Nurse Licensure Compact: Resources and Guidance for Nursing Staff and Employers

The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) have compiled a list of resources to help healthcare providers navigate the newly implemented Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC).  Effective October 1, 2025, Connecticut is one of 43 jurisdictions participating in the NLC.  The resources include answers to frequently asked questions, tools for employers, and guidance on conversion to a “multistate license,” also called a “compact license.”

Through the compact, registered nurses (RN) and licensed practical nurses (LPN) whose primary state of residence is Connecticut and who meet the uniform licensure requirements — including passing a state and federal criminal history background check — may be eligible for conversion to a multistate license (MSL).  Connecticut-based participants must apply for a multistate license with DPH through the State of Connecticut’s eLicense Website.  RNs and LPNs can wait to apply for a multistate license at the time they are required to renew their current single-state license, or they may apply to convert their current single-state license immediately.

• Click here for instructions on how to convert a single-state nursing license into a multistate license
• Click here for application information tailored to support RNs
• Click here for application information tailored to support LPNs
• Click here to access the state’s license application portal
• Click here for access to DPH’s Nurse Licensure Compact FAQs

RNs and LPNs who obtain a multistate license in a compact state have authority to practice in any participating state/territory — functioning akin to a driver’s license.  This means Connecticut RNs and LPNs only need one multistate license to practice in other compact states, including neighboring Rhode Island and soon Massachusetts.  Similarly, RNs and LPNs who work in Connecticut but live in another compact state — like Rhode Island, for example — are authorized to practice in both states under one multistate license.  The NLC eliminates the costly and time-consuming process of obtaining multiple single-state licenses when practicing with patients outside the nurse’s home state.

The NLC is a valuable healthcare workforce tool that increases patient access to care while maintaining public protection at the state level.  For employers, the compact enhances staffing flexibility, reduces administrative burden, upholds quality standards across state lines, and expedites the deployment of newly hired staff into care settings.  DPH has developed a Nurse Licensure Compact Employer Checklist to guide implementation.

CHA testified in support of Connecticut joining the compact when proposed during the 2024 Legislative Session in HB 5058, An Act Adopting The Nurse Licensure Compact, enacted as Public Act 24-83, as an effort to maintain the momentum Connecticut has built to grow and support the healthcare workforce and help make Connecticut more competitive in attracting nurses into the state.

The NLC pertains to RN and LPN licenses only.  A Connecticut-based advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) must hold an individual APRN license in each state of APRN practice.  An APRN Compact will come into effect once seven states have enacted legislation to create it.  Currently, three states have enacted legislation, and legislation is pending in four others.

CHA will continue to monitor NLC updates and will provide additional information and educational materials as they become available.