Nursing License from Michigan to Arizona: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Arizona State Board of Nursing ↗
A nursing license transfers from Michigan to Arizona by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Arizona State Board of Nursing, verify your Michigan license, and meet Arizona's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This direction has a silver lining. Michigan is outside the compact, so you have been carrying a single-state license — but Arizona is a member. Endorse into Arizona, establish it as your primary residence, meet the uniform licensure requirements, and the license you receive is multistate: one application turns into practice privileges across the whole compact.
What changes, Michigan → Arizona
| Michigan (current) | Arizona (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| NLC status | Licensure by endorsement | NLC member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $212.9 ($212.90 combined application fee + 2-year license fee; fingerprint background-check vendor fee paid separately) | $150 (RN/LPN endorsement application; + $50 background-check fee; optional $50 temporary license; card payments add a $2 or 2.2% processing fee) |
| Processing time | board does not publish an endorsement processing timeline | 4–12 weeks (permanent license issues only after fingerprint results — approx. 30 days electronic, 8-12 weeks hard card; temporary license approx. 30 business days) |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Nursing | Arizona State Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Arizona sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Arizona's current requirements on the Arizona State Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Arizona State Board of Nursing (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Fingerprint-based state and federal criminal background check.
- Request license verification from your original state of licensure via Nursys.
- Upload citizenship/lawful-presence documentation.
- Meet a practice requirement: 960 hours of nursing practice, a nursing degree, a board-approved refresher course, or an advanced nursing degree within the past 5 years.
- Pay the fees ($150 (RN/LPN endorsement application; + $50 background-check fee; optional $50 temporary license; card payments add a $2 or 2.2% processing fee)) and allow 4–12 weeks (permanent license issues only after fingerprint results — approx. 30 days electronic, 8-12 weeks hard card; temporary license approx. 30 business days).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Arizona accept a Michigan nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from Michigan to Arizona by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Arizona State Board of Nursing, verify your Michigan license, and meet Arizona's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
Do I retake the NCLEX moving from Michigan to Arizona?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
What does the move cost?
$150 (RN/LPN endorsement application; + $50 background-check fee; optional $50 temporary license; card payments add a $2 or 2.2% processing fee) (RN/LPN endorsement application; + $50 background-check fee; optional $50 temporary license; card payments add a $2 or 2.2% processing fee).
How long will it take?
4–12 weeks (permanent license issues only after fingerprint results — approx. 30 days electronic, 8-12 weeks hard card; temporary license approx. 30 business days) — permanent license issues only after fingerprint results — approx. 30 days electronic, 8-12 weeks hard card; temporary license approx. 30 business days.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Arizona BON — Apply for a License (RN/LPN endorsement) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Arizona BON — Agency Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Michigan LARA/BPL — Michigan Nursing Licensing Guide ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Michigan LARA — Board of Nursing ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]