Frequently Asked Questions

Please go to https://floridasnursing.gov/questions-about-your-license-deactivation/ for more information.

This memo informs employers about the requirements of the Nurse Licensure Compact.

Compact law requires that a multistate license be Clear, Active.
A Clear, Active license will allow the licensee to work in any location in any Compact state.

A Military, Active license restricts the licensee to only working on military bases. Changing the license to Military, Active will remove the multistate privileges from your license. When the Military status is removed, the licensee will need to submit a Multistate License Upgrade application, meeting all requirements including fees and a new Livescan screening.

The compact gives nurses the ability to practice in multiple states with one license and reduces regulatory requirements by removing the necessity for obtaining a license in each state.

Beginning January 19, 2018, Florida will issue a multi-state license to new applicants if all requirements for compact licensure are met. Existing Florida RNs and LPNs will have the option to apply to convert their current licenses to multi-state licenses as of January 19th as well.

Your declared state of residency is your primary state of residence where your permanent and principal home is located. Proof of your primary state of residence can be found on the following documentation:

• A driver’s license with a home address
• Voter registration card displaying a home address
• Federal income tax return declaring the primary state of residence
• W2 from US Government or any bureau, division or agency thereof indicating the
  declared state of residence

Florida RNs and LPNs will be able to start applying on January 19th to convert to a multi-state
license and must meet the following requirements.

• Have a current, Clear, Active license
• Graduated from a qualifying education program (or graduated from a foreign program verified by independent credentials review agency)
• Pass the NCLEX exam
• Have no active discipline on a license
• Submit to a federal criminal background check
• Have no felony conviction
• Not currently enrolled in an alternative to discipline program (i.e. IPN)
• Have a valid U. S. Social Security number

• Moving between 2 party states- obtain license from the new home state; license from the former home state is no longer valid.
• Moving from a nonparty state to a party state- obtain license from the new home state; license from the non-compact state is not affected and remains in full force.
• Moving from a party state to a nonparty state- license issued by the prior home state converts to a single state license “valid only in___”.

The eNLC is only for RN and LPN licenses.

Once the eNLC is effective, your nurses will now be able to practice (in person or by telehealth) in other eNLC states with just one license obtained in their state of residence. Faculty and military spouses will just need one license to teach or practice across states in the eNLC. The eNLC is only for registered nurses (RNs) or licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPNs/VNs), not for advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs).

For more information provided by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing about the eNLC click https://www.ncsbn.org/NLCA_Employers_Fact_Sheet.

The states that are part of the eNLC are not exactly the same as the original NLC. If you have an eNLC multistate license, you can only practice in those designated eNLC states. You will need a single state license issued by every other state in which you plan to practice to continue to deliver care in each of those states. Click here to view a map showing up to date eNLC membership information.

Removing barriers to cross-border practice, the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) is an interstate agreement allowing a nurse to have one license and the privilege to practice in other compact states. Implemented in 2000, the NLC fosters public protection and access to care through the mutual recognition of one state-based license that is enforced locally and recognized nationally. Along with a majority of state nurses associations, hospital associations and health care facilities in every state overwhelmingly support the NLC. The NLC includes important patient safety features such as facilitation of the sharing of licensure, investigative and disciplinary action information among member states. Since the NLC’s initial launch, advances in technology and an increasingly mobile nursing workforce and patient population have created the need to break down barriers to interstate practice. Access to care has expanded and telehealth has transformed care delivery and erased geographic boundaries. The NLC has the ability to remove the licensure barrier to telehealth practice for more than 4 million nurses.