Nursing License from Illinois to Michigan: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Michigan accept an Illinois nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from Illinois to Michigan by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Michigan Board of Nursing, verify your Illinois license, and meet Michigan's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither Illinois nor Michigan participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so this is a classic endorsement move: Michigan's board verifies the license you already hold and issues its own. Nothing about Illinois speeds it up or slows it down — the timeline below is Michigan's standard out-of-state queue.
What's different between Illinois and Michigan
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Michigan. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Illinois to Michigan (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Michigan to Illinois (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Illinois matter?
Coming from Illinois does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Michigan.
- NLC membership
Neither Illinois nor Michigan is in the NLC.
- Application fee
Michigan lists $212.90 for an out-of-state applicant and Illinois lists $50–$75 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Illinois and Michigan carry the same exam note for a licensee arriving from another state; any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
What changes, Illinois → Michigan
| Illinois (current) | Michigan (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| NLC status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $50–$75 ($50 non-refundable endorsement fee, or $75 with the optional 6-month temporary permit (+$25); fingerprint fee paid separately to a licensed livescan vendor) | $212.90 ($212.90 combined application fee + 2-year license fee; fingerprint background-check vendor fee paid separately) |
| Processing time | no processing range stated in IDFPR application materials | board does not publish an endorsement processing timeline |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Board of Nursing) | Michigan Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Michigan sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Michigan's current requirements on the Michigan Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Michigan Board of Nursing (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Fingerprint-based criminal background check (instructions emailed after applying via MiPLUS).
- Complete a one-time human trafficking victim identification training.
- Complete 2 hours of implicit bias training within the 5 years before licensure.
- Submit verification of licensure from every state where you hold or ever held a license.
- Have final official transcripts sent directly from your nursing program to the Bureau.
- Demonstrate English language proficiency.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Do I retake the NCLEX moving from Illinois to Michigan?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified Illinois 2026-10-29, Michigan 2026-07-21.
- Michigan LARA/BPL — Michigan Nursing Licensing Guide ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Michigan LARA — Board of Nursing ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- IDFPR — Registered Nurse Instruction Sheet (Examination/Endorsement/Restoration), rev. 4/24 ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- IDFPR — Nurses profession page ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources Illinois 2026-10-29, Michigan 2026-07-21
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