Nursing License from Michigan to Kentucky: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Kentucky Board of Nursing ↗
A nursing license transfers from Michigan to Kentucky by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kentucky Board of Nursing, verify your Michigan license, and meet Kentucky'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 Kentucky is a member. Endorse into Kentucky, 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 → Kentucky
| Michigan (current) | Kentucky (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) | $165 (endorsement application, non-refundable; + IdentoGO background check fee and $30 Nursys verification fee) |
| Processing time | board does not publish an endorsement processing timeline | ~3 weeks (board states licenses may be issued within 14 business days after all documents are received; up to 3 months with disciplinary/conviction disclosures; 6-month temporary permit available) |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Nursing | Kentucky Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Kentucky sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Kentucky's current requirements on the Kentucky Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Kentucky 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 through IdentoGO.
- Pass the Kentucky Jurisprudence Exam with a score of 80% or higher.
- Verification of your original state license through Nursys ($30 fee paid to Nursys).
- Pay the fees ($165 (endorsement application, non-refundable; + IdentoGO background check fee and $30 Nursys verification fee)) and allow ~3 weeks (board states licenses may be issued within 14 business days after all documents are received; up to 3 months with disciplinary/conviction disclosures; 6-month temporary permit available).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Kentucky accept a Michigan nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from Michigan to Kentucky by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kentucky Board of Nursing, verify your Michigan license, and meet Kentucky's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
Do I retake the NCLEX moving from Michigan to Kentucky?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
What does the move cost?
$165 (endorsement application, non-refundable; + IdentoGO background check fee and $30 Nursys verification fee) (endorsement application, non-refundable; + IdentoGO background check fee and $30 Nursys verification fee).
How long will it take?
~3 weeks (board states licenses may be issued within 14 business days after all documents are received; up to 3 months with disciplinary/conviction disclosures; 6-month temporary permit available) — board states licenses may be issued within 14 business days after all documents are received; up to 3 months with disciplinary/conviction disclosures; 6-month temporary permit available.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Kentucky Board of Nursing — RN Licensure by Endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Kentucky Board of Nursing — Fees for Licensure Applications and Services (PDF) ↗ (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]