March 17, 2021
Action Briefs
Licensure Compacts

Interstate Medical Licensure Compact

Interstate Medical Licensure Compact

Compact Description

  • The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact is an agreement among participating U.S. states to work together to significantly streamline the licensing process for physicians who want to practice in multiple states. It offers a voluntary, expedited pathway to licensure for physicians who qualify. The Compact creates another pathway for licensure and does not otherwise change a state’s existing Medical Practice Act.
  • Physicians can qualify to practice medicine across state lines within the Compact if they meet the Compact’s eligibility requirements. Physicians who are eligible can qualify to practice medicine in multiple states by completing just one application within the Compact, receiving separate licenses from each state in which they intend to practice.
  • These licenses are still issued by the individual states – just as they would be using the standard licensing process – but because the application for licensure in these states is routed through the Compact, the overall process of gaining a license is significantly streamlined. Physicians receive their licenses much faster and with fewer burdens.

What professions are included?

  • MD’s & DO’s

Compact States

  • The Compact currently includes 31 states, the District of Columbia and the Territory of Guam. In these jurisdictions, physicians are licensed by 43 different medical and osteopathic boards. Other states are currently in the process of introducing legislation to adopt the Compact.

Regulatory body for the occupation

  • The Compact is an agreement among sovereign states, with the Interstate Medical Licensure Commission serving as an independent coordinating organization that administers the Compact on the states’ behalf. The Commission is made up of representatives from each participating Compact state.

Link to Compact Language

Compact status: Live as of April 2017

Compact Contact Information
John Bremer
Director, State Legislation and Policy
Email: jbremer@fsmb.org
Phone: 202-463-4021

FAQ’s

Download PDF of details.









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