Nursys and the Nurse Licensure Compact

NCSBN describes Nursys as the only national database for verification of nurse licensure, discipline and practice privileges for RNs, LPN/VNs and APRNs licensed in participating jurisdictions, including all states in the Nurse Licensure Compact. Its main services are:

• Nurse License Verification: used when you apply for a licence in another state by endorsement. It costs $30 per license type for each board of nursing you apply to, and the verification is available to that board immediately.
• e-Notify for Nurses: free alerts about your licence status, expiry, renewal and any public discipline.
• QuickConfirm: a free lookup that employers and recruiters use to retrieve licence and discipline information.

Every nurse is also given an NCSBN ID, a unique identifier assigned on first licensure with a board of nursing.

Under the NLC, a nurse holding a multistate licence can practise in person or by telehealth in other compact states and territories without obtaining additional licences. NCSBN says 43 jurisdictions currently take part. You apply for a multistate licence through the board of nursing in your primary state of residence, which must itself be a compact state. If you move to another compact state, you must apply for licensure there within 60 days.

The compact is run by the Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators, made up of members from each participating jurisdiction, and its current rules took effect on 2 January 2024. It is designed to let nurses practise across state lines in person or through telenursing, and to cross borders quickly to help in a disaster.

The NLC uniform licensure requirements include:

1. Meeting the licence requirements of your home state.
2. Graduating from a board-approved programme or, for international nurses, a programme approved in its own country and verified by an independent credentials review agency.
3. Passing an English proficiency exam if your programme was not taught in English or English is not your native language.
4. Passing the NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN.
5. Holding or being eligible for an unencumbered licence.
6. State and federal fingerprint-based background checks, with no felony convictions.
7. A valid US Social Security number.

A multistate licence depends on having a compact state as your primary state of residence and a valid US Social Security number, which most nurses applying from abroad do not yet have. A nurse licensed without them holds a single-state licence; the NLC lists upgrading a single-state licence to a multistate licence as a standard application once you meet the requirements. Your first step is still state licensure through one board. See our NCLEX-RN guide and VisaScreen guide.

• Assuming a licence from a compact state covers non-compact states. It does not.
• Missing the 60-day deadline after moving to a new compact state.
• Paying for verification for the wrong licence type or board.