--- title: "What Is the Nurse Licensure Compact? The NLC Explained" description: "The Nurse Licensure Compact gives RNs and LPN/VNs one multistate license. What it covers, why NPs are excluded, and how Cuvo Health staffs visits." canonical: "https://cuvo.co/glossary/nurse-licensure-compact" last-updated: "Oct 26, 2026" --- **Definition:** The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) lets a registered nurse or a licensed practical or vocational nurse hold one multistate license, issued by the home state, that authorizes practice in person or by telehealth in the other compact states. # What is the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC)? The Nurse Licensure Compact is why a registered nurse can care for patients in many states on one license. It stops at nurse practitioners, which matters for a telehealth brand, because nurse practitioners are often the clinicians who prescribe. Cuvo Health's network of physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants is licensed across all 50 states before a brand launches. Published Oct 26, 2026. Facts reviewed Oct 26, 2026. The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) lets a registered nurse (RN) or a licensed practical or vocational nurse (LPN/VN) hold one multistate license, issued by the home state, with the privilege to practice in person or by telehealth in the other compact states. It exists because nurses must be licensed in the state where the patient is located at the time of service. The compact covers RN and LPN/VN licenses only: an advanced practice registered nurse, including a nurse practitioner, must hold an individual license in each state of practice. Cuvo Health's network of physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants is licensed across all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, Guam and the US territories, and each visit routes only to a provider licensed where the patient is located. **At a glance** - What it is: One multistate nursing license, recognized across compact states like a driver's license - Who it covers: Registered nurses and licensed practical or vocational nurses - Who it does not cover: Advanced practice registered nurses, including nurse practitioners - Home state: The primary state of residence issues the license; a nurse who moves applies in the new home state within 60 days - Eligibility: The compact's 11 uniform licensure requirements - On Cuvo: Visits route only to a physician, NP or PA licensed where the patient is located **The Nurse Licensure Compact and the IMLC compared (compact sites, checked October 26, 2026)** | Feature | Nurse Licensure Compact | Interstate Medical Licensure Compact | | --- | --- | --- | | **Who it covers** | RNs and LPN/VNs | Physicians | | **What it issues** | One multistate license from the home state | A separate license from each member state chosen | | **Practice in other states** | Privilege to practice in other compact states, including by telehealth | Only in the states that issued a license | | **Nurse practitioners** | Not covered; APRN licenses are held state by state | Not covered | | **Run by** | Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators | Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission | ## 01. Why does the NLC matter for a telehealth brand? Telehealth nursing crosses state lines as easily as a phone call, and the license has to follow the patient. A program that uses registered nurses for nursing services such as patient education or follow-up can staff those roles across compact states with nurses who hold a multistate license, instead of licensing each nurse in each state. The compact does not answer the question that decides most telehealth programs, which is who may diagnose and prescribe in the patient's state. ## 02. Does the NLC cover nurse practitioners? No. The compact's own guidance is that the NLC pertains to RN and LPN/VN licenses only, and that an APRN must hold an individual APRN license in each state of APRN practice. A separate APRN Compact is designed to give advanced practice registered nurses a multistate license of their own. What a nurse practitioner may do once licensed, including whether a physician agreement is required, is set by the patient's state under its practice authority rules. ## 03. How is a multistate license different from a single-state license? A single-state license is valid only in the state that issued it. A multistate license is issued by the nurse's primary state of residence, the state of the nurse's driver's license, voter registration and federal tax filing, and there can only be one. It carries a privilege to practice in every other compact state. A nurse who moves to another compact state must apply for licensure in the new home state within 60 days. ## 04. Does a telehealth brand need compact-licensed nurses? Only if it employs nurses for nursing services across states. The prescribing visit itself needs a physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant licensed where the patient is located. On Cuvo, those providers are recruited, licensed and credentialed by Cuvo across all 50 states before launch, and the brand never recruits a clinician, files a license or tracks a renewal. ## Frequently asked questions **Q: What is the Nurse Licensure Compact?** A: It is an agreement among member states that lets registered nurses and licensed practical or vocational nurses hold one multistate license from their home state, with the privilege to practice in the other compact states. On Cuvo, visits are staffed by physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants licensed where each patient is located. **Q: Does the Nurse Licensure Compact cover nurse practitioners?** A: No. The NLC covers RN and LPN/VN licenses only, and a nurse practitioner must hold an individual APRN license in each state of practice. Cuvo Health's nurse practitioners are licensed in the states they serve and practice within each state's scope. **Q: Nurse Licensure Compact vs IMLC: what is the difference?** A: The Nurse Licensure Compact gives nurses one multistate license from their home state, while the IMLC helps physicians obtain separate licenses from each member state. On Cuvo, licensure for every provider type is held across all 50 states before a brand launches. **Q: Can a compact nurse provide telehealth in another state?** A: Yes, in another compact state: the privilege to practice that comes with a multistate license may be exercised by telehealth. Outside compact states the nurse needs that state's license. On Cuvo, each visit routes only to a provider licensed where the patient is located. **Q: Does a telehealth brand need the Nurse Licensure Compact?** A: Only if it employs nurses for nursing services in several states; the compact does not license the clinicians who prescribe. Cuvo Health supplies more than 300 board-certified physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants licensed across all 50 states, at $25 per completed consult. **Related pages** - [Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC)](/glossary/interstate-medical-licensure-compact): The physician licensing compact - [Full practice authority](/glossary/full-practice-authority): What a nurse practitioner may do without a physician agreement - [Nurse practitioner full practice authority states](/compliance/nurse-practitioner-full-practice-authority-states): The 2026 state list - [The 50-state provider network](/provider-network): 300+ board-certified MDs, NPs and PAs - [Telehealth licensing and credentialing across all 50 states](/blog/fifty-state-provider-network): Licensure and credentialing in depth - [Telehealth glossary](/glossary): Every term a telehealth founder meets Canonical page: https://cuvo.co/glossary/nurse-licensure-compact