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For registered nurses moving to Michigan

How to Transfer Your Nursing License to Michigan

Is Michigan a nurse compact state? Not yet. Michigan is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC); a bill to join is pending (NCSBN: "Pending legislation for NLC: HB 4246."). For now a nurse needs a Michigan license from the Michigan Board of Nursing, by endorsement for a nurse licensed in another state.

No
Compact state
1,901
RN jobs in Michigan
$42.84
Median posted RN pay

What the Michigan Board of Nursing asks

Licensure by endorsement for a registered nurse licensed in another state, as the board's own page states it (read 9 Nov 2026).

Fee
The fee combines the application and the first two-year license.
Requirements
A criminal background check is required.
Good to know
Michigan is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so every nurse licensed elsewhere applies for a Michigan license.
“Registered Nurse (RN) by Examination or Endorsement $212.90”

From the Michigan Board of Nursing's own page, read 9 Nov 2026: michigan.gov (source: Michigan Board of Nursing). Fees change: the board's page on the day you apply is the one that counts.

The steps

What every move takes; the board's page above says what it asks in each.

  1. Check whether your home state and the new state are both in the Nurse Licensure Compact: if both are and you keep living in your home state, your multistate license already lets you work there.
  2. If you are moving your home to the new state and it is a compact state, apply for its multistate license; if it is outside the compact, apply to its board of nursing for a license by endorsement.
  3. Have your current license verified to the new board, through Nursys where your state takes part in it.
  4. Complete the background check the board asks for (most ask for fingerprints) and any state exam or course it names.
  5. Pay the board's fee and, where the board offers one, ask for a temporary permit so you can start work while the application is processed.

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Nurses in Michigan: new openings every week

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Nursing jobs in Michigan today

1,901 registered nurse and 221 LPN jobs are open in Michigan on this board, read every night from each employer's own job board.

Transferring a nursing license to Michigan: common questions

Is Michigan a nurse compact state?

Not yet. Michigan is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC); a bill to join is pending (NCSBN: "Pending legislation for NLC: HB 4246."). For now a nurse needs a Michigan license from the Michigan Board of Nursing, by endorsement for a nurse licensed in another state.

How do I transfer my nursing license to Michigan?

Apply to the Michigan Board of Nursing for a license by endorsement ($212.90 by its own page): a multistate license from a compact state does not cover Michigan. Have your current license verified through Nursys, complete the background check it asks for and any state exam or course it names, and pay the fee.

How do I transfer an LPN or LVN license to Michigan?

The same way: apply for a license by endorsement to the Michigan Board of Nursing. Its own page states the LPN fee, which differs from the RN fee above. LPN jobs in Michigan.

How much do registered nurses make in Michigan?

Open registered nurse jobs in Michigan that post an hourly rate pay $37.98–$55.13 an hour in the middle half, median $42.84 (168 jobs from 53 employers on this board today).

Do employers in Michigan offer relocation assistance?

86 open healthcare jobs in Michigan offer relocation help in their own posting today, each quoting the offer (a set amount, reimbursement or a package); ask for the terms in writing before you accept.

Who is hiring registered nurses in Michigan?

By open jobs on this board today: Corewell Health (251), Trinity Health (249), Henry Ford Health (202), Munson Healthcare (140), Advantis Medical (85), Bronson Healthcare (82). Every RN job in Michigan.

Sources and method

The compact status is NCSBN's map on the day read. The board's rules are its own page's words, shown only where the page states them; a sentence of it is checked against the page every week, and a change is read again. The jobs and pay are the registered nurse jobs open on this board in Michigan.

  1. NCSBN Nurse Licensure Compact map (nursecompact.com), read 9 Nov 2026, published 9 Nov 2026
  2. Michigan Board of Nursing: licensure by endorsement, read 9 Nov 2026; checked again every week for the sentence quoted, published 9 Nov 2026
  3. CareJobs.Now job board: open jobs read every night from each employer's own careers site

Cite this page

CareJobs.Now. (2026). How to Transfer Your Nursing License to Michigan. Data as of 9 Nov 2026. https://carejobs.now/transfer-nursing-license/michigan

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