No, Illinois is not a Nurse Licensure Compact state. As of early 2026, Illinois has not joined the NLC, and no bill to adopt it has passed both chambers of the General Assembly. More than 40 states have enacted the compact, which leaves Illinois in a shrinking minority of holdouts.
For the roughly 200,000 nurses licensed in Illinois, that status has real day-to-day consequences, and several bills now pending in Springfield could change it.
What Non-Compact Status Means for You Right Now
Illinois nurses hold single-state licenses only. If you want to work in another state, including a neighboring compact state like Indiana, Missouri, or Wisconsin, you have to apply for licensure by endorsement in that state. Separate application, separate background check, separate fee.
The restriction runs both directions. A nurse who holds a multi-state license from another compact state cannot practice in Illinois on that license. They need a standalone Illinois license, with their own application, fingerprint-based background check, and processing time that can stretch weeks or months. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation handles endorsement applications through its online portal.
Telehealth is affected the same way. A nurse in a compact state cannot deliver care to an Illinois patient on their multi-state license alone, and an Illinois nurse cannot serve patients in compact states without obtaining each state’s license individually.
Pending Bills in the Illinois Legislature
The compact has been introduced in Illinois more than once. In the 103rd General Assembly, HB 1706 proposed ratifying the compact but was re-referred to the Rules Committee in March 2025 without reaching a floor vote.
The 104th General Assembly, in the 2025–2026 session, has at least two active bills: HB 4369 and SB 0102. Both would amend the Nurse Practice Act to ratify the compact. Neither has been enacted. Illinois nurses continue to practice on single-state licenses while the legislation moves, or doesn’t.
Why Illinois Hasn’t Joined
The delay isn’t inattention. It reflects an active disagreement among nursing unions, state regulators, and compact advocates.
The Case for Joining
Supporters say Illinois nurses would gain access to every compact state on one license, cutting through endorsement paperwork and multi-state fees that can run into the hundreds of dollars. Border-area health systems in the St. Louis metro, the Quad Cities, and the Chicago region near Indiana and Wisconsin could recruit from a larger pool. Telehealth across state lines would become simpler.
The Case Against
Opposition has centered on a handful of specific concerns.
Illinois requires 20 hours of continuing education every two years for RN renewal, including coursework on sexual harassment prevention, implicit bias, and Alzheimer’s and dementia care. Indiana, Missouri, and Wisconsin, all compact states bordering Illinois, require no continuing education at all. Critics argue the compact would let nurses from those states practice in Illinois without meeting the standards Illinois imposes on its own licensees.
A second concern involves Illinois’ shield law. State law bars the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation from disciplining a healthcare provider solely because another state sanctioned them for care that is legal in Illinois, including abortion and gender-affirming care. Opponents warn that compact membership could expose Illinois nurses who provide those services to discipline from boards in states that restrict them. Whether the shield law would fully protect nurses in that scenario is legally untested.
Labor groups also argue the compact would let employers staff telehealth operations with nurses in lower-wage states, reducing demand for Illinois-based nurses. Some research has associated compact membership with lower RN wages, though the magnitude and causation are debated.
Finally, opponents note that Illinois already licenses out-of-state nurses through endorsement and that the state’s active RN count has grown substantially since 2020. From their view, the current system works.
What Would Change if Illinois Joins
If a bill passes and the governor signs it, the shift would be meaningful but not immediate.
Illinois nurses who meet the compact’s uniform licensure requirements would be able to convert their single-state license to a multi-state license. That license would authorize practice in every other compact state without additional applications. You would still follow the laws of the state where your patient is located, not Illinois law. Telehealth to a patient in Texas means Texas nursing regulations govern that encounter.
Out-of-state nurses holding a multi-state license from another compact state could practice in Illinois without a separate Illinois license, eliminating the standalone application and background check now required.
Military spouses who are nurses would also benefit. A spouse can maintain a multi-state license in a designated home state and practice in any compact state where the family is stationed, without obtaining a new license at each duty station. The spouse can designate a different home state than the service member, as long as actions like getting a new driver’s license or registering to vote in the duty-station state don’t shift legal residency.
One qualification bar catches some nurses off guard: a felony conviction is an absolute disqualifier for a multi-state license, with no waiver process. A nurse with a felony on record is limited to a single-state license regardless of how long ago the conviction occurred, even if their home state issued them a license after reviewing it.
Timeline Reality
Passage would not mean multi-state licenses the next day. Vermont signed the compact in June 2021 and began issuing multi-state licenses in February 2022, roughly eight months later. Ohio enacted the compact in July 2021 and did not begin issuing multi-state licenses until January 2023, a gap of eighteen months. The Illinois Board of Nursing would need to set up fingerprint-based background checks, integrate with the Nursys database, build the application process, and coordinate with the Interstate Commission that governs the compact.
APRNs Are Not Covered
If you are an advanced practice registered nurse, a nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, certified nurse-midwife, or certified registered nurse anesthetist, the NLC does not apply to you. The Illinois bills explicitly exclude APRNs. NCSBN has drafted a separate APRN Compact, but it has not been enacted by enough states to take effect. APRNs will continue to need individual state licenses regardless of what happens with Illinois and the NLC.
What to Do While Illinois Decides
If you are an Illinois nurse who wants to work across state lines, apply for licensure by endorsement in each state where you want to practice. Fees and processing times vary. Budget for background check and application fees that together often exceed $100 per state. If you end up holding licenses in several states, track each state’s renewal cycle and continuing education requirements separately. They will not line up with the Illinois two-year, 20-hour cycle.
If you hold a multi-state license from another compact state and want to work in Illinois, you need a separate Illinois license through IDFPR’s endorsement process. Processing times fluctuate, so apply well before any planned start date.