As of October 6, 2026, four states have enacted the APRN Compact: North Dakota, Delaware, Utah and South Dakota. It needs seven to come into even limited effect, so it is not operational and no nurse practitioner holds a multistate APRN license. The Nurse Licensure Compact covers RN and LPN/VN licenses only, so NPs still need an APRN license in each state where their patients are.
Which states have enacted the APRN Compact?
Four states have enacted the current APRN Compact: North Dakota, Delaware, Utah and South Dakota. The APRN Compact is the model interstate licensure agreement for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) that the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) adopted on August 12, 2020. Under the compact's definitions, an APRN is a registered nurse licensed to perform advanced nursing practice in one of four roles: certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), certified nurse-midwife (CNM), clinical nurse specialist (CNS) or certified nurse practitioner.
| State | Enacted | Legislation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | March 9, 2021 | HB 1044 (2021), which amended and reenacted N.D. Cent. Code section 43-12.5-01 | North Dakota Legislative Assembly |
| Delaware | August 4, 2021 | HB 21 (2021), signed by the Governor; Laws of Delaware volume 83, chapter 110 | Delaware General Assembly |
| Utah | March 24, 2022 | SB 151 (2022), signed by Governor Spencer Cox | NCSBN, March 31, 2022 |
| South Dakota | February 5, 2024 | HB 1013 (2024), "An Act to adopt the advanced practice registered nurse compact" | South Dakota Legislature; NCSBN, February 9, 2024 |
The North Dakota date is the date the North Dakota Legislative Assembly records the bill as filed with the Secretary of State; the Utah and South Dakota signing dates come from NCSBN's announcements. The count is current: the Texas Board of Nursing's compact update for its July 23 to 24, 2026 meeting names the same four states, and NCSBN's news feed, read on October 6, 2026 and running through October 5, 2026, announces no later APRN Compact enactment.
If you hold or want a license in one of these states, the state guides cover today's single-state process: North Dakota, Delaware, Utah and South Dakota.
Is the APRN Compact in effect?
No. The model text says the compact "shall come into limited effect at such time as this Compact has been enacted into law in seven (7) party states for the sole purpose of establishing and convening the Commission to adopt rules relating to its operation" (NCSBN model, Article X). With four of seven states, that threshold has not been met.
Two points follow from that wording:
- Seven is a trigger, not a launch date. At seven states, the compact takes limited effect so that the Interstate Commission of APRN Compact Administrators can form and adopt rules. The text sets no calendar date for the first multistate licenses.
- Enacting states issue nothing extra today. North Dakota, Delaware, Utah and South Dakota continue to license APRNs individually. An NP licensed in Utah gains no privilege to practice in Delaware from the fact that both states passed the compact.
Why some lists show more than four states
One reason some lists show five or more states is an older APRN compact. Before NCSBN adopted the current model in 2020, at least two states had passed earlier APRN compact laws, and some websites count them alongside the current one.
- Wyoming enacted HB 56 in 2016, adopting an "Advanced Practice Nurse Licensure Compact," effective July 1, 2016 (Wyoming Legislature bill summary). NCSBN's February 2024 list of enacting states does not include Wyoming.
- North Dakota first created an APRN licensure compact chapter with HB 1096, filed April 17, 2017 (North Dakota Legislative Assembly), then replaced its text with the current model in 2021. A list that dates North Dakota's enactment to 2017 is describing the earlier law.
Some 2026 web pages describe Wyoming as a fifth state for the current compact. We found no primary source for that claim, and both NCSBN's February 2024 list and the Texas Board of Nursing's July 2026 update name four states, so this page counts four. Bills that were introduced but not passed also inflate some lists. Kansas HB 2266 would have enacted the compact and is recorded as died in the 2025 to 2026 session, and Arkansas HB 1134, "To adopt the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Compact in Arkansas," was withdrawn by its author on February 13, 2025.
What would the APRN Compact do once active?
Once operational, the compact would let an eligible APRN hold one multistate license, issued by the home state, with a privilege to practice in every other party state. The home state is the APRN's primary state of residence, and the privilege covers the same role and population focus as the home state license. Under the model text:
- Eligibility requires at least 2,080 practice hours as an APRN in a role and population focus that matches your education, and hours earned while enrolled in an APRN program do not count (Article III.b.7).
