State medical license requirements and Interstate Medical Licensure Compact states

The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC) is an agreement among participating state medical boards that offers eligible physicians an expedited route to licenses in additional member states. Each state board still issues its own license.

What the IMLC is

The IMLC is a voluntary pathway for physicians (MD and DO). An eligible physician applies through the compact using a qualifying State of Principal License, and each member state board where the physician wants to practice then issues its own license. Eligibility is set by the compact; see the IMLCC information for physicians.

IMLCC: information for physicians

Always confirm current requirements with the state board; IMLC participation can change.

Member states and territories

The IMLCC member boards list (updated 1/1/2026) includes these member states and territories:

States outside the compact

An IMLCC statement lists these states as outside the compact as of April 2026:

NPs and PAs

The IMLC covers physicians only. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants should check licensing requirements directly with the relevant state board.

FSMB: contact a state medical board

State status and bordering-state overview

This is an overview, not a ranking of licensing access. Statuses retain the dates and limits of the cited lists above. Unrecorded IMLC statuses remain unknown; the PA member list identifies listed members, not current privilege availability. Neighbor counts use land/river edges, excluding open-water-only and corner-only contacts.

State or jurisdiction	Recorded status	Border context
Alabama	member	4 of the 4 bordering states are IMLC members: Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee.
Alaska	not a member	Alaska has no bordering U.S. states or District of Columbia land/river neighbors; there is no bordering-state denominator.
Arizona	member	2 of the 4 bordering states are IMLC members: Nevada, Utah.
Arkansas	status not supplied in this project	6 of the 6 bordering states are IMLC members: Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas.
California	not a member	2 of the 3 bordering states are IMLC members: Arizona, Nevada.
Colorado	member	5 of the 6 bordering states are IMLC members: Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Utah, Wyoming.
Connecticut	status not supplied in this project	0 of the 3 bordering states are IMLC members: none.
Delaware	member	3 of the 3 bordering states are IMLC members: Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania.
District of Columbia	member	1 of the 2 bordering states are IMLC members: Maryland.
Florida	member	2 of the 2 bordering states are IMLC members: Alabama, Georgia.
Georgia	member	4 of the 5 bordering states are IMLC members: Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee.
Hawaii	status not supplied in this project	Hawaii has no bordering U.S. states or District of Columbia land/river neighbors; there is no bordering-state denominator.
Idaho	member	5 of the 6 bordering states are IMLC members: Montana, Nevada, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.
Illinois	member	5 of the 5 bordering states are IMLC members: Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Wisconsin.
Indiana	member	4 of the 4 bordering states are IMLC members: Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio.
Iowa	member	6 of the 6 bordering states are IMLC members: Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin.
Kansas	member	4 of the 4 bordering states are IMLC members: Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma.
Kentucky	member	6 of the 7 bordering states are IMLC members: Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia.
Louisiana	member	2 of the 3 bordering states are IMLC members: Mississippi, Texas.
Maine	member	1 of the 1 bordering states are IMLC members: New Hampshire.
Maryland	member	4 of the 5 bordering states or District of Columbia are IMLC members: Delaware, District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia.
Massachusetts	not a member	1 of the 5 bordering states are IMLC members: New Hampshire.
Michigan	member	3 of the 3 bordering states are IMLC members: Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin.
Minnesota	member	4 of the 4 bordering states are IMLC members: Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin.
Mississippi	member	3 of the 4 bordering states are IMLC members: Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee.
Missouri	member	7 of the 8 bordering states are IMLC members: Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee.
Montana	member	4 of the 4 bordering states are IMLC members: Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming.
Nebraska	member	6 of the 6 bordering states are IMLC members: Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, Wyoming.
Nevada	member	3 of the 5 bordering states are IMLC members: Arizona, Idaho, Utah.
New Hampshire	member	1 of the 3 bordering states are IMLC members: Maine.
New Jersey	member	2 of the 3 bordering states are IMLC members: Delaware, Pennsylvania.
New Mexico	status not supplied in this project	4 of the 4 bordering states are IMLC members: Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas.
New York	not a member	2 of the 5 bordering states are IMLC members: New Jersey, Pennsylvania.
North Carolina	member	2 of the 4 bordering states are IMLC members: Georgia, Tennessee.
North Dakota	member	3 of the 3 bordering states are IMLC members: Minnesota, Montana, South Dakota.
Ohio	member	5 of the 5 bordering states are IMLC members: Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia.
Oklahoma	member	4 of the 6 bordering states are IMLC members: Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Texas.
Oregon	not a member	3 of the 4 bordering states are IMLC members: Idaho, Nevada, Washington.
Pennsylvania	member	5 of the 6 bordering states are IMLC members: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, West Virginia.
Rhode Island	status not supplied in this project	0 of the 2 bordering states are IMLC members: none.
South Carolina	not a member	2 of the 2 bordering states are IMLC members: Georgia, North Carolina.
South Dakota	member	6 of the 6 bordering states are IMLC members: Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wyoming.
Tennessee	member	6 of the 8 bordering states are IMLC members: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina.
Territory of Guam	member	Territory of Guam has no bordering U.S. states or District of Columbia land/river neighbors; there is no bordering-state denominator.
Texas	member	2 of the 4 bordering states are IMLC members: Louisiana, Oklahoma.
Utah	member	5 of the 5 bordering states are IMLC members: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming.
Vermont	status not supplied in this project	1 of the 3 bordering states are IMLC members: New Hampshire.
Virginia	not a member	6 of the 6 bordering states or District of Columbia are IMLC members: District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia.
Washington	member	1 of the 2 bordering states are IMLC members: Idaho.
West Virginia	member	4 of the 5 bordering states are IMLC members: Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania.
Wisconsin	member	4 of the 4 bordering states are IMLC members: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota.
Wyoming	member	6 of the 6 bordering states are IMLC members: Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Utah.

Sources

Always confirm current requirements with the state board; IMLC participation can change.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact?

It is an agreement among participating state medical boards that offers eligible physicians an expedited route to additional state licenses. Each state board still issues the license.

Which states are outside the compact?

An IMLCC statement lists California, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia, Alaska, Massachusetts as outside the compact as of April 2026. Always confirm current requirements with the state board; IMLC participation can change.

Does the IMLC cover NPs and PAs?

No. The IMLC covers physicians only. NPs and PAs should check with the relevant state board.

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