Nursing License from Michigan to Oregon: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Oregon State Board of Nursing ↗
A nursing license transfers from Michigan to Oregon by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Oregon State Board of Nursing, verify your Michigan license, and meet Oregon's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; license verification is sent to OSBN from the state where you took the exam.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither Michigan nor Oregon participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so this is a classic endorsement move: Oregon'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 Oregon's standard out-of-state queue.
What changes, Michigan → Oregon
| Michigan (current) | Oregon (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| NLC status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $212.9 ($212.90 combined application fee + 2-year license fee; fingerprint background-check vendor fee paid separately) | OSBN fee page could not be verified on an accessible official page (server blocked automated requests); a separate fingerprint processing fee also applies — confirm current amounts with OSBN |
| Processing time | board does not publish an endorsement processing timeline | no processing time stated in the board's endorsement application directions |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Nursing | Oregon State Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Oregon sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Oregon's current requirements on the Oregon State Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Oregon State Board of Nursing (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active RN license in another state, or a previously held license plus required continuing education per OAR 851-031-0008.
- Complete 1 hour of pain management training from the Oregon Pain Management Commission within the last 36 months.
- Fingerprint-based state and federal criminal background check via Fieldprint, submitted only after the application.
- Have your nursing program send official transcripts directly to OSBN.
- Have license verification from your exam state sent to OSBN.
- Pay the fees (OSBN fee page could not be verified on an accessible official page (server blocked automated requests); a separate fingerprint processing fee also applies — confirm current amounts with OSBN) and allow no processing time stated in the board's endorsement application directions.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Oregon accept a Michigan nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from Michigan to Oregon by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Oregon State Board of Nursing, verify your Michigan license, and meet Oregon's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; license verification is sent to OSBN from the state where you took the exam.
Do I retake the NCLEX moving from Michigan to Oregon?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere. NCLEX is not retaken; license verification is sent to OSBN from the state where you took the exam.
What does the move cost?
OSBN fee page could not be verified on an accessible official page (server blocked automated requests); a separate fingerprint processing fee also applies — confirm current amounts with OSBN (OSBN fee page could not be verified on an accessible official page (server blocked automated requests); a separate fingerprint processing fee also applies — confirm current amounts with OSBN).
How long will it take?
no processing time stated in the board's endorsement application directions — no processing time stated in the board's endorsement application directions.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- OSBN — LPN or RN by Endorsement Application Steps (official directions, as of 6-30-26) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Nursys — participating boards of nursing (Oregon listed) ↗ (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]