Nursing License from Michigan to New Jersey: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: New Jersey Board of Nursing ↗
A nursing license transfers from Michigan to New Jersey by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New Jersey Board of Nursing, verify your Michigan license, and meet New Jersey's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys or directly by your previous state boards.
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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 New Jersey is a member. Endorse into New Jersey, 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 → New Jersey
| Michigan (current) | New Jersey (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) | $200 (total due at application — $120 license fee + $75 nonrefundable application fee + $5 mandatory Alternative to Discipline fee; + $58.69 Morpho Trust fingerprint-card fee for applicants outside the metropolitan NJ area) |
| Processing time | board does not publish an endorsement processing timeline | board does not publish an endorsement processing timeline |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Nursing | New Jersey Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — New Jersey sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm New Jersey's current requirements on the New Jersey Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the New Jersey Board of Nursing (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Complete a fingerprint-based criminal history background check.
- Provide verification of licensure in good standing from your original state and every state where you have ever been licensed, via Nursys or directly from those boards.
- Submit a signed passport-style photograph taken within the past six months.
- Submit proof of U.S. citizenship, naturalization, or lawful immigration status.
- Pay the fees ($200 (total due at application — $120 license fee + $75 nonrefundable application fee + $5 mandatory Alternative to Discipline fee; + $58.69 Morpho Trust fingerprint-card fee for applicants outside the metropolitan NJ area)) and allow board does not publish an endorsement processing timeline.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does New Jersey accept a Michigan nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from Michigan to New Jersey by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New Jersey Board of Nursing, verify your Michigan license, and meet New Jersey's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys or directly by your previous state boards.
Do I retake the NCLEX moving from Michigan to New Jersey?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys or directly by your previous state boards.
What does the move cost?
$200 (total due at application — $120 license fee + $75 nonrefundable application fee + $5 mandatory Alternative to Discipline fee; + $58.69 Morpho Trust fingerprint-card fee for applicants outside the metropolitan NJ area) (total due at application — $120 license fee + $75 nonrefundable application fee + $5 mandatory Alternative to Discipline fee; + $58.69 Morpho Trust fingerprint-card fee for applicants outside the metropolitan NJ area).
How long will it take?
board does not publish an endorsement processing timeline — board does not publish an endorsement processing timeline.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- NJ Board of Nursing — Instructions for Licensure by Endorsement (PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NJ Board of Nursing — Applications ↗ (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]