DEEPCOMPS · LICENSING
License Reciprocity & Multistate Licensing
Multistate license eligibility, state-board recognition, and endorsement pathways for nursing, physical therapy, real estate, and teaching. Government sites have the data but unusable UX — we publish the matrices interactively and layer in cross-state real-wage deltas.
Reciprocity maps by profession
Each map shows current member states, in-progress states, and pending bills — plus what changes year-over-year.
Compact Nursing States: NLC Reciprocity 2026
Interactive NLC map + cross-state real take-home gain calculator + endorsement vs reciprocity disambiguation + monthly NCSBN diff
A · informational · transactionalTeaching Certificate Reciprocity by State
NASDTEC data tiered into direct/probationary/restrictive (rare framing) + 6 friction subjects (SPED/ESL/math/science/CTE/foreign language) called out + 8-step cross-state checklist + real take-home table for K-12 teachers
A · informational · transactionalReal Estate License Reciprocity by State
Reciprocity vs portability disambiguation (constantly confused — 590 vol single sub-query alone) + ARELLO cooperative/physical-location/turf framework + Florida 8-state mutual-recognition deep dive + 10-state reciprocity matrix + cross-broker referral fee economics
S+ · informational · transactionalPT Compact States 2026
PT Compact data + wage comparison overlay + travel-PT use case + privilege application step-by-step
Why "reciprocity" is misleading
Most professionals confuse compact membership with reciprocity. A nursing compact license, for example, is granted by your primary state of residence — moving means you may have to surrender it and re-apply in your new home state, even if both are NLC members. We make this explicit on every reciprocity page.
Endorsement (state-by-state pre-approval), reciprocity (formal mutual recognition), and compacts (multistate license under one issuance) are three different mechanisms with different costs, timelines, and CE/CME implications. Mixing them is the #1 mistake we see in profession forums.
FAQ
-
What's the difference between compact and reciprocity?
A compact (e.g., NLC for nursing) issues one license recognized in all member states — no extra paperwork between members. Reciprocity is bilateral mutual recognition without the unified issuance. Real estate uses a partial-reciprocity model with named partner states; teaching uses NASDTEC's interstate agreement which most states honor with extra steps.
-
Does my license travel with me automatically?
No — almost never. Even within compacts, you must declare a primary state of residence. Moving across compact states usually means surrendering the original and re-applying. Our profession-specific pages walk through the exact steps.
-
Are pending compact bills tracked here?
Yes — for each profession, we track currently-active states, pending bills (with bill numbers), and historical adoption dates. Sourced from each compact commission's official tracker.
-
Why pair reciprocity with cross-state pay?
The whole reason most people care about reciprocity is to move. We show real-wage deltas (BEA RPP-adjusted) so you can see the actual purchasing power gain or loss before paying for endorsement.