- Other uniform requirements include an accredited graduate program, a passed national certification exam with ongoing recertification, an active unencumbered RN license and APRN authorization, a passed NCLEX-RN, a fingerprint-based criminal background check, no felony conviction, and a valid US Social Security number (Article III.b).
- Noncontrolled prescribing travels with the license. A multistate license "shall include prescriptive authority for noncontrolled prescription drugs" (Article III.f).
- Controlled substance prescribing does not. For each state where an APRN wants to prescribe controlled substances, the APRN must meet that state's requirements (Article III.g).
- Independent practice is built in. A multistate licensee may practice "independent of any supervisory or collaborative relationship" in the home state and in remote states (Article III.h), though a state's rules on prescribing controlled substances still apply (Article II.u and III.g).
- The patient's state governs the visit. An APRN must follow the practice laws of the state where the client is located at the time of service (Article III.j).
- Single-state licenses remain. APRNs who do not live in a party state can still apply for a single-state license there, and anyone may choose a single-state license instead of a multistate one (Article III.e and III.l).
A new grad would not qualify on day one, because the 2,080 hours must be earned after the APRN program.
APRN Compact vs Nurse Licensure Compact
The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) is a separate, operating agreement that covers RN and LPN/VN licenses only; it gives no APRN authority. The NLC's own FAQ says: "The NLC pertains to RN and LPN/VN licenses only. An APRN must hold an individual APRN license in each state of APRN practice."
| Nurse Licensure Compact | APRN Compact | |
|---|---|---|
| License covered | RN and LPN/VN | APRN (CRNA, CNM, CNS, nurse practitioner) |
| Status | Operating | Not operational; four of seven required states |
| Members | 43 jurisdictions (nursecompact.com, read October 6, 2026) | North Dakota, Delaware, Utah, South Dakota (enacted only) |
| APRN practice rights | None | Multistate APRN privilege, once operational |
| Eligibility highlight | Home state must be a member | At least 2,080 APRN practice hours |
| Prescribing | No APRN prescriptive authority | Noncontrolled included; controlled per state |
The two compacts do connect in one place. Under the APRN Compact, a multistate RN privilege granted through the NLC would count as satisfying a party state's requirement for an RN license before APRN authorization (Article III.k). That helps on the RN layer only. For which states are NLC members today, see the state by state table on scope of practice, which carries each state's NLC status.
How do NPs practice in more than one state today?
Today an NP needs a separate APRN license, and usually the underlying RN license or privilege, in each state where patients are located. The NLC FAQ puts the location rule plainly: "Nurses are required to be licensed in the state where the patient is located at the time service is provided." For telehealth, that means the patient's state at the time of the visit, not yours.
A practical sequence for adding a state:
- List the patient states. Ask the employer which states your panel or shifts will cover, in writing.
- Check each state's rules. The licensure checker shows what each jurisdiction requires and links its license guide and board.
- Settle the RN layer. If your home state is an NLC member, a multistate RN license may cover other NLC states; if not, you need an RN license in each state as well.
- Apply for the APRN license with each state board, including any collaboration or transition-to-practice requirement that state sets.
- Send license verifications. Nursys Nurse License Verification sends verifications to the board you apply to from participating states; for license types Nursys does not include, it tells nurses to contact the issuing board directly.
- Add prescribing authority. Controlled substance authority is state by state. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) requires "a separate registration ... for each principal place of business or professional practice" where controlled substances are dispensed, and its registration FAQ says a practitioner with practice locations in more than one state needs a registration in each state.
- Expect credentialing per state. Licenses start a separate credentialing and payer enrollment track; the credentialing checklist covers the document set.
What this means for your job search
For telehealth, travel and locum NPs, the APRN Compact changes nothing in 2026: each additional state is still a separate APRN application and verification. Read telehealth, travel and locum tenens postings for the states they require, and treat "compact license" language in an NP posting as a question to ask, because the only operating nursing licensure compact covers RN and LPN/VN licenses. The remote and telehealth NP guide covers how licensure follows the patient.
For employers and credentialing teams, budget the time and cost of individual APRN licenses per state, ask candidates which state licenses they hold today, and keep in mind that no NP role can be compact eligible until the APRN Compact operates. If you are hiring across states, post the job with the specific licenses required so applicants can self-screen.
