Interstate Medical Licensure Compact

An agreement among participating states that creates an expedited pathway for physicians to obtain medical licenses in multiple states without submitting separate full applications to each state.

The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, or IMLC, is the closest thing the United States has to a streamlined multi-state licensing system for physicians. Instead of submitting separate applications to every state where you want to practice, you apply once through the Compact and can receive licenses in multiple member states through an expedited process. As of 2026, over 40 states, plus DC and Guam, are members of the Compact. The member list continues to grow. Not every state is a member, so check the IMLC website for the current list before counting on it for your licensing strategy. To use the Compact, you must meet eligibility requirements. You need an active, unrestricted medical license in a Compact member state that you designate as your state of principal licensure. You must be board certified or within the initial board certification examination window. You cannot have any disciplinary actions on your record. And you must meet other eligibility criteria defined by the Compact. The process works like this: you apply through the IMLC portal, designate your state of principal licensure, and select which additional Compact states you want licenses in. The Compact verifies your credentials centrally and then issues letters of qualification to each state you selected. Each state then issues you a full, unrestricted medical license. You still pay each state's licensing fee. The IMLC does not create a national medical license. Each license is still a state-issued license governed by that state's medical practice act. The Compact just streamlines the application and verification process. For credentialing, having licenses in multiple states through the Compact dramatically simplifies multi-state enrollment. Each license is a full state license, so payers and hospitals accept them the same as licenses obtained through the traditional process. The IMLC is particularly valuable for telehealth providers, locum tenens physicians, and physicians in border areas who practice in multiple states. Instead of spending months on individual state applications, you can obtain multiple licenses in weeks.