Effective July 1, 2001, Mississippi entered into the Nurse Licensure Compact. Under the Compact, the registered nurse/licensed practical nurse license is issued by your primary state of residence (home state) will be recognized among all Compact states. Please note that when you are practicing in another Compact state, you must abide by the Nursing Practice Law of that state where you are practicing. The Compact defines "primary state of residence" as "the state of a person's declared fixed permanent and principal home for legal purposes." If your primary state of residence is Mississippi your license will be designated as MULTI-STATE.

Under the Compact, nurses with current, unrestricted multi-state licenses may practice in any state which is a member of the Compact. However, the nurse may only hold a license in one Compact state which is determined by the primary state of residence. Thus, if you currently live in Mississippi and obtain/hold an unrestricted license here, you would have privilege to practice nursing in the other Compact states.