What to watch
The count changes only when another state enacts the compact into law, so the fastest checks are NCSBN's news page and the compact's site, aprncompact.com. Bills are in play: the Texas Board of Nursing's July 2026 compact update reported that five additional states had legislation introduced at the time of its meeting, while the enacted list stayed at four. Three questions matter:
- Does a fifth state enact the 2020 model? A bill is pending until it becomes law, and introduction alone adds no state to the count.
- When does a seventh state sign? That starts limited effect and commission rulemaking, not licensing.
- What do the commission's rules require? Fees, application steps and start dates will come from those rules, which do not yet exist.
This page reflects the status as of October 6, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Which states are in the APRN Compact?
As of October 6, 2026, four states have enacted the current APRN Compact: North Dakota (March 9, 2021), Delaware (August 4, 2021), Utah (March 24, 2022) and South Dakota (February 5, 2024). Lists showing more states usually count an older APRN compact law, such as Wyoming's 2016 Advanced Practice Nurse Licensure Compact, which NCSBN does not list among enactments of the current model.
Is the APRN Compact in effect yet?
No. The compact comes into limited effect only after seven states enact it, and four have. Even then, limited effect exists to form the Interstate Commission of APRN Compact Administrators and adopt rules. No multistate APRN license exists today, and NPs in enacting states still hold ordinary single-state APRN licenses.
Is the APRN Compact the same as the Nurse Licensure Compact?
No. The Nurse Licensure Compact is operating and covers RN and LPN/VN licenses in 43 jurisdictions, according to nursecompact.com on October 6, 2026. The APRN Compact is a separate agreement for CRNAs, nurse-midwives, clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners, and it is not operational. A multistate RN license gives no APRN practice rights.
Does a multistate RN license let an NP practice in other states?
No. A multistate RN license under the Nurse Licensure Compact lets you practice as a registered nurse in other member states. The NLC's own FAQ says an APRN must hold an individual APRN license in each state of APRN practice. The multistate RN license helps with the RN layer only; you still apply to each state board for the APRN license itself.
How do nurse practitioners get licensed in more than one state today?
You apply for an APRN license with each state board where your patients are located, along with an RN license or NLC privilege in that state. Send verifications through Nursys where the issuing board participates, add each state's controlled substance authority and, as DEA guidance describes, a DEA registration in each state where you practice, and expect separate credentialing at each employer and payer.
When will the APRN Compact take effect?
No date is set, and none can be until three more states enact it. At seven states the compact takes limited effect so its commission can form and write rules; multistate licenses would follow from those rules. Legislative outcomes are not predictable, so check NCSBN's news page and aprncompact.com for enactments.
Sources
- NCSBN: Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Compact, model legislation (adopted August 12, 2020)
- North Dakota Legislative Assembly: HB 1044, 67th Assembly (filed with the Secretary of State March 9, 2021)
- North Dakota Legislative Assembly: HB 1096, 65th Assembly (filed April 17, 2017)
- North Dakota Century Code: Chapter 43-12.5, Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Licensure Compact (current code, read October 6, 2026)
- Delaware General Assembly: HB 21, Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Compact (signed August 4, 2021)
- NCSBN: Utah Enacts Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Compact (March 31, 2022)
- NCSBN: South Dakota Enacts APRN Compact (February 9, 2024)
- South Dakota Legislature: HB 1013, enrolled, An Act to adopt the advanced practice registered nurse compact (2024 session)
- Texas Board of Nursing: Agenda Item 6.1, Nurse Licensure Compact Update (meeting of July 23 to 24, 2026)
- Arkansas State Legislature: HB 1134, 2025 Regular Session (withdrawn by author February 13, 2025)
- NCSBN: All News (read October 6, 2026)
- Wyoming Legislature: HB 56 bill summary, Advanced Practice Nurse Licensure Compact (effective July 1, 2016)
- Kansas Legislature: HB 2266, 2025 to 2026 session (read October 6, 2026)
- Nurse Licensure Compact: Home (read October 6, 2026)
- Nurse Licensure Compact: FAQs (read October 6, 2026)
- APRN Compact: Home (read October 6, 2026)
- Nursys: License verification (read October 6, 2026)
- DEA Diversion Control Division: Registration FAQ (read October 6, 2026)