether compact licensure would change California’s background check, fingerprint, and continuing education requirements
- How compact privilege would be enforced and disciplined across state lines
- That California regulates registered nurses and vocational nurses through two separate boards, rather than one
These are the arguments that appear in the debate, not a prediction. Whether California ever joins is a decision for its legislature, and we will update this page and the changelog if that changes.
What to do if you want to work in California
You apply to the California board directly for a California license. Because California is outside the compact, the route is the ordinary one: licensure by endorsement if you are already licensed in another state, or by examination if you are newly qualified. See nursing license by endorsement for how endorsement generally works.
Registered nurses apply to the California Board of Registered Nursing. Licensed vocational nurses apply to a separate board, the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians. Which board you deal with depends on your license type — see LPN and LVN compact licenses.
Holding a California license does not stop you from also holding a multistate license elsewhere, but only if your primary state of residence is a compact state. If you live in California, it is not.
If you live in California
Your primary state of residence drives everything. If you genuinely live in California, California is your PSOR, and a PSOR in a non-compact state means you cannot hold a multistate license from anywhere. You would hold single-state licenses instead — one per state you want to practice in.
If you move out of California and establish a real legal home in a compact state, that changes. See moving to a compact state and the 60-day rule. Moving temporarily for an assignment does not change your PSOR.
Check how your home and work states interact with the compact state checker, then confirm anything that affects your license with your board.