Nursing License from Michigan to Illinois: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Illinois accept a Michigan nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from Michigan to Illinois by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Board of Nursing), verify your Michigan license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither Michigan nor Illinois participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so this is a classic endorsement move: Illinois's board verifies the license you already hold and issues its own. Nothing about Michigan speeds it up or slows it down — the timeline below is Illinois's standard out-of-state queue.
What's different between Michigan and Illinois
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Illinois. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Michigan to Illinois (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Illinois to Michigan (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Michigan matter?
Coming from Michigan does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Illinois.
- NLC membership
Neither Michigan nor Illinois is in the NLC.
- Application fee
Illinois lists $50–$75 for an out-of-state applicant and Michigan lists $212.90 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Michigan and Illinois 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, Michigan → Illinois
| Michigan (current) | Illinois (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| NLC status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $212.90 ($212.90 combined application fee + 2-year license fee; fingerprint background-check vendor fee paid separately) | $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) |
| Processing time | board does not publish an endorsement processing timeline | no processing range stated in IDFPR application materials |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Nursing | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Board of Nursing) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Illinois sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Illinois's current requirements on the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Board of Nursing) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Board of Nursing) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Fingerprint-based criminal background check through the Illinois State Police or its designated agent.
- Hold a current license in at least one other U.S. jurisdiction.
- Request license verification through Nursys (or the CT-NUR form if your state does not participate).
- Submit proof of nursing education (ED form signed by your program director or official sealed transcripts).
- 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 Michigan to Illinois?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified Michigan 2026-07-21, Illinois 2026-10-29.
- IDFPR — Registered Nurse Instruction Sheet (Examination/Endorsement/Restoration), rev. 4/24 ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- IDFPR — Nurses profession page ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Michigan LARA/BPL — Michigan Nursing Licensing Guide ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Michigan LARA — Board of Nursing ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources Michigan 2026-07-21, Illinois 2026-10-29